Edilbaev Sheep

a breed of fat-tailed, coarse-wooled sheep raised for meat and tallow. The Edil’baev sheep was developed in the late 19th century by Kazakh herdsmen, who crossed Kazakh fat-tailed sheep with Astrakhan coarse-wooled rams. Subsequently those animals that were best adapted to the natural and climatic conditions of nomadic sheep raising were selected.

Both rams and ewes are polled. The rams weigh 100–120 kg, sometimes as much as 160 kg; the ewes weigh 65–75 kg, sometimes as much as 115 kg. The sheep grow rapidly and mature early. The yield of meat is 50–55 percent. The wool is predominantly rufous, brown, and black, occasionally white or gray. The fleece measures approximately 15 cm in length; the yield of wool from two clippings is 3.5 kg from rams and 2.3–2.6 kg from ewes. Fertility is 110–120 lambs per 100 ewes. The sheep are bred principally in the Kazakh SSR.