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Bellary sheep Photo: Sutanu-1987 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗

Bellary sheep

Bellary is a medium-sized meat-type sheep breed of the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border belt, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) as a distinct population within the broader Deccani sheep complex. It is the dominant flock of the eastern Karnataka plateau and the western fringes of Rayalaseema.

Origin and distribution

The breeding tract covers Ballari, Vijayanagara, Koppal and Raichur districts of Karnataka, extending eastward into Anantapur and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh. The tract is a low-rainfall, semi-arid red-soil landscape with sparse natural grazing on fallow groundnut and millet lands, which has historically supported migratory flocks managed by the Kuruba and Golla communities.

Morphology

Bellary sheep are medium-bodied with a fawn, light brown or pied coat. The body is covered with a mixture of coarse hair and short, hairy fleece, lighter than the typical Deccani; the breed is intermediate between the woolly Deccani and the hairy Nellore. Ears are medium and slightly drooping. Rams carry stout, curving horns; the majority of ewes are polled. Adult rams weigh 30-35 kg and ewes 25-30 kg.

Yield and productivity

The breed is reared primarily for mutton; the coarse fleece is used for traditional kambli blankets but no longer fetches a significant premium. Lambing is single, with an annual lambing interval and age at first lambing of around 18-22 months. Post-weaning growth is modest; commercial breeders intensively fatten ram lambs for the Bakrid market (Ram Fattening Bakrid) to reach 35-40 kg live weight at 9-12 months.

Management

Flocks are managed under transhumant migratory grazing (Migratory Sheep Grazing) covering 20-150 km routes through harvested groundnut and Korralu fields. Stationary peri-urban flocks rely on hedge-lucerne, Subabul lopping and crop residues. Vaccination schedules (Small Ruminant Vaccination Schedule) against PPR, enterotoxaemia, sheep pox and FMD are the main veterinary anchor. Bluetongue (Bluetongue Sheep) is a recurrent kharif-season problem in the Bellary-Anantapur tract.

See also: Deccani sheep, Nellore sheep, Migratory sheep grazing.

Sources

  1. Sheep Breeds of India. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
  2. Bellary sheep breed profile. Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University.