Romanov

Romanov

The Romanov sheep breed is a sheep (Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758) originating from the Volga valley, north-west of the city of Moscow, with a main aptitude for meat production.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Animalia,
Phylum Chordata,
Mammalia class,
Order Artiodactyla,
Suborder Ruminantia,
Bovidae family,
Subfamily Caprinae,
Genus Ovis,
Species O. aries,
Romanov race.

Geographical and Areal Distribution –
The Romanov sheep is a Russian breed originating from the Volga valley northwest of the city of Moscow. It belongs to the Nordic European group like the Finnish sheep, the Norwegian Spaelsau, the Shetland, the Iceland and other breeds. Throughout the world it is often included in selective programs with the aim of increasing the prolificacy rate.
These domestic sheep took the name Romanov from the city of the same name and today, despite a notable decline in the country of origin, this breed is bred in France, Spain, Bulgaria and other Western European countries.

Origins and History –
If in 1850 there were almost two million animals, in 2000 the number dropped to 16 thousand. Today on the farms of the Yaroslavl region there are just over 5 thousand animals. At the same time, however, this breed is bred, as mentioned, in France, Spain, Bulgaria and other Western European countries, for a total number of over 100 thousand heads.
In the 18th century these sheep were first noticed outside Russia. Shortly afterwards they were imported to Germany and then to France. In 1980, 14 sheep and 4 rams were purchased by the Canadian government and were quarantined for 5 years. After testing, some specimens of the Romanov breed were brought to the United States.
This is a breed present in various countries and raised mainly for meat.
Unfortunately, today the Romanov sheep, at least in Russia, is an almost extinct breed. Its presence in Russia had been attested since 1802. Romanov sheep once “dressed” half the country: coats made from the fleece of this breed were worn by everyone, by rulers, by merchants, by farmers.

Morphology –
The Romanov sheep is a short-tailed sheep breed from Northern Europe.
These sheep are pure black in color when they are born, but as they age, they change color which progressively becomes grey.
The average weight of a male Romanov is 55-80 kilograms and the average weight of a female is 40-50 kilograms.

Productive attitude –
The Romanov sheep breed is a dual purpose breed. In fact, excellent quality wool and meat are obtained from the animal. The breed is perfectly suited to the difficult climatic conditions of the Russian winter, it is a good breeder, and suffers greatly from intensive breeding conditions, in which it often does not survive.
It is a very precocious breed: females reach sexual maturity after 3-4 months of age. She is universally known for her extremely high prolificacy. Quadruple births are almost normal, she manages to reach the threshold of 6-7 live lambs.
Appreciated for its strong maternal aptitudes and for the possibility of deseasonalizing births as they reproduce in any month of the year.
The meat is tender and more delicate than that of other small-sized sheep.
This breed has a very high milk production capacity and the milk is of high quality. With an average production of 150-200 liters of milk per lactation, this ewe can easily feed her entire litter, which can amount to 5-6 lambs. During the 100-day lactation period, ewes produce on average between 100 and 150 liters of milk, and record-breaking animals can produce up to 200 liters of milk and more. Due to their high fertility, relatively high milk production and vitality, these sheep are imported to various Balkan countries for crossbreeding with local sheep breeds with variable results.
Furthermore, the wool of the Romanov sheep is very resistant and resourceful. The wool is double coated with an average wool fiber diameter of 20.9 micrometers and 71.9 micrometers of outer coat hair (lambs wool). The average weight of the fat fleece is approximately 4.5 kilograms. Wool, which is a mixture of gray wool and black fur, is usually used for carpets, mats and tapestries.

Guido Bissanti

Sources-
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Balasini Dialma, 2001. Applied zootechnics. Sheep and goats. Sheep and goats. For technical and professional institutes, Caledrini Edagricole, Bologna.
– Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon, 2010. Atlas of native breeds. Cattle, horses, sheep and goats, pigs raised in Italy, Edagricole-New Business Media, Bologna.

Photo source:
– https://morningchores.com/romanov-sheep/