Tsigai is a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

History

The Țigaie breed is part of the domestic sheep species (

Ovis ''Ovis'' is a genus of mammals, part of the Caprinae subfamily of the ruminant family (biology), family Bovidae. Its seven highly sociable species are known as sheep or ovines. Domestic sheep are members of the genus, and are thought to be des ...

aries). The breed originates from sheep domesticated in the area of the eastern part of the Black Sea and through migration over time, through the north and south of the sea reaching the south of Moldova and the area of Dobrogea, where it began to form as a local breed, being one of the first breeds of sheep from Europe. By some authors it is considered an old race, formed early, not being a primitive race, but still unimproved according to modern breeding science, based on

population genetics Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and among populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as Adaptation (biology), adaptation, s ...

. From the place of formation in southern Moldavia and Dobrogea, Țigaia also spread to Transylvania by the Mocans who practiced transhumance, being acclimatized in the mountain area of the Curbura Carpathians (Săcele-Covasna, Brețcu, Bran, Teșila, Vrancea, Plăiesi, LipTranshumance Romanian shepherds have dispersed the Șigaie race in Southern Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in Vojvodina and the Pannonian Plain since time immemorial. In Turkey, the Tiger breed was imported from Romania and is currently known as Kivircic.Starting after the 18th century, the development of the textile industry of linings, thick fabrics for military uniforms, blankets and hats, in the city of Brașov and in neighboring towