Many livestock breeders ask questions about how much a ram weighs, whether it is advisable to start breeding sheep, and how much meat can be obtained from one animal.
A ram is a mammal, artiodactyl animal of the bovid family. It lives both in the wild and on farms. It is distinguished by an unpretentious, calm disposition, and has a highly developed herd reflex. The live weight of the male ranges from 20 to 220 kg. The weight of a sheep is usually 1.5–2 times less.
They live on average 10–12 years, in captivity with proper maintenance - up to 25.
Rams are moderate in size: the length of the animal varies from 1.5 to 2 m.
Species and breeds
There is still no unified classification of rams. Some zoologists divide animals by the shape of their horns, others by the number of chromosomes (in rams it is unstable, varying from 52 to 58). There is also no clear species division. According to the classifications presented in the literature, the following types are distinguished:
- domestic (used as the main source of lamb meat, milk, fat, wool);
- mouflon;
- urial;
- argali;
- snow;
- Dalla (thin-horned);
- bighorn.
In captivity (zoo) conditions, mouflons and argali take root well.
Many farms raise domestic sheep, such as:
- Romanov sheep;
- texel;
- Gissar sheep (the largest sheep breed in the world);
- Soviet merino;
- Edilbaevsky sheep;
- prekos;
- Kuibyshev sheep;
- Border Leicester.
Sheep are the record holders for the number of breeds; there are about 1229 of them in the world. This is almost 2 times more than the varieties of horses. So an experienced livestock breeder has plenty to choose from, because the breed also affects the final weight of an adult ram. Thus, the largest ram in the world, the Suffolk breed, lives in the USA and weighs 247 kg. At the moment, this “sheep” representative has the greatest weight.
Sheep breeding
Puberty in rams occurs at 2–3 years, in females - at 1.5–2 years.
Males compete for the right to own a female, organizing grueling tournaments. After fertilization, the ram leaves and does not take further participation in the life of the ewe and offspring. Pregnancy lasts about 5 months. Usually 1–2 lambs are born, with older ewes possibly 3–5. Babies weigh from 3 to 5 kg. For the first 3 months they feed on mother’s milk, although already in the first month they can eat grass, and after six months the kids become completely independent individuals.
In the wild, rams live in their own clearly structured herd, separate from ewes and lambs. Farms usually keep mixed herds.
Fat-tailed breeds of sheep
Many livestock breeders prefer to breed fat-tailed breeds (Edilbayevskaya, Kalmykskaya, Gissarskaya) on their farms. Representatives of these breeds are distinguished by the presence of a rounded pouch around the base of the tail - a fat tail. The fat tail is filled with fat (lard), which serves as a source of nutrition in unfavorable conditions (like the humps of a camel). The amount of fat tail fat in different individuals can reach 30 kg, but usually for an average ram the weight of the fat tail varies between 5–10 kg.
- Edilbaevskaya breed. These are black and red large animals with a large fat tail and thick hair. In a year, up to 3 kg of wool can be cut from each individual. The maximum weight of a ram is on average 100–110 kg, the female reaches 60 kg of live weight. Each sheep annually produces about 120 liters of high-fat milk, from which high-quality feta cheese (sheep cheese) and butter are produced.
- Kalmyk breed. An unpretentious breed, it produces more than 4 kg of wool per year. The weight of its representatives can reach 120 kg.
- The Gissar breed is one of the heaviest. How much does a sheep weigh? The female reaches a weight of 120 kg, and the ram - 190 kg. A first-year lamb grows up to 40–45 kg, and a young ram keeps its weight within 50 kg.
Valuable fur and tasty meat
Rams and sheep are herbivores. They eat everything from meadow grass to prickly rose hips and wormwood. At home, crushed cereals and hay are good to eat. They are not picky on pastures; even after walking cows and horses, they can find something to eat.
One of the unpleasant features of the meat of these animals is the smell.
The older the individual, the more clearly the smell of urea can be traced in the lamb, which is not affected by any spices or processing methods. It is optimal to eat meat from animals under the age of 3 years. This product has a white fatty layer and does not have an unpleasant odor. Lamb meat can also be distinguished by its smell: it smells like milk.
Most often, animals that are one year old or a little older are selected for meat. The average weight of a one-year-old male is 50 kg, and its maximum weight during this period can reach a whole hundredweight. If we talk about how much a sheep weighs, its weight is usually 2 times less than the weight of a ram carcass, although some breeds have females that weigh as much as a small male.
Cutting and butchering these animals is quite easy. The day before slaughter, the individual is separated from the herd, feeding is stopped, but water is provided. This is done to avoid intestinal ruptures, which greatly increase the risk of beef spoilage. Large pieces are best for cutting and storing meat - this way it will last longer.
Kira Stoletova
Depending on the purpose and direction of the breed, the indicator of how much a ram weighs ranges from 25 to 180 kg. The weight of the animal is also influenced by the sex of the animal: males significantly exceed females in weight.
Factors influencing live weight
The following factors influence a lamb’s net weight and the rate at which it gains:
- Direction and breed. Only meat rams are distinguished by their large size and produce a high meat yield, while dwarf breeds weigh only about 20 kilograms, which is the average ram weight for such individuals.
- Gender of the animal. In all breeds, the average weight of a male significantly exceeds the weight of a sheep.
- Age. Maximum condition is achieved at the age of 3-4 years. On average, a 4-month-old lamb does not weigh more than 35 kg, even if it is ready for slaughter.
- Feeding and care also affect the live weight of a domestic sheep. Sheep nutrition is usually not a problem for farmers, but feed and vitamins are necessary for good sheep condition.
Weight of an adult sheep of various breeds
The mass is related to the purpose of the animal. Depending on the products that farmers are focused on, sheep farming is divided into:
- fine-fleece sheep breeding and semi-fine-fleece, here the weight of the lamb itself does not matter much;
- meat-fat, where the focus is on meat and fat (it is this breed that shows what real weight of lamb can be obtained from a male);
- mixed sheep breeding - meat and wool, meat and dairy, fur coats, etc.
Fat-tailed breeds (meat-fat)
These animals, which have warm fur, gain weight very quickly. Representatives of these breeds are the largest rams, whose weight reaches 150-180 kg, and the maximum weight of a fat-tailed lamb reaches 200 kg. The largest animals are Gissar sheep. The fat tail (fat on the rump) has a significant mass, and the wool is suitable only for technical purposes (making felt), since it is too coarse and short.
Fur coat sheep
The weight of an adult ram of this breed is 110-120 kg. A distinctive feature of such breeds is the skin of excellent quality (the so-called sheepskin), ideal for making fur coats. The meat is in demand, but the wool of these sheep is not highly valued, since its use is quite narrow. The most famous fur coat breed is the Romanovskaya.
Meat-wool sheep (semi-fine wool). These sheep, which have higher quality wool, quickly gain weight. The main feature of meat-wool sheep is the combination of high-quality meat and excellent wool. On average, the animal weighs 100 kg. The most common are the North Caucasian, Kuibyshev and Tien Shan varieties.
Fine wool sheep
The goal of breeding these breeds is the highest quality fleece. An adult weighs on average 70-80 kg. The most famous representatives are merino sheep.
Dwarf breeds
They have good quality fleece and good meat characteristics. The average weight of dwarf sheep is 18-20 kg.
The most prominent representatives are the Wessent breed. One of the factors that have made sheep so popular is their early maturation, growth and undemandingness in feed.
What is responsible for the rapid growth of meat in rams?
Lambs rapidly gain weight even with minimal feeding costs. On pasture they can gain an average of 300 g per day. This allows the young sheep to gain 80% of the body weight of an adult by the age of one year.
To get the highest quality lamb with the best taste, you need to cut a one-year-old lamb. Not all breeders agree on the slaughter age. Yablonovsky M.Yu. I am convinced that slaughter “...should be done at the age of 7-8 months, when the ram reaches 40-45 kg.”
But in order for him to gain the required weight, he must be kept in suitable conditions and eat properly. Even if feeding lambs does not cause much trouble, conditions must be observed.
To gain weight you need the following:
- Correct diet. A young lamb should consume sufficient amounts of nutrients, vitamins and mineral supplements.
- Providing the necessary conditions of detention. Thanks to care, animals avoid the risk of disease and loss of appetite.
- Timely veterinary care.
- Castration of animals raised for slaughter. Castration of a young male is performed at 6 months.
Purposes of castration:
- it allows you to improve the quality of meat, since the meat of an uncastrated male has an unpleasant odor and a pungent taste;
- it speeds up the process of gaining body weight in the female (castrated male), and also allows you to get by with less expensive feed and supplements;
- absence of fights between castrated individuals;
- casted males are kept with ewes without risk, so farmers do not incur the costs of separate housing.
Meat yield from one ram
When estimating the live weight of an adult, it is necessary to keep in mind that after cutting the carcass, the net yield of meat will be less. Now we will take a closer look at how to determine the net yield of lamb, and find out how many kilograms of clean meat you should expect.
The lamb carcass is gutted, bled, skinned, and the head and legs are separated; a slaughter yield of 38-50% remains, which is not a final loss. Additional cuts include:
- deboning - removal of bones constituting 20-30% of the weight;
- trimming - removal of tendons, cartilage, films, constituting 4-5% of live weight.
Net lamb yield (muscle mass) ranges from 64.5 to 70% of carcass weight. So, if you take a ram weighing 100 kg, the slaughter yield from it is 38-50 kg, and the net yield of meat from this individual is in the range from 24.5 to 35 kg.
It should be borne in mind that when purchasing an animal in live weight, the yield of pure meat will not exceed 65%. Not all farmers care about quality feed, and in order to quickly make a profit, they include growth hormones in the diet, which reduces the quality of lamb. To avoid this, it is advisable to require a veterinary certificate.
Even when taking into account losses in the process of cutting the carcass, we can conclude that there is a fairly large benefit from breeding sheep, especially meat-fat breeds, taking into account the cost of lamb all over the world, since feeding costs are minimal and feed is publicly available.
How much does a one-year-old ram weigh and how to calculate its weight
The term “lamb weight” applies specifically to the indicator of how much a one-year-old ram weighs. Most often this is a mass that ranges from 25 to 100 kg.
You can calculate the average weight of a one-year-old animal, the net weight of a ram, by comparing standard individuals of different breeds. However, it is conditional. Weighing rams is often a challenge for farmers. Weighing is carried out by livestock specialists and veterinarians. Knowing the exact weight of each individual is necessary both for examination and for treatment and vaccination. The weighing process is carried out using special pens with scales that allow the animal to be recorded.
Lamb weight
who. Simple Joking-iron. About a thin, skinny man. Sergeeva 2004, 136.
Large dictionary of Russian sayings. - M: Olma Media Group. V. M. Mokienko, T. G. Nikitina. 2007 .
See what “Ram weight” is in other dictionaries:
Who has lamb weight? Simple Joking. iron. About a thin, skinny man. Sergeeva 2004, 136. Take the weight. 1. Kar. (Leningr.). Get better, gain weight. SRGK 1, 198. 2. Zharg. they say Joking. Have sexual intercourse with someone. Maksimov, 59. Have weight. Unraveling... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings
The nutritional reserve in the body of an animal is deposited in the form of fat, which accumulates during the period of intense nutrition. In some animals it is liquid (blub), in others it is semi-liquid, in others it is solid. Solid animal fat is called lard. Consistency... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
OBLITERATION- (lat. obliteratio destruction), a term used to designate the closure, destruction of a particular cavity or lumen through the proliferation of tissue coming from the walls of a given cavity formation. The specified growth is more often... ... Great Medical Encyclopedia
Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Contents of the article: I) composition of M.; II) eating M.; III) sanitary supervision. I) Composition of M. The main component of M., as a food product, is the striated muscles of killed animals; in sales M. to muscles, in various... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Leuciscus cephalus (L.) The chub is easily distinguished from other related fish by its thick, broad-headed head, almost cylindrical body and large scales. Young chubs, however, are often mixed with dace, but they can... ... Life and fishing of freshwater fish
Global sheep production is based on pasture systems, which provide great economic benefits.
