Similar Balkhi sheep, Bibrik, Damani, Drysdale sheep, Bakharwal dog | ||
The Lohi sheep is found in southern Punjab in India. It is used for its carpet quality wool and meat production. The body is white and the head is usually tan, black or brown.
The mature weight of the males is 65 kg (143 lb) with the female at 45 kg (99 lb). The average annual wool clip is 3 kg (6 lb) of medium wool this is approximately 40 micrometres in diameter. Average daily milk production from the Lohi ewes is 1.2 liters (0.3 gallons).
The very large lop ears, which are usually also tasseled, are the most distinctive feature. Rams and ewes are polled.Accession number: INDIA_SHEEP_1700_NALI_14015
Country: India
Home Tract: Rajasthan
Distribution: Ganganagar, Churu and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan, southern part of Hissar and Rohtak districts of Haryana.
Morphological Characteristics
Body: Medium-sized
Body coat: Fleece is white, coarse, dense and long-stapled.
Forehead: Covered with wool
Face: Light brown in colour
Skin: Pink
Horns: Both sexes are polled
Ears: Large and leafy
Tail: Short to medium and thin
Belly: Covered with wool
Legs: Covered with wool
Morphometric traits
Body weight: Adult males: 34.61±1.75 kg; Adult females: 24.34±0.50 kg
Body length: Adult males: 65.69±0.96 cm; Adult females: 66.18±0.09 cm
Height at withers: Adult males: 65.25±0.74 cm; Adult females: 64.11±0.13 cm
Chest girth: Adult males: 76.69±1.08 cm; Adult females: 80.09±0.36 cm
Ear length: 11.62±0.10 cm
Tail length: 17.14±0.09 cm
Reproductive traits
Age at breeding: At farmer’s flock - ewes: 18 months; rams: 12 months; under farm condition - 686.52±35.90 days
Age at first lambing: 985.67±57.04 days
Litter size: Single
Production traits
Milk: Not milked
Fleece: 1.46±0.1 (at six month); both the clips, taken in March and September, are yellow, the September clips being golden yellow.
Slaughter age: 5 months
Dressing percentage: 48.25±3.29%
Feed conversion efficiency: 19.78±2.56%
Remarks: Nali is a good carpet-quality wool breed, with the densest and heaviest fleeces among the breeds of Rajasthan and a wool of reasonably good carpet quality.
References
Acharya R.M., 1982, “Sheep and goat breeds of India,” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [Web Reference] ICAR-CSWRI, 2016, “Breed Profiles - Breeds of Sheep in different agro-ecological regions in India and their major products,” ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar, India. [Web Reference] NBAGR, “Registered Breeds of Sheep,” [Web Reference]