COPPER-RED SHUMEN SHEEP BREED

G. Staikova, N. Stancheva, I. Dimitrova

Abstract: Issues related to the conservation of biodiversity, one of the priorities of the common agricultural policy of EU, are discussed in this study. Information regarding the origin, current status and prospects of Copper – red Shumen sheep breed is sumarisied. The advantages of local aborigine breeds are indicated in comparison with cultural ones as well as the reasons for the growing importance of this valuable part of the National gene pool in Bulgaria. The levels of the main productive traits and their dynamics are shown in the investigations of different authors, dating from the middle of the last century. The results from our study, carried out in Kabiuk in 2013, indicated an average conception rate was 92.86%, varied from 86.33 % to 96.87% at the age of 2.5. The biological fertility was the highest at the age of 2.5 – 111.3%. Average live weight of sheep was 50.678 kg. It is established there is no direct threat of extinction of the breed and population size of Copper – red Shumen breed in Bulgaria in 2015 is 9727* ewes, according to recent data from the National Register of IASRJ, Sofia. For repairing the negative effects of intensive selection in highly productive cultural breeds nowadays genetic reserves of native breeds could be used.

Keywords: aborigine breeds; Copper-red Shumen sheep breed; gene pool; origin of the breed; productivity

Date published: 2017-03-16