India’s vast genetic resources in slicep are reflected by the availability of 40 breeds. Most of these breeds have evolved naturally through adaptation to agro-ecological conditions and are generally named after their place of origin or on the basis of prominent characteristics. A few breeds, e.g. Hissardale, Kashmir Merino and Nilgiri, Avivastra and Avikalin are crossbreds involving native and exotic breeds. A sizeable population of sheep is nondescript. Although sheep are classified on different bases, the Indian breeds may be best classified on the basis of their degree of suitability for mutton or wool production as follows.
Apparel Wool Breeds
The apparel wool breeds are Hissardale, Nilgiri, Kashmir Merino and Avivastra. These are crossbreds of native and exotic fine wool/dual/mutton breeds. The numbers and distribution of Hissardale and Nilgiri are very limited. Kashmir Merino, though large in number, has no definite level of exotic fine wool inheritance and has involved almost all the native breeds of Jammu & Kashmir.
Hissardale
Hissardale was evolved at the Government Livestock Farm, Hisar, through crossbreeding Australian Merino rams with Bikaneri (Magra) ewes and stabilizing the exotic inheritance at about 75 per cent. There is a small flock of this breed at the Government Livestock Farm, Hisar. The rams of this breed were earlier distributed in the hilly regions of Kulu, Kangra, etc. (For details see Table 2-1).
Nilgiri
Nilgiri breed was evolved during the 19th century. It originated from a crossbred base, and contains an unknown level of inheritance of Coimbatore, the local hairy breed, Tasmanian Merino, Cheviot and South Down. The animals are medium sized and white, exceptionally with brown patches on face and body. Face line is convex, giving a typical Roman nose. The ears are broad, flat and drooping. Males have horn buds and scurs; females are polled. The tail is medium and thin. The lambing on the basis of ewes available is about 64-8 per cent and the overall mortality about 9-23 per cent.
Kashmir Merino
This breed originated from crosses of different Merino types with predominantly migratory native sheep breeds such as Gaddi, Bhakarwal and Poonchi. The level of inheritance varies from very low to almost 100 per cent Merino, though a level from 50 to 75 per cent predominates. The animals are highly variable because of the involvement of a number of native breeds. No specific description of the breed can be given. The wool production and quality are as follows
Superior Carpet Wool Breeds
Chokla, Nali, Marwari, Magra, Jaisalmeri, Pugal, Patanwadi, Tibetan, Bonpala, Gaddi, Rampur Bushair, Poonchi, Karnah, Gurez and changthangi are superior carpet wool breeds.
Pugal
The Pugal area of Bikaner district is its home tract. It is distributed over Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan. The animals are fairly well built Face black with small light brown stripes on either side above the eyes; the lower jaw typically light brown. The black colour may extend to neck. Ears are short and tubular. Both sexes are polled. Tail is short to medium and thin. The fleece is white.
Patanwadi
Patanwadi is also called desi, Kutchi, Vadhiyari and Charotari. Three distinct strains have been described:
(i) Non-migratory, red-faced type with small bodies and yielding relatively finer fleeces. These are typical Patanwadi and are located in north-castern Saurashtra.
(ii) The migratory type, with large bodies and long legs, typical Roman nose and long tubular cars, they yield coarse fleeces and are found in western and north-eastern Gujarat
(iii) The meat type, with big bodies, low stature and coarse fleeces, observed in south-castern areas around Palitana.
The animals, in general, are medium to large with relatively long legs. They have typical Roman nose with brown face which may be tan in a few cases. Ears are medium to large, tubular with a hairy tuft. The tail is thin and short. Both sexes are polled. Lambing percentage on the basis of ewes bred is about 78-5 and on the basis of available about 60-4. The annual mortality average is only 2-1 per cent.
Tibetan
The Tibetan-breed is found in northern Sikkim and Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The animals are medium sized, mostly white with black or brown face; brown and white spots are also found on the body. Both the sexes are horned. The nose line is convex, giving a typical Roman nose. The ears are small, broad and drooping. The belly, legs and faces are devoid of wool.
Bonpala
This breed is found in southern Sikkim. The animals are tall, leggy and well built. The fleece colour ranges from completely white to completely black with a number of intermediary tones. Ears are small and tubular. Both sexes are horned. The tail is thin and short. The belly and legs are devoid of wool.
