Hu sheep are lambskin sheep, a unique white lambskin sheep breed in my country. The Hangjiahu area in the Taihu Lake Basin in Zhejiang is the origin of Hu sheep. It has strong fecundity, fast early growth, and produces white wavy sheep. Lambskin is well-known for its characteristics of lambskin, adaptability to barn feeding and high humidity, high temperature and cold and dry environments. It is a unique and valuable sheep breed resource in my country.
According to measurements, the live weight of one-year-old rams is 55 kilograms, that of ewes is 40 kilograms, that of adult ewes is 45 kilograms, and that of rams is 65 kilograms. The slaughter rate is over 48%; the meat of Hu sheep is delicious and tastes good, which is similar to that of sheep. Compared with other sheep meat, it has the advantages of tender, juicy and less muttony. Hu sheep has a fast growth rate in the early stage and is a better material for the production of fat lambs.
Physical appearance: Both males and females have no horns, long and narrow heads, slightly raised noses, large drooping ears, slender necks, straight backs and waists, oblate tails, upturned tail tips, and short fat tails. The rams are large in size, with well-developed forequarters, broad and deep chests, thick and long chest hair, and a few have trace horns. Most Hu sheep have pure white coats, and only a few have black or yellowish-brown spots on the eyelids or lower ends of the limbs.
Living habits: Hu sheep like silence, especially pregnant or lactating ewes. Sudden noise may easily cause miscarriage and affect health. Hu sheep like a dry and clean living environment and are afraid of moisture and mosquitoes and flies. Therefore, the sheep house should be clean, dry and sanitary to prevent mosquito and fly infestation.
The weight of adult rams is about 65Kg, that of adult ewes is about 45Kg, and that of one-year-old ewes is about 40Kg. Hu sheep are not only larger in size, but their size has also shifted towards meat use.
Hu sheep are known for their good motherhood, strong fecundity, and multiple fetuses and lambs. Under normal feeding conditions, they can produce two fetuses in one year or three in two years. The average lambing rate per fetus can reach 220-240%. Hu sheep mature sexually early. Male sheep can mate at 4 months old, become sexually mature at 5-6 months old, and ewes can come into estrus at 4-5 months old. The first mating age of Hu sheep is generally 6-8 months old for ewes. Rams are 8-10 months old. Currently, it is recommended that rams are 1 year old and ewes are best bred at 8-9 months of age. The average estrus cycle of Hu sheep is 17 days. The duration of estrus: 36-48h for young and middle-aged sheep and 48-60h for old sheep.
Hu Sheep’s reproductive capacity is rare among sheep. The Hu sheep’s birth weight, 50-day weaning weight and daily lactation weight gain basically maintain the characteristics of Hu sheep’s early growth and development.
It has strong adaptability and is suitable for raising in most areas of my country. It has strong adaptability to high temperature, high humidity, cold and high dryness. It is resistant to rough feeding, has a small feed intake, and has a daily feed intake of 2.0-2.25 kilograms. The feed rate is high, and it is suitable for high-density feeding in the whole house. During the feeding process, attention should be paid to the combination of refined and rough feed, and it is not suitable to feed a large amount of concentrated feed. It has strong lactation performance and good mothering performance. The daily milk production of lactating ewes can reach more than 1 kg, which can fully meet the needs of raising lambs.
Jinchang Zhongtian Sheep Industry Co., Ltd. was established in 2012. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gansu Zhongtian Sheep Industry Co., Ltd. and is a key investment project in Jinchang City. The total planned area of ??the project is 1,000 acres. It will build a breeding and breeding base for high-quality Hu sheep and high-quality Hu sheep. , in order to form industrialization and scale advantages, the total investment of the project is 103 million yuan.
The company plans, designs, constructs and implements the requirements of standardized breeding farms in strict accordance with the requirements of "high-quality livestock and poultry breeds, breeding facilities, standardized production, institutionalized epidemic prevention, and harmless feces". The project is divided into four functional areas: production area, forage storage and processing area, harmless treatment area, and administrative logistics area. Each area is strictly isolated by biological green isolation belts and fences, and the clean sewage channels are strictly separated.
Since the establishment of the company, the company has advocated the ecological breeding concept of "green, healthy and environmentally friendly" and the business philosophy of "Zhongtian sheep, true quality" and "God in mind, quality first". After several years, development, and achieved good results in various tasks. The company has developed into a high-standard, professional and large-scale provincial Hu Sheep breeding farm in the northwest region, a "mutton sheep standardization demonstration field" and "animal disease purification field creation field" of the Ministry of Agriculture, and a Jinchang City research and development center for fine-bred mutton sheep breeding engineering technology. The center and the Jinchang City Standardized Breeding and Breeding Demonstration Park for Meat Sheep are currently building a national core breeding farm for meat sheep. At the same time, it is also the teaching, scientific research and experimental base of the School of Grassland Agricultural Science and Technology of Lanzhou University and the School of Animal Science of Gansu Agricultural University. It cooperates in the cultivation and research of high-propagation and fast-growing new strains of Hu sheep. It has applied for 2 invention patents and was published in the national professional journal "Journal of Grassland Science". 》Published 1 paper.
The company will carry out pure breeding of Hu sheep through refinement and high standards in accordance with the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" target planning and positioning. Carry out Duhu and Aohu crosses to breed high-breeding, fast-growing and high-quality commercial sheep to create a green, healthy and high-quality housing breeding "Zhongtian Hu Sheep" brand and a breeding center for fine-bred mutton sheep. Actively expand the market and promote the "Zhongtian Model" for the development of the entire sheep industry chain. With the help of targeted poverty alleviation and dual-linkage activities, we will carry out industrialized sales and seed supply, provide full technical services, and later recycling and processing to increase corporate visibility.
Through the rapid development of the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan", the company will form a base of 13,000 ewes, provide the society with 24,000 high-quality Hu sheep breeding sheep, 20,000 high-quality mutton sheep for slaughter, and fatten 15,000 high-quality mutton sheep. The scale of production effectively promotes the development of local grass-fed animal husbandry and plays a typical demonstration and driving role in the improvement of local mutton sheep breeds, the rapid development of the sheep industry and targeted poverty alleviation work.