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Kilakarsal sheep (Tamil Nadu)

Kilakarsal is a medium-sized, hair-type mutton sheep breed of southern Tamil Nadu, registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR). It is one of the four registered native sheep populations of Tamil Nadu, alongside Madras Red (Madras Red Sheep), Mecheri and Vembur, and is the principal flock animal of the Sivaganga-Ramanathapuram dry tract.

Origin and distribution

The breeding tract centres on Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai and Virudhunagar districts of Tamil Nadu, extending into adjoining Madurai and Thoothukudi districts. The tract is hot and semi-arid, with rainfall concentrated in the north-east monsoon and natural grazing on Acacia, Prosopis and harvested groundnut, cotton and millet fields. The breed is reared mainly by traditional shepherd communities of the Konar and Yadava groups.

Morphology

Kilakarsal sheep are medium-sized with a long, deep body. The coat is short, glossy hair — typical of southern Indian hair sheep — usually solid brown to dark tan, with the diagnostic feature of a black-and-white shaded face and a white nose-stripe. Rams carry stout twisted horns; ewes are mostly polled. Ears are medium and slightly drooping. Adult body weight averages 35-40 kg in rams and 28-32 kg in ewes.

Performance

Kilakarsal is a hair sheep without commercial fleece; the small amount of body hair is shed naturally and not harvested. The breed is reared primarily for mutton, with carcass dressing percentage of 45-50 percent at 12-15 months. Lambing is single, with an annual lambing interval and age at first lambing of 18-22 months. Post-weaning growth is good, supporting the supply of ram lambs to the Madurai-Ramnad mutton market and to the festival ram trade (Ram Fattening Bakrid).

Management

Flocks are managed under a mix of stationary village grazing and short-range migration during the dry season into the Cumbum valley and the eastern Western Ghats foothills. Animals are night-penned in thorn-fenced corrals on rotated cropland to recycle dung. PPR (Ppr Vaccination Detailed) and structured small-ruminant vaccination (Small Ruminant Vaccination Schedule) anchor the herd-health calendar. Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) runs targeted Kilakarsal characterisation and breed-society support work through its Mecheri Sheep Research Station and the regional KVKs.

See also: Madras Red sheep, Nellore sheep, Ram fattening for Bakrid.

Sources

  1. Kilakarsal — NBAGR breed descriptor. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
  2. Sheep breeds of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.