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Chokla sheep (Rajasthan fine-wool)

Chokla is the finest-fleece indigenous sheep breed of India, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) and concentrated in the Shekhawati region of north-eastern Rajasthan. It is the genetic baseline used by ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI) Avikanagar for indigenous wool improvement and as the dam-line in several Indian fine-wool crossbreeding programmes.

Origin and distribution

The breeding tract covers Churu, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur and parts of Bikaner districts of Rajasthan. The tract is arid to semi-arid, with low rainfall and sparse natural grazing on sewan grass, ber and khejri trees, and harvested bajra fields. Most flocks are managed by the Raika/Rebari pastoralist communities. The breed is also called the "Indian merino" in trade circles for its fine fleece, though it is genetically a distinct desert breed.

Morphology

Chokla sheep are small to medium-sized with a compact body. The face is typically dark brown to reddish-brown and free of wool, while the body carries a dense, fine, white fleece. Ears are small and tubular. Both sexes are usually polled; occasionally rams carry small horns. The tail is short and thin. Adult body weight averages 32-35 kg in rams and 24-28 kg in ewes.

Performance

Annual greasy fleece yield is around 1.0-1.5 kg, distributed over two or three shearings per year. Fleece fibre diameter averages 26-30 microns — the finest among Indian indigenous sheep — and the fleece is staple-uniform with low medullation. Lambing is single, with an annual lambing interval and age at first lambing of 18-22 months. Mutton is a secondary product; carcass yield is modest because of the small frame.

Management

Flocks are managed under extensive migratory grazing through the Shekhawati tract and into Haryana and Punjab fallow lands during the dry months. Stationary peri-urban flocks rely on ber, khejri and cultivated fodder. ICAR-CSWRI runs a long-term Chokla improvement programme with selection for fleece quality and body weight, and Chokla rams have been used in the development of fine-wool synthetic strains such as Avikalin and Bharat Merino at Avikanagar. PPR (Ppr Vaccination Detailed) and structured small-ruminant vaccination (Small Ruminant Vaccination Schedule) are the main veterinary anchors.

Sources

Chokla — NBAGR breed descriptor. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
Chokla sheep improvement programme. ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar.