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Boutsiko (Orino)
GreekEFABIS Data
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International Name |
Boutsiko (Orino) |
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Local Name |
Boutsiko (Orino) |
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Location |
Epirus, Arta Prefecture |
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Breeding females
(year) |
50.000 |
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Trend of population size |
stable |
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Flock book established |
1999 |
Origin – history
The Boutsiko, or
the Orino of Epirus belongs to the Zackel group of mountain sheep.
It is found in the mountains of Epirus and West Macedonia. The total
population is 15.000.
Breed description
The breed has been
developed from the Vlahiko, Karakachan and Grammoustiano indigenous
Greek breeds. It is used for milk and lamb production..
The colouring varies from the total white to black. The white
coloured sheep have brown spots on face and feet, with the males
usually having big spiral shaped horns.
It is a breed of small size, with wither height between 52 to 55 cm
for the females and 55 to 60 cm for the rams. The adult weight
ranges from 35 to 45 kg for the ewes and from 45 to 50 kg fro the
rams. The animals are very well adapted to the harsh environmental
conditions, steep mountain slopes and climate conditions with medium
rainfalls and high humidity. The majority of the ewes lamb in
November. The fertility is high (>90%), while the prolificacy rate
is low (1.1 -1.3). The average milk production is about 100 kg in
180 days of lactation, with fat content about 7-7.5%. The lambs are
weaned at the age of 42 days at an average weight of 13. 5 kg. The
carcass weight is about 8-9 kg with a very good quality. The milk
from the sheep is used for cheese production
Conservation activities
Currently there
are no semen samples or embryos conserved for this breed.
During the period of 1990 -2000 the breed was under a milk recording
scheme. However, the high cost of recording due to difficulties of
reaching the farms resulted in interruption of the programme. The
population is decreasing, due to the lack of successors.
Contact:Dr.
Christina Ligda, NAGREF, Agricultural Research Centre of Northern
Greece, Dept. Genetic Resources, e-mail:
chligda@nagref.gr,
chligda@otenet.gr
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