Balangir
May 06, 2013
The Balangir breed of sheep is native to the north western districts of Balangir, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh in Odisha.
They are medium-sized animals, white or light brown or of mixed colours. A few animals are also black. The ears are small and stumpy. While the males are horned, ewes are polled. The tail is medium long and thin. The fleece is extremely coarse, hairy and open, and the legs and belly are devoid of wool. The flock size ranges from 3 to 24 animals. In farmers' flocks lambing percentage is about 84.3% and the litter size is single. Breeding is primarily pure.
According to the 18th Livestock Census 2007, the number of Balangir sheep in the country is 128,933. (Refer to maps below)
| Adult Male | Adult Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Body weight (kg) | 24 | 18 |
| Average Body length (cm) | 57 | 53 |
| Average Height at withers (cm) | 63 | 62.5 |
| Average Chest girth (cm) | 61 | 58 |
Text Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/x6532e/X6532E05.htm#ch4.2.3
Photo source: CSWRI, Avikanagar