Gaddi
Gaddi sheep are distributed in Kistwar and Bhadarwah tehsils in Jammu province of Jammu & Kashmir, Ramnagar, Udampur, and Kulu and Kangra valleys of Himachal Pradesh; and Dehradun, Naini Tal, Tehri-Garhwal and Chamoli districts of Uttar Pradesh. The animals are medium sized, usually white, although tan, brown and black and mixtures are also seen. Males are honed; 10 to 15 per cent females are also horned. Tail is small and thin. The lambing percentage on the basis of ewes available is about 58-9 under farm conditions. The mortality varies from 10-7 per cent in adults to 27-6 per cent in lambs from 3 to 6 months of age.
Rampur Bushair
Rampur Bushair breed is distributed in Shimla, Kinnaur, Nahan, Bilaspur, Solan, and Lahaul and Spit: districts of Himachal Pradesh, and Dehradun, Rishikesh, Chakrota and Naini Tal districts of Uttar Pradesh. The animals are medium sized. The fleece is predominantly white; brown, black and tan are also seen on the fleece in varying proportions. The ears are long and drooping. The face line is convex, giving a typical Roman nose. The males are horned; most females are polled. The legs, belly and face are devoid of wool. Under farm conditions, the lambing varies from 52.9 to 88-3 per cent and mortality from 13-9 to 19-86 per cent, on an average.
Poonchi
The Poonchi breed is found in Poonch and parts of Rajori districts of Jammu province. The animals are similar to Gaddi but are smaller. They are predominantly white, including the face and are also seen with brown to light black spots. The cars are of medium length. The tail is short and thin. The legs are also short, giving a low-set conformation.
Karnah
This breed is distributed in Karnah, a mountanous tehsil in northern Kashmir. The animals are large. The rams have large curved horns and a prominent nose line. The fleece is generally white.
Gurez
This breed is distributed in Gurez area of northern Kashmir. Gurez sheep are largest of the sheep breed in Jammu & Kashmir. Generally they are white although some are brown or black or have brown or black spots. The small proportion of the animals have small, pointed horns. The tail is thin and short. The cars are long, thin and pointed. The annual greasy fleece weight varies from 0.5 to 1 kg per animal.
Changthangi
This breed is found in the Changthang region of Ladakh. The animals are strongly built, large framed with good fleece cover. The fleece has an extraordinary long staple. The mortality varies from 20 to 25 per cent in lambs to 10 to 20 per cent in adults.
Coarse Carpet Wool Breeds
Malpura, Sonadi, Muzaffarnagari, Jalauni, Deccani, Bellary, Coimbatore, Chhotanagpuri, Balangiri, Ganjam, Bhakharwal and Shahabadi are classified as coarse carpet wool breeds. The details of the first 8 breeds.
Balangiri
This is spread over north-western districts of Orissa, Balangir, Sambalpur and Sundargarh. They are medium sized, white or light brown or of mixed colours. A few animals are black. The ears are small and s umpy. Males are horned and the females are polled. Their tail is of medium length and thin. The legs and belly are devoid of wool. The reproduction rate in terms of lambing is about 8-3 per cent in farmers’ flocks. The mortality is around 8-0 per cent in young ones and 1-6 per cent in adults.
Ganjam
Ganjam sheep are found in Koraput, Phulbani and parts of Puri districts of Orissa. The animals are medium sized with coat colour ranging from brown to dark tan. Some animals have white spots on the face and body. The ears are of medium size and drooping. The nose line is slightly convex. The tail is of medium length and thin. While the males are horned, the females are polled. The fleece is hairy and short, and not shorn. An annual lambing percentage of 83-6 and mortality percentage of 10-35 have been recorded in farmers’ flосkѕ.
Bhakarwal
The name of the breed is derived from the nomadic tribe which rears these sheep. Bhakarwal has no distinct home tract and the animals are entirely migratory. They are of medium size and have typical Roman nose. They are generally white, although coloured fleесе are occasionally observed. All animals are spotted, fawn or grey. The rams are horned and the ewes are polled. The cars are long and drooping. and the tail is small and thin.
Shahabadi
Shahabadi is found in Shahabad, Patna and Gaya districts of Bihar state. The animals are of medium size and leggy. Their fleece is mostly grey and sometimes with black spots. The ears are of medium size and drooping. The tail is extremely long and thin. Both sexes are polled. Their legs and belly are devoid of wool.