First Results of Breeding of Blanche Central Massive Sheep Breed in the “Balahovit” Teaching-Experimental Farm of ANAU

Abstract

In recent years, in Armenia, meat has become more important than other food-producing directions of
sheep breeding, which is due not only to lower costs and the demand for the domestic market but also to the export of
many sheep from the republic. Consequently, foreign breeds of mutton, such as Dorper, Hisar, Romanov, Blanch Central
Massif, etc., began to be imported and bred in Armenia due to their profitability.
On October 20, 2021, Blanche sheep from the Central Massif was imported to the Balahovit ANAU experimental farm. A
sheep was mated with a female weighing 80 % of the live weight of an adult queen, about 45-50 kg, and a male weighing
80-85 kg. There was an average or above-average fat level in the animals. Live weight, the amount of feed needed, the
level of feed intake, the ability to adapt to weather conditions and reproductive performance were studied. Methods used
in animal husbandry were used in the studies. When the animals were moved, they lost about 2.6 % of their weight during
the initial period. However, it was restored within a short time. Females gained 365 g in March 2022, and males gained
450 g, which is an excellent indicator. A kilogram of weight gain costs 5.15 EFU. The pregnancy rate was 136 %, and the
inter-calving period was 271-320 days, which made it possible to provide three births in two years.