Altay is a breed of domesticated sheep originating in the dry, cold mountain basins of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. This breed belongs to the fat-rumped carpet wool

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

 type of sheep and the Kazakh group. Although the Altay grows wool, it is raised primarily for the meat.

Characteristics

The tail (or rump) weighs about 15 lb (6.8 kg). At maturity, the rams average 180 lb (81.6 kg) and the ewes 150 lb (68 kg). The Altay's lambing percentage is approximately 103%. The Kazakh group of sheep average 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) to 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) of wool per shearing. The average height at the withers of mature rams is 76 cm (29.9 in) and 72 cm (28.3 in) for ewes. Both sexes are horned. Average birth weight for rams is 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) and ewes 4.25 kg (9.4 lb).

External links

• Altay, Sheep101.info