Fleece characteristics of Karakas, Norduz, Ile de France x Akkaraman cross bred sheep

Abstract

Most of the native sheep breeds in Turkey have low meat and wool yields. The fat tailed Karakas and Norduz sheep, subtype of the Akkaraman sheep breed, are favourably characterized by their adaptation to harsh environmental and feeding conditions. Karakas and Norduz sheep are found in Van provinces of Eastern Anatolia in Turkey. This study was aimed to compare some fleece characteristics of Karakas, Norduz, Ile de France x Akkaraman (G) and Ile de France x Akkaraman (G) x Karakas (F-1) sheep and to investigate the wool characteristics of Ile de France crosses with native sheep for utilization possibilities in traditional products (hand-made carpet and kilim).