Taleshi (sheep)

The Taleshi is a breed of domestic sheep from Iran, numbering some 400,000 animals in the north of the country,^[1] and distributed in the northern and western parts of Gilan Province in the mountains between Assalem, Khalkhal, Oshkourat, and Deilaman. This breed can also be found in some areas of Guilan-Zanjan border. Mean adult live weight in this breed is 35 kg (77 lbs) for rams and 31 kg (67 lbs) for ewes. The coat colour for this breed is yellowish-white to pure white, but brown patches are found on the head, face and at the bottom of the legs.^[2] This breed is valued mainly due to its small size, meat, and ability to live in mountainous areas with rain-fed foothills and foothill steppes with 1300 mm (51 inches) rain.^[3]

Hamed Kioumarsi and others have examined a new method in order to estimate the relation between component of carcass quality and quantity in Taleshi lambs, and with regard to the results, it can be concluded that this breed has a high potential for using the ratios by higher levels of energy and protein for obtaining the best growth performance.^[4]

References

1. "Iran's Country Report on Farm Animal Genetic Resources". ASRI. Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Agricultural Research and Education Organization, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran: 131pp. 2004.
2. "Taleshi". Domestic Animal Genetic Resources Information System. International Livestock Research Institute. Aug 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
3. "The effect of dietary energy and protein level on performance, efficiency and carcass characteristics of Taleshi lambs". Asian J. Anim. Vet. Adv. Kioumarsi, H., Khorshidi, K.J., Zahedi far, M., Seidavi, A.R., Mirhosseini, S.Z., Taherzadeh. M. R. 3: 307–313.
4. "Estimation of relation between carcass quality and quantity components in Taleshi lambs". Asian J. Anim. Vet. Adv. Kioumarsi, H., Khorshidi, K.J., Zahedi far, M., Seidavi, A.R., Mirhosseini, S.Z., Taherzadeh. M. R. 3: 337–343.