There are about 450 breeds of sheep in the world. Sheep are classified according to their use in the economy and, in general, can be presented as follows:
- sheep of meat breeds;
- Dairy sheep;
- Wool sheep;
- Sheep that have a dual purpose, such as meat from tallow breeds of sheep.
Also, classification can be based on the answer to the question of how much a ram weighs on average. Below are the most common sheep breeds in the world and their characteristics.
Woolen
Romney Marsh
A breed of English origin with thick wool, which is grown in lowland areas with high humidity. Wool production has average estimates, namely from 4 to 6 kilograms of wool with a fiber thickness of 28-30 microns.
Romanovskaya
The Russian breed, which is the main meat sheep breed in Russia, is characterized by the highest productivity, giving birth to three to six lambs. In addition, it has a strong sexual inclination and a wide period of raising offspring. Cubs are black at birth, which lightens as they grow, and becomes gray-silver as adults.
The rams are not large: the weight of the ram is up to 70 kilograms, the weight of the ewes is from 40 to 50 kilograms. The Romanovskaya is an ideal breed for increasing the fertility of other breeds through crossbreeding.
Gallery: sheep breeds (25 photos)
Pelibuey
Woolly sheep that have a small, fine-boned body. The color of the animals can be white, coffee or speckled. The carcass has the widest weight limit and varies from 35 to 50 kg, rams weigh from 60 to 80 kg. Animals are tolerant of almost any climatic conditions and are resistant to various diseases. Puberty of animals occurs in a short period of time. Sheep of this breed are fertile and have a wide period of raising offspring.
In modern sheep farming, many breeds are bred, where the live weight of rams exceeds one and a half hundred kilograms. The average weight of a lamb varies depending on the breed and a number of other factors.
Average weight of a ram depending on breed
It is customary to divide into meat, meat-greasy, wool:
- Woolen. Animals are bred for wool and sheepskins. There are coarse-wool (), semi-fine-fleece and fine-fleece (the length of the hairs on the fleece reaches 30 cm) directions. The live weight of rams of these species is usually small. For example, the famous Romanovka weighs only 45-50 kg. But there are large breeds: Caucasian, Lincoln (the weight of an adult male is more than 150 kg). Animals are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and good fertility.
- Meat. Sheep are raised for meat. Animals grow quickly and are able to reach slaughter weight in 5-7 months using pasture. Varieties common in our country: Kuibyshevskaya (male weight is about a hundredweight), Gorky (up to 130 kg), Dorper (early ripening breed weighing 140 kg), Texel (up to 130 kg).
- Meat-fat, or fat tail. These animals are popular in Central Asia; they feel uncomfortable in cold and damp climates. Representatives of the breed are characterized by the deposition of fat in the fat tail, a kind of “bag” located under the tail. Sometimes it reaches 25 kg. has an exquisite taste. Types: Edelbaevskaya (ram weight up to 160 kg), (up to 190 kg), Kalmyk (weight 120-130 kg).
Dairy varieties of sheep, whose milk is used to make cheese, are rare in our country. A prominent representative of dairy sheep is the East Friesian breed.
Animals are capable of producing up to 700 liters of fatty (over 6%) milk per season, and the live weight of rams reaches 100 kg.
It should be noted that wool can also be cut from meat animals, and sheep of woolly breeds can be used for meat.
Interesting! The expression “lamb weight” is used in everyday speech in relation to a thin person whose weight ranges from 45 to 55 kg. Previously, this is how much a well-fed lamb, suitable for slaughter, weighed.
Lamb weight after cutting
The above values apply to live animals.
After slaughter, minus the weight of the skin, head, legs and entrails, the carcass loses more than half its weight. The average meat yield per sheep is 48%.
