SHEEP FARMING IN GALICIA
- Together with the cattle, small flocks, maintained with what was not used by the cows, which meant a complementary income to the main production.
- Veceiras "community flocks", large flocks in the mountain areas that grazed the high areas inaccessible to cattle, often kept in mixed flocks with goats.
Causes of their disappearance
Search for higher yields
Intensification of production
Replacement of Ovella Galega males by other breeds with a higher specialisation in meat.
Advantages of the Galician Sheep
- Hardiness: perfect adaptation to the environment, normally hostile, ideal for extensive or semi-extensive farming.
- High resistance to disease.
- Prolificacy and fertility.
- Sexual precocity 7-8 months
- Longevity
- Good milk producer
- Excellent maternal character
FUTURE; quality meat
- Special organoleptic characteristics of meat ( colour, smell, taste and texture )
- Food based on natural resources
- Animal mobility
ORIGIN
- Iberian trunk (Ovis aries ibericus), influenced by a large number of ethnic groups, highlighting the Merino and with less intensity the Castellana, Lacha and Churra.
- Entrefino trunk (Ovis aries celtibericus), reinforced or enhanced by some influence of blood merino.
DISTRIBUTING
- Originally dispersed throughout Galicia
- Currently it has been relegated to the mountainous areas of Ourense, Lugo and Pontevedra, and on the coast of A Coruña
RACIAL PROTOTYPE
- GENERAL APPEARANCE
Regional characteristics:
- HEAD
- SKIN
- CHEST
- COLOUR
- TRUNK
- VELLON
- BREAST
- HEIGHT
- LIMBS
- WEIGHT
- OBJECTIONABLE DEFECTS
- DISQUALIFYING DEFECTS
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Galician sheep breed groups together small-sized animals of balanced proportions, white and white-coloured, dedicated to meat production.
HEAD
- Small size
- Straight or tending to subconcave front-nasal profile.
- Elongated and narrow face
- Elongated nose and fine muzzle
- Double spiral horns in males
- No or rudimentary horns in females
- Broad forehead
- Presence of tufting
- Medium-sized, horizontal ears
NECK AND TRUNK
- Neck not very muscular, of medium length.
- Narrow trunk of proportionate length.
- Straight or slightly sloping back line towards the croup.
- Short, slightly sloping croup
- Cola moi longa e parto baixo
BREAST
Tail very long and low set
LIMBS
- Very fine
- Naked
- Well plumb
SKIN
- Medium thickness
- Without folds
COLOUR
- Uniform white
- Sometimes irregular brown patches on head and limbs.
- Black colour is scarce
VELLON
- White and abundant
- Fine or coarse type
- Covers the trunk, extending to the carpal and tarsal joints at the most, as well as the neck and part of the head.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
- Distinguishing characteristics of the two existing ecotypes
- Different measurements for males and females
OBJECTIONABLE DEFECTS
- Ausencia de moña
- Defectos de asentamento das extremidades non moi perceptibles
- Polar pouco estendido nas extremidades e na cabeza
DISQUALIFYING DEFECTS
General or regional conformation defective to a marked degree:
- Large head
- Convex profile
- Ears large and out of horizontality
- Broad muzzle
- Very muscular neck
- Saddle back
- Horizontal croup with high tail set on the tail
- Fat limbs
- Skin folds
- Abnormalities of the genital organs:
- Monorchidism
- Cryptorchidism
- Body development not in accordance with age.
RESEARCH
Study of the productive characteristics of carcass and meat quality in lambs of the Ovella Galega breed subjected to different rearing systems.
Productive characterisation and carcass and meat quality of lambs of the Ovella Galega breed subjected to different management systems.
MORPHOLOGICAL QUALIFICATION
- Visual assessment
- Point method
- Scoring of each body region (1 - 10 points), insufficient, animal is disqualified.
- Weighting coefficient for each region
