Characterization of the Rampur Bushair sheep in the north temperate region of India

S.P. Dixit G.K Gaur D.K. Yadav & G. Singh

National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources Karnal Haryana 132 001 India

Summary

Rampur Bushair is an important dual-purpose (meat and wool) sheep in the north temperate Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh state (India). The breeding tract of the breed runs across three districts namely Lahaul Spiti Kinnaur and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Information on three body biometric characteristics viz. body length from shoulder to pin bone chest girth and height at wither qualitative confirmation attributes and body weights of 335 animals were recorded. Animals were strong well-built and of medium size with a square brow. The animals were mostly white but black brown and mottled were also found in good numbers. Typically a prominent Roman nose convex head large eyes and pendulous ears (10 cm to 15 cm long) with a prominent mid-ridge were peculiar characteristics of this breed. The males had medium to long (19 cm to 29 cm) curling horns running backwards and downwards. The ewes were polled. The average adult body weight of males was 34.7 kg and that of females was 26.0 kg. The body weight of adult male and female sheep varied from 24 kg to 47 kg and 18 kg to 40 kg respectively. Wool yield varied from 200 g to 500 g per shearing. The animals were shorn twice a year (summer and winter). Sexual maturity in males and females is reached at one year of age.

The information on feed management and breeding practices flock size and structure reproductive performance and disease prevalence in the breeding tract was collected through formal interviews using a structured questionnaire given to sheep owners who were chosen at random within a structured stratified framework. There were 98 574 animals of the Rampur Bushair sheep breed in its breeding tract based on the sample survey estimates. The results indicated good scope for improvement of its productivity under the field conditions based on selective breeding.

Resumen

La raza Rampur Bushair es una raza ovina de doble propósito (carne y lana) muy importante en la zona norte templada del Himalaya en el estado de Himachal Pradesh (India). La zona en la que se encuentra la raza se extiende en tres distritos: Lahaul Spiti Kinnaur y Shimla en el estado de Himachal Pradesh. Se ha registrado información sobre tres características biométricas: largura corporal desde el hombro hasta el hueso pineal cinchera y altura a la cruz así como la confirmación cualitativa de los atributos y el peso corporal de 335 animales. Los animales se presentan fuertes bien conformados y de talla media y con frontal cuadrado. La mayoría de los animales eran blancos pero el negro marrón y moteado también se encuentran en buen número de ellos. Las características más peculiares de esta raza son un hocico prominente cabeza convexa ojos grandes y orejas colgantes (10 cm a 15 cm de largura). Los machos poseen cuernos curvados de una largura de 19 cm a 29 cm que van hacia atrás y hacia abajo. Las hembras no poseen cuernos. La media del peso corporal en edad adulta del macho es de 34,7 kg y de la hembra 26,0 kg. El peso corporal medio en los machos y hembras adultos varía de 24 kg a 47 kg y de 18 kg a 40 kg respectivamente.

La producción de lana varía de 200 gr hasta 500 gr por esquilo. Los animales se esquilan dos veces al año (verano e invierno). La madurez sexual en los machos y hembras se alcanza al año de edad. La información sobre alimentación gestión y prácticas de cría tamaño de la cabaña y estructura rendimiento reproductivo y prevalencia de enfermedades en la raza fue recogida a través de entrevistas formales utilizando un cuestionario estructurado entregado a los propietarios que fueron elegidos al azar dentro de un marco estratificado y estructurado. Hubo 98.574 animales de la raza ovina Rampur Bushair en su ambiente natural en base a las estimaciones de la encuesta.

Los resultados indican que existen buenos motivos para la mejora de su productividad en condiciones de campo con una raza seleccionada.

Keywords: India Sheep Rampur Bushair Characterisation.

Introduction

Rampur Bushair is an important dual-purpose (meat and wool) breed of sheep in the north temperate Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh state (India). The breed derived its name from the Rampur Bushair subdivision of the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. The sheep are also known as Rampur Bushairi or simply the Desi breed of the region. The breed is well adapted to the wide range of agro-climatic vegetation and management conditions of the region. The breeds differ widely in terms of their adaptation and production performance across different regions (Jain et al. 1998). Hence the adaptive characteristics of this breed are important for the development and sustainability of the carpet and mutton industry as well as its sustainable improvement under the particular characteristics of temperate region. Moreover the breed is suitable for resource poor farmers rearing these animals under fairly simple and extensive production systems with a relatively low level of managerial skills. In spite of their ecological and economic importance the Rampur Bushair sheep are inadequately characterized. A systematic survey was therefore undertaken to determine their geographic distribution establish breed characteristics study the existing management practices and estimate the approximate population of the Rampur Bushair breed in its breeding tract. The resulting information from this project may be useful for planning sustainable improvement conservation and utilization of the breed.

Materials and Methods

The Rampur Bushair sheep are found within the 30°22' to 33°12' N latitudes and 75°45' to 79°04' E longitudes. The altitude across the breeding tract ranged from 1 000 m (valleys) to >3 500 m (alpine zone) above mean sea level with average annual rain fall varying from 50 mm to > 400 mm in different seasons. The temperature reaches as low as -30°C in winter and as high as 30°C in summer. The humidity in the region varies from 28% in April to 96% in July. The breeding tract in the Spiti valley of Lahaul Spiti district is a cold desert region with little vegetation and harsh and severe winters. There is a mild summer from June to October in this region and heavy snowfall from October to April. The region remains cut off from the rest of the country during this period. The soil of the region varies from loam/fine to sand/clayey loam.

Preliminary surveys indicated the breeding tract runs across three districts namely Lahaul Spiti Kinnaur and Shimla of Himachal Pradesh. The data was collected from Shimla and Kinnaur districts in 2002 and from Lahaul Spiti district in 2003. Information on three body biometric characteristics viz. body length from shoulder to pin bone chest girth and height at wither and qualitative confirmation attributes and body weights of 335 animals were recorded (Table 1).

The information on feed management and breeding practices flock size and structure reproductive performance and disease prevalence in the breeding tract was collected through formal interviews using a structured questionnaire given to sheep owners who were chosen at random within a structured stratified framework. In each district a two stage stratified sampling technique was used. Six villages within each district and three sheep breeders within each village were chosen at random for the interview. The additional information if any was collected from the veterinary hospital of the village.

The total population of Rampur Bushair sheep was estimated by superimposing the population obtained through the survey on the Livestock Census data on sheep (Livestock Census Himachal Pradesh India 1992) in each district except for Lahaul Spiti district where Rampur Bushair is found only in its Spiti subdivision. Therefore census data of Spiti subdivision of Lahaul Spiti district was considered adequate for estimation of Rampur Bushair sheep in this district. The data on body biometric attributes and weights were analyzed using SPSS 11.5 for windows.

Results and Discussion Distribution

The Rampur Bushair breed of sheep was found in Shimla Kinnaur and parts of Lahul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. The breed was distributed throughout Shimla and Kinnaur districts and over the area down the Kunjam Pass towards Kaza (Hansa Hull Rangric and Khuric villages) and down the Maling Pass (Hurling Poh etc villages) in Spiti valley surrounding Kinnaur district. The majority of sheep were migratory. Due to scarcity of feed resources and snowfall in winter they were driven on foot to the lower hill regions of Sirmour Solan and Bilaspur Districts of Himachal Pradesh. In summer they were again driven on foot to the alpine pastures of the Inner Himalayas above 3 500 m above mean sea level mainly Ranikanda Rishikanda and Baba Kanda in Kinnaur and Kunjam and Parangla in the Spiti valley of Lahul-Spiti district. The sheep owners followed fixed annual cycle of migration from the base camp in the plains or mid-hills to high altitude alpine pastures during summer months. The annual migration of sheep helped them to utilize nutrient-rich grasses of the highland pastures. This way transhumance had become a way of life for ‘Gaddis’ the tribe of Himachal Pradesh mainly involved in sheep and goat rearing. The practice of nomadic pastoralism has been ongoing in this part of country since time immemorial (Kumar 1999). The stationary flocks were also taken to local kandas (pastures) for grazing during daytime.

Description

Animals were strong well-built and of medium size with a square brow. The animals were mostly white but black brown and mottled were also found in good numbers. Typically a prominent Roman nose convex head large eyes and pendulous ears (10 cm to 15 cm long) with a prominent mid-ridge were peculiar characteristics of this breed. The males had medium to long (19 cm to 29 cm) curling horns running backwards and downwards (Figure 1). The ewes were polled (Figure 2). The animals did not have beard or wattles. The legs belly and face were covered with short hair and devoid of wool. The tail of sheep varied in length from 14cm to 18 cm. The males were heavier than females with greater body length height and girth (Table 1).

Table 1. Biometrical characteristics of Rampur Bushair sheep.

Figure 1. A Rampur Bushair ram.

Figure 2. A Rampur Bushair ewe.

