High-efficiency production technology of meat sheep

Author: Zhao Youzhang
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Publish Date: 2004-07-26
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(III) Develop mutton production by crossing some fine-wool ewes with meat-type rams to develop mutton production, and make multi-directional use of fine-wool sheep resources.
(IV) Implement a reasonable layout of grassland breeding and agricultural area fattening, integrating animal husbandry and agriculture.
(V) Research and implement intensive and factory-style mutton production processes, including reproductive control technology, hybrid utilization systems, feeding standards, feed formula, processing and utilization technologies of agricultural by-products and roughage feed, as well as supporting facilities, feeding processes, and disease prevention programs for mutton production under factory-style and semi-factory-style conditions.
IV. The Mutton Industry in the UK
The UK is a western European island nation located in the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of four regions: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The total national area is 244,100 square kilometers, with a population of 58.31 million (1994). The southeastern part of England is a lowland area, Wales is mountainous, the central part of Scotland is lowland, and the rest is mountainous. Northern Ireland is mostly highland. The country has a maritime temperate broadleaf forest climate. Due to its warm and humid climate, grass grows lushly and remains green year-round, which is an important material basis for the UK to breed many excellent livestock and poultry breeds. In 1994, the UK had 29.30 million sheep in stock, with 14.773 million slaughtered for meat production that year, producing 278,000 tons of mutton. The average carcase weight per slaughtered sheep was 19.0 kilograms, with an average meat production of 9.49 kilograms per stock sheep, and a slaughter rate of 50.4%, making it one of the most developed mutton industries in Europe. The UK is the birthplace of more than 30 meat sheep breeds, which have had a significant impact on the development of mutton industries worldwide.
The UK's famous meat sheep breeds are mainly distributed in the narrow strips of England and Scotland and can be roughly divided into three categories: long-wool breeds, short-wool breeds, and mountain breeds. Long-wool sheep are generally bred in coastal lowland areas of the UK, characterized by white heads and limbs, long homogeneous wool, coarse wool with large curls and good luster. Main breeds in this category include Leicestershire, Lincoln, Romney, and Border Leicestershire. Short-wool sheep are mainly bred in the higher and hilly regions of central and southern England, with dark-colored heads and limbs (gray and black), short wool (7–10 cm), white wool, and a closed fleece. Main breeds in this category include Southdown, Suffolk, Kerry, Oxford, Hampshire, Shropshire, horned Dorset, short wool Dorset, Wiltshire, and Corriedale. Mountain breeds are mainly bred in northern England and Scotland, with strong adaptability to harsh mountainous environments. These sheep are not large in size but are agile, with high-quality meat and coarse wool, primarily used for weaving carpets, shawls, and cashmere. Main breeds in this category include Scotch Blackface, Saxon, Upland, and Exmoor.
In recent years, the UK has also bred several new meat sheep breeds. For example, by crossing Border Leicestershire rams with Kerry ewes, the first-generation hybrids were then mated with horned Dorset sheep. The three-breed hybrids were then used for inbreeding, with genes from East Friesian sheep also incorporated, resulting in the new breed called Coopworth. The new breed exhibits year-round estrus, a lambing rate of 200%–250%, and a milk production of 320–330 kilograms per lactation, with good meat and wool qualities. The British consider this breed a breakthrough in sheep production, with an impact comparable to that of the Leicestershire sheep bred in the last century.