Sary-Dzha Sheep

a breed of semicoarse-wooled fat-tailed sheep. It was named after the aul, or village, of Sary-Dzha, located near the city of Mary, in southeastern Turkmen SSR. The breed was developed by the prolonged selection of local fat-tailed Pende sheep. The fat tails of Sary-Dzha sheep are of medium size and droop slightly. A ram weighs 90–100 kg or more, and a ewe 50–75 kg. The dressed yield of fattened wethers reaches 60 percent. The meat is of good quality.

The Sary-Dzha breed is the best of the fat-tailed breeds in wool productivity. The semicoarse wool is white and has a slight sheen; it contains a large amount of down and has almost no dead hair. The fleece is principally braided. The braids are 12–19 cm long, and the down is 8 cm long. The annual wool clip is 3.7–4.5 kg for rams and 3.0–3.5 kg for ewes.

Sary-Dzha wool is used to manufacture carpets. Fertility is 110 to 115 lambs per 100 ewes. The Sary-Dzha breed is raised in the Turkmen SSR.