The Awassi sheep with special reference to the improved dairy type

The Awassi sheep with special reference to the improved dairy type

 

FAO ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH PAPER 57

 

The Awassi sheep with special reference to the improved dairy type


by
H. Epstein

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FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 1985

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

P-22
ISBN 92-5-101414-0

All rights reserved. Not part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

© FAO 1985



Bedouin women milking Awassi ewes on the Jordanian steppe. (Photograph courtesy of Dr Ilse Köhler-Rollefson)

Contents


Acknowledgements      Download[1,797 Kb]

Explanatory notes

Foreword

1

General observations on Awassi sheep       Download[1,529 Kb]

Distribution and nomenclature

Origin

Beginnings of improved Awassi breeding in Palestine

Physical characteristics

Conformation

Size

Weight

Head and horns

Body and legs

Fat tail

The scrotum

The udder

Skin and coat

Colour

Physiological characteristics

Hardiness

Body temperature

Skin and fleece temperatures

Pulse rate

Respiration rate

Water economy and feed intake under different conditions

Seasonal changes in the thyroid gland and trachea

Haemoglobin types in Awassi sheep

Blood serum proteins and lipoproteins

2

Flock management       Download[947 Kb]

Shepherding of bedouin and fellahin flocks

Nutrition of the Awassi dairy flock

A day's work with a large, high-yielding dairy flock

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

Diseases, parasites, poisoning and hygiene in Awassi flocks

Adenomatosis

Anthrax

Bluetongue

Brucellosis

Contagious agalactia

Contagious ecthyma

Dysentery in Awassi lambs

Enterotoxaemia

Enzootic virus abortion

Foot-and-mouth disease

Hypocalcaemia

Mastitis

Ophthalmia

Paratuberculosis

Pregnancy toxaemia

Pseudotuberculosis

Sheep pox

Tetanus

Urinary calculi

Vaginal and uterine prolapse

Vibrionic abortion (ovine genital vibriosis)

Virulent foot-rot

Blowfly (screwworm)

Leeches (Hirudinea)

Nose bot

Scabies

Sheep ked

Sucking and biting lice

Tick diseases

Worms

Poisoning

Buildings for Awassi dairy flocks

3

Biology of reproduction, suckling regimes, growth and development       Download[2,118 Kb]

Sexual maturity of Awassi ram lambs

Management of Awassi rams

Seasonal variations in sexual activity of Awassi rams

Management of the female lamb

The sexual season of the Awassi ewe

Artificial insemination of Awassi ewes

Reproduction

Gestation period

Fecundity

Sex ratio

Barrenness

Still birth and lamb mortality

Birth weights

Suckling regimes

Growth

Effect of sex

Single- and twin-born lambs

Effect of docking

Development

4

Milk and milking      Download[1,026 Kb]

Milk

Milk yields of unimproved Awassi sheep

Increase of milk yields in improved Awassi

Milk yields of improved Awassi sheep in Cyprus, Iran, Spain and Yugoslavia

Length and course of lactation period

Maximum daily milk yields

Lifetime milk yields

Influence of age on milk production

Body size and milk yield

Fat content of Awassi milk

Changes in fat content of Awassi milk in the course of a lactation Period

Solids-not-fat in Awassi milk

Proteins and lactose in Awassi milk

Ash content of Awassi milk

Specific gravity, freezing point, acidity, viscosity, flavour and fat composition of Awassi milk

Colostrum

The milk flow of the Awassi ewe

Primary and secondary milking: milk yields

Primary and secondary milking: milk composition

Effect of secondary milking on persistency of milk yield

Retention of milk by the Awassi ewe

Milk consumption by lambs under different suckling regimes

Effect of suckling on persistency of milk yield

Awassi milk products

Fresh milk and butter

Sibdeh and samneh or deehin

Lebben and labneh (lebbeniya)

Cheese production from Awassi milk

Composition of Awassi whey

Relation between Awassi milk fat and cheese fat

Milking

Milk and butterfat recording

5

Meat      Download[789 Kb]

Lamb

Mutton

6

Wool      Download[1,559 Kb]

Early evolution of wool in the present breeding area of the Awassi

Awassi fleece

Yield

Fibre types

Staple and fibre lengths

Fineness

Medullation

Crimp

Tensile strength and elasticity

Yolk

Colour

7

Flock book and computer registration and selection      Download[1,180 Kb]

Flock book/computer registration

Selection

APPENDIXES: AWASSI CROSS-BREDS      Download[977 Kb]

A

Awassi × Baluchi.

Awassi × Barki.

Awassi × Chios.

Awassi × Cyprus Fat-tailed.

Awassi × Finnish Landrace.

Awassi × Hungarian Combing Wool Merino, French Merino and German Mutton Merino.

Awassi × Kurdi.

Awassi × Mancha, Talavera, Churro and Castilian.

Awassi × Ovce Polje and Kosovo.

Awassi × Ovis ammon ophion.

Awassi × Romanov.

Awassi × Shal.

B

Awassi × East Friesian      Download[269 Kb]

Acclimatization difficulties of East Friesian sheep in the range of the Awassi

Biology of reproduction in East Friesian-Awassi cross-bred ewes

Oestrous cycle

Gestation period

Fecundity

Birth weight

Growth

Live weight of ewes

Milk

Butterfat

Meat (lamb)

Tail development

Udder

Wool

Mortality

WORKS CITED