Due to the growing demand for food and meat around the world, sheep and goat farming has also become popular, especially because of their meat, wool, milk, and even skin. Because of India’s vast and unique geographical and climatic landscape, there are many breeds of Indian sheep and goats here. Let us discuss their defining characteristics, place of origin, and what they are used for.
Indian Sheep Breeds
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Deccani Sheep- Native to the Deccan Plateau, the Deccani sheep is commonly found in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is a small sheep that is well-suited for surviving in poor pastoral conditions. This breed of sheep is reared for both its meat and wool. However, its wool is considered low-grade and used for manufacturing rough blankets.
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Mandya Sheep- Mandya or Bannur/Bandur is an Indian sheep that is native to the district of Mandya in Karnataka. They are small and usually have a light brown coat that is coarse and hairy. They have long droopy ears and are reared for their meat. Their meat is considered the best among other Indian breeds.
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Nellore Sheep- The Nellore sheep is commonly found in the districts of Ongole, Prakasam, and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. This breed of sheep is also found in some parts of Telangana. They are the tallest sheep breed amongst all other Indian sheep breeds and have a dense reddish coat of short hair. They can easily adapt to the climate of other South Indian states as well.
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Coimbatore Sheep- The Coimbatore sheep is a breed commonly found in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. It usually has a white coat with either a black or purple band around its head and neck. They are mainly reared for procuring wool.
Indian Goat Breeds
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Jamunapari Goat- Jamunapari is a breed of goat that is mainly found in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Both genders of this breed grow a beard and this breed is also considered the most elegant and largest of long-legged goats in India. They thrive in good pastoral conditions with plenty of legroom for exploring. They have short and flat horns, and their ears are long and droopy. It is reared for its milk and meat.
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Barbari Goat- Barbari is a short-haired goat breed that is popularly reared in the urban areas of Gurgaon, Panipat, Rohtak, Delhi, Karnal, and Uttar Pradesh. Female Barbari goat has the ability to produce 1 to 1.5 kg of milk per day that has at least 5% of fat content. This breed of goat are prolific breeders and are reared for their milk and meat. They usually have a white coat with brown patches of varying size.
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Chigu Goat- The Chigu goat is a breed of goat that is found in Uttar Pradesh and northeast Himachal Pradesh. They have a long coat of white/greyish red/mixed coloured hair with an undercoat of delicate fibre. They are usually reared for their meat and wool. And are even used for carrying salt and other small loads.
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Changthangi or Changpa Goat- The Changpa goat is a breed native to the region of Ladakh. It is also known as the Ladakh Pashmina or Kashmiri. Named after the nomadic Changpa people of the Changthang plateau, these goats grow a thick undercoat which is harvested in summer to produce cashmere. These goats are also used to transport small goads and for their meat. Their coat is commonly white but can also be grey, black, or brown.
