PRESENT STATUS, DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY OF BULGARIAN FINE FLEECE SHEEP BREEDS IN SOME HERDS OF AGRICULTURAL ACADEMY

N.Stancheva, P.Slavova, S. Laleva, J. Krustanov, М. Iliev, G. Staikova, G. Kalaydhziev, T. Tzonev

Abstract: It was carried out an analysis of the present status, the development, and the performance of the sheep belonging to the Bulgarian fine-fleece breeds from some herds within the Agricultural Academy: Northeast Bulgarian Merino sheep – Shumen type (SH), Thracian Fine-Wool Sheep – Stara Zagora type (SZ), Karnobat Fine-Wool Sheep (KT). For lambing campaign 2012, biological prolificacy, at first and second parity was highest in the KT (116% and 118%), second highest in the SZ (112% and 116%), and third highest in the SH (107% and 114%) ewes. For 2013 it improved in the SZ (132% at first and 150% at second parity) and SH (123% and 126%), while in the KT there was a decline (109% and 115%). The performance values of the other productive traits of the ewes from the three breeds meet the selection standards for class I, Elite, and Elite Record of the population. The fine-fleece herds within the Agricultural Academy are essentially unique, their importance being definitive with the production of sires to satisfy the needs of the breeding associations and farmers regarding structural improvement and enlargement of the whole fine-fleece population, which, when necessary, can be used for different purpose sheep breeding. The management of this genetic resource as a part of the National Genetic Pool of Bulgaria is to be based on preservation with improvement of the performance achievements and produce quality in accordance with market demands.

Keywords: Bulgarian fine-fleece breeds; development; productivity; sheep; status

Date published: 2017-03-16