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Jaisalmeri sheep (Rajasthan)

Jaisalmeri is a tall, hardy carpet-wool sheep breed of the Thar desert of western Rajasthan, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR). It is the principal pastoralist sheep of the Jaisalmer-Barmer-Jodhpur arid belt and is regarded as the tallest sheep of the Rajasthani desert breeds, with a longer migratory range and better tolerance of water deprivation than its neighbours.

Origin and distribution

The breeding tract covers Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner and parts of Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan, in the heart of the Thar desert. Annual rainfall is below 250 mm. Flocks are managed by Raika and Sindhi-Sipahi pastoralists in long-range transhumance (Migratory Sheep Grazing) that often extends into Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat during the long dry season. The breed coexists with Marwari (Marwari Sheep Rajasthan) and Magra (Magra Sheep Bikaner Jaisalmer) in overlapping tracts.

Morphology

Jaisalmeri sheep are tall and rangy, with long legs and a deep body well-adapted to long-distance walking. The face is black or dark brown and free of wool. The body fleece is white and dense, sometimes with black or brown spots on the legs. Ears are small and tubular. Both sexes are typically polled. The tail is short and thin. Adult body weight averages 38-42 kg in rams and 30-35 kg in ewes, making Jaisalmeri the heaviest of the principal Rajasthani sheep.

Performance

The fleece is coarse, white and hairy, used mainly for hand-spun carpet yarn and traditional textiles. Annual greasy fleece yield is around 1.0-1.5 kg, taken in two or three shearings per year. Fibre diameter averages 35-45 microns. Lambing is single, with an annual lambing interval and age at first lambing of 18-22 months. Mutton dressing percentage is 45-50 percent. The large frame supports good festival ram-lamb production (Ram Fattening Bakrid).

Management

Flocks are managed under long-range transhumant grazing on sewan grass, khejri lopping and harvested bajra and moong fields. During the long summer the breed survives on minimal water intake, taking advantage of dew-laden vegetation and saline well water that other sheep refuse. PPR (Ppr Vaccination Detailed) and structured small-ruminant vaccination (Small Ruminant Vaccination Schedule) are the main veterinary anchors; sheep pox, contagious ecthyma and external parasites are recurring losses.

See also: Magra sheep, Marwari sheep, Chokla sheep, Malpura sheep.

Sources

  1. Jaisalmeri — NBAGR breed descriptor. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
  2. Sheep breeds of western Rajasthan. ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar.