Coimbatore Sheep Breed:
This write up explains about Coimbatore Sheep Breed Profile.
The Coimbatore sheep breed, also called Kurumbai, is found in the Coimbatore and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu and in the districts bordering Kerala and Karnataka.
They are medium-sized animals, white with black or brown spots. Ears are medium-sized and directed outward and backward, and the tail is small and thin. Approximately half of the males are horned and females are polled. The fleece is white, coarse, hairy and open. Under farm conditions lambing percentage on the basis of ewes available is about 50; litter size is single. Breeding is pure. Dressing percentage1 on pre-slaughter live-weight basis is 39. The average annual fleece weight is 730 g with an average fibre diameter and density of 41 μ and 385 cm2 respectively, and a medullation percentage of 58.
According to the 18th Livestock Census there are 80,057 Coimbatore sheep in India.
| Adult Male | Adult Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Body weight (kg) | 24 to 26 | 21 |
| Average Body length (cm) | 63 | 59 |
| Average Height at withers (cm) | 62 | 59 |
| Average Chest girth (cm) | 71 to 72 | 67 |
Rearing environment and husbandry practices of Coimbatore sheep breed in the field were studied through a detailed survey.The climate of the breeding and migratory tracts was hot, semi-arid and tropical in nature with matching vegetation and cultivated crops. Housing was not provided for the migratory flocks and they were penned in the open harvested fields during nights with the help of nylon nets. New-born lambs were housed in the lamb hut up to 15 days and were then allowed for grazing along with their dams. Coimbatore sheep were raised solely on grazing irrespective of the physiological status.
Pure breeding was generally practised in most of the flocks. However, 19.7% of the flocks introduced meat-type hair breeds, viz. Ramnad-type (Pattanam) and Mecheri rams for crossing to improve body weight. Shearing of fleece was done annually during May–June and the wool was sorted and transported to the villages of the flock owners for weaving kamblis or sold as raw wool. The sheep were vaccinated against anthrax, peste des petits ruminants, and sheep pox. Deworming with anthelmintics was done regularly. The study revealed that Coimbatore sheep breed were reared under traditional method of rearing with less scientific management practices.
For agriculture farming in India : Read here.