Management of the flock

The migratory sheep were dependent solely on grazing while non-migratory sheep were supplemented with concentrate (barley plus wheat) with 100-200 g/animal/day. The leaves of Grewia oppositifolia Salix denticulata and Robinia pseudo-acacia etc. trees were also fed. The natural grasses found in the region were Agrostis spp. Agropyron canaliculatum Eragrostis spp. Andropogon tritis Agrostis stolinifera Fescue alpina Altimisia maritima Feschu fistula Hippophae rhamnoides Dactylis glomerata Koleria cristata etc. The sheep were also grazed on stubbles of harvested vegetable crops like potato peas radish beat root cauliflower carrot and soybean cereals like wheat and barley and pulses like French bean and gram etc.

The non-migratory sheep were kept in closed houses (khud Duar) in winter and in open houses in summer (Figure 3). The migratory sheep took shelter in the forest area under trees or curved stones etc. Lambs were fed on their mother’s milk up to 2 months of age and thereafter left to graze along with the mother. Salt hunger was also observed in the sheep. Salt hunger may be due to sodium deficiency at high altitude as observed by Kumar and Sharma (2000). The salt provided to sheep was lower than the recommended dose of 2-5 g/day/animal.

Flock size and breeding method

The flock size in this breed varied from 3 to 150. However large size flocks (> 150) also existed. The male: female ratio varied from 30: 70 to 50: 50 (rare). The males were castrated at the age of 6 to 12 months. Natural breeding was the common practice with the farmers. Two to three rams per 100 ewes were kept for the breeding of sheep in the flock(s).

Production performance

The average adult body weight of male animals was 34.73 ± 0.45 kg and that of females 25.98 ± 0.49 kg (Table 1). The body weight of adult male and female sheep varied from 24 kg to 47 kg and 18 kg to 40 kg respectively. The sheep wool yield varied from 200 g to 500 g per shearing. The animals were shorn twice a year (summer and winter). The winter shearing was heavier than summer shearing. Wool was of medium quality (fibre diameter 27 to 35 microns) non lustrous and classified as high-grade carpet wool. The average fibre diameter fibre length medullation and crimps per cm reported by Mirajkar and Patil (1970) for the breed were 35.55 microns 9.21 cm 23.7 % and 0.0 respectively. The color of wool varied from white or black to tan brown. The coloured wool fetched higher price in the market.

Figure 3. A flock of Rampur Bushair sheep mixed with goats in open house.

Reproduction performance

Sexual maturity in males and females was reached at one year of age. Two breeding seasons (April-May; October-November) were practiced in a year except in cold the desert area of the Pooh subdivision of Kinnaur district where only one breeding season (Oct- Nov) was practiced. However the onset of oestrous was not dependent on season. The litter size was single.

Disease prevalence

The main sheep diseases prevalent in the tract were sheep pox foot and mouth disease enterotoxaemia lung and gastrointestinal helminth infestation and mange. The majority of farmers (> 50%) were aware of vaccination against viral diseases and drenching and dipping against parasitic infestation.

Population status

Out of the 18 villages surveyed 6 villages each were in high (Shimla) medium (Kinnaur) and low (Spiti) density regions.

The population of Rampur Bushair sheep was 47% (Kinnaur region) to 51% (Shimla region) of the total sheep population in the different regions. There were 98 574 Rampur Bushair sheep in their breeding tract based on the sample survey estimates. The Rampur Bushair sheep population in Shimla Kinnaur and Spiti regions was 67 161 27 413 and 4 000 respectively. The male: female ratio across the breeding tract varied from 30: 70 to 35: 65. The males below one year of age comprised 20-25% of the total male population based on sampling estimates.

List of References

Census. 1992. The state Report on 15^th Livestock Census Himachal Pradesh India.

Jain A. S.C. Gupta & A.E. Nivsarkar. 1998. Sheep and Goat breeding research in India. Indian Journal of Animal sciences 68 720-727.

Kumar R. 1999. Physiological and blood biochemical studies on migratory sheep of northwest Himalayan region. Ph.D. dissertation Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana India pp 1-4.

Kumar R. & K.B. Sharma. 2000. Effect of seasonal change in altitude on animal health and production. In: Proceedings of Summer School on Nutrition and Production of Animals under various stress conditions. Centre of Advanced studies in Animal Nutrition Indian Veterinary Research Institute Izatnagar India. March 2000 pp. 237-242.

Mirajkar M.A. & R.B. Patil. 1970. Physical and chemical characteristics of wools of important Indian breeds of sheep. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 40 176-188.