The slaughter yield of lamb varies among different breeds , in meat varieties it is higher. For example, when slaughtering a live weight of 42 kg, a carcass of 14 kg is obtained.
The slaughter yield was 45%. From an individual weighing 50 kg, a carcass of 27 kg will be obtained, the slaughter yield is 54%.
Slaughter weight of sheep and rams
The concept of slaughter weight includes the mass of meat on the bones and fat deposits, both internal and. Weight is determined by pre-slaughter weighing of the sheep and subsequent weighing of the meat.
Sometimes the weight of an animal is determined using measurements with a special tape or using a table. But in this case the error may be several kg.
Thus, breeding animals culled by age are inferior in quantity of meat and carcass quality to young, fattened animals.
An important indicator of the quality of a carcass is the ratio of the amount of pulp and bones. In other words, how much of the skeleton is covered with meat. For young animals this ratio is the most favorable.
Advice! You can distinguish young lamb from the meat of an old animal by the color of the fat. Young lard is white, while old lard has a yellowish tint.
The weight of females is significantly lower than that of rams - up to 40%. For example, an adult lamb of the Kuibyshev variety weighs 100 kg, and a sheep only 60 kg. Based on this, they prefer to select males for meat fattening. The eggs go to repair the herd.
Sheep fat deposits (lamb fat)
Fat on a sheep carcass can be:
- internal– it is deposited on the kidneys, stomach, intestines (it is also called the “omentum”);
- subcutaneous– it forms a “watering” of the entire surface of the meat under the skin layer;
- intermuscular– it is deposited in the layers between individual muscle groups.
The total amount of fat is distributed throughout the carcass depending on the specialization of the breed. In wool animals, it is deposited on the internal organs.
In meat, fat is evenly distributed between the muscles, giving the meat juiciness and tenderness when cooked.
Experts consider the ideal fat content in a lamb carcass to be about 25%, of which half is subcutaneous fat and at least 9% intermuscular.
Yield of sheep by-products
Offal refers to the edible parts of the sheep's innards and head. These are: heart, liver, kidneys, tongue, brains - category 1; scar, spleen, lungs, trachea – category 2. The overall carcass yield of this product is about 9%.
Factors affecting weight
In addition to whether a sheep belongs to a certain breed, the rate of weight gain and its amount are influenced by the gender of the animal, its age, feeding and housing conditions.
It is customary to keep sheep on pasture for most of the year. On rich grass stands, animals develop quickly. If camps are organized with the possibility of feeding with grain, then the highest quality carcasses are obtained from the sheep.
During the stall period, sheep are driven into sheds – covered pens, protected from the wind.
The animals' diet includes meadow or bean hay, concentrates (barley, oats), and salt is required in the feeders. Lactating queens are fed vegetables – carrots, beets, pumpkin.
At what rate do sheep gain weight?
Depending on the grass stand on the pasture, fertilizing and species affiliation, the daily gain is 300-500 grams.
The limit of 600 g is exceeded every day by the champions in the fastest growth - texels and dorpers: these animals can be called “broilers” of the mutton family.
Average weight of a yearling ram
By the age of one year, the growth of the animal stops, the ram reaches the mass of an adult individual of its species. On average, a meat ram at the age of 12 months weighs 90-100 kg.
If the animal is intended to be fattened for meat, it is not advisable to keep it further. As a rule, younger individuals are slaughtered - at the age of 7-10 months. Lambs of early maturing breeds can be slaughtered at the age of 4 months, obtaining the most tender lamb.
The most convenient for use is considered to be a carcass of 18-20 kg.
How to achieve fast weight gain
Only healthy and young animals are selected for fattening. Castrating lambs at the age of 4 months will avoid unnecessary fights in the flock.
Castrati have meat that is more tender than that of uncastrated rams, but they also become fat faster.
After weaning the lambs from their mothers, they are transferred to a pasture rich in forbs. Additionally, salt lick with added minerals is provided for grazing. crushed grain in an amount of 200-300 g per head will significantly speed up weight gain.
