Review of Huang-huai sheep, a new multiparous mutton sheep breed first identified in China
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Review of Huang-huai sheep, a new multiparous mutton sheep breed first identified in China Kai Quan 1
&
Jun Li 1 & Haoyuan Han 1 & Hongfang Wei 1 & Jinyan Zhao 1 & HA Si 1 & Xinji Zhang 2 & Daojiang Zhang 3
Received: 30 June 2020 / Accepted: 15 October 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Huang-huai sheep are a new multiparous mutton sheep breed that has been cultivated by domestic scientific research institutes, governments, and sheep farms in China. Huang-huai sheep were bred using Dorper sheep as a sire and Small-tailed Han sheep as a dam. The breeding of Huang-huai sheep started in 2003, and three stages have been carried out: crossbreeding innovation, fixation in a two-way-crossbred closed flock, and herd propagation. A pilot test of Huang-huai sheep was conducted on 6 sheep farms from 2017 to 2018, and hereditary properties and production performance were evaluated in 2019. Huang-huai sheep were identified on site by the National Livestock and Poultry Resources Committee of China in December 2019 and approved as a new multiparous mutton sheep breed in China. The genetic distance showed that Huang-huai sheep are most closely related to Dorper sheep, Luxi black-headed sheep, and Small-tailed Han sheep, but the genetic distances are subspecies (0.02–0.20) each other. The body weights of adult Huang-huai sheep are 98.1 ± 5.2 kg (♂) and 71.7 ± 3.5 kg (♀), and those of 6-month-old Huang-huai sheep are 58.50 ± 6.55 kg (♂) and 52.45 ± 5.67 kg (♀). The slaughter rates of 6-month-old sheep are 56.02 ± 1.25% (♂) and 53.19 ± 1.19% (♀). The estrus cycle of Huang-huai sheep is 19.32 ± 2.8 days, the first estrus cycle occurs at 168 ± 12 days, the annual lambing rate of ewes is 252.82% ± 10.69%, the survival rate of lambs is 95.79 ± 0.95%, and the number of weaned lambs per ewe per year is 2.38 ± 0.14. The growth performance, carcass quality, and reproductive performance of Huang-huai sheep have been improved, resulting in considerable economic and social benefits and broader market prospects. This breed represents a new multiparous mutton sheep breed adapted for industrial sheep farms in China. Keywords Huang-huai sheep . Hereditary . Reproduction . Production . Adaptability
Introduction An excellent breed of livestock is the foundation for animal husbandry (Abraham et al. 2018). The Central China Plain area is located in the warm temperate zone and has a humid climate, ample sunshine, and convenient irrigation conditions. It has been recognized as an important grain-producing area in China (Tie et al. 2016). The climate and natural resources of
* Kai Quan [email protected] 1
Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan, China
2
Lvyuan Mutton Sheep Development Co., Ltd., Wuyang 462400, Henan, China
3
Xunxian Xinlin Animal Husbandry Co. Ltd., Xunxian 456282, Henan, China
the Central China Plain are very suitable for industrial agriculture and animal husbandry, especially mutton sheep farming (Li et al. 2020). Multiparity in mutton sheep has become crucial for mutton sheep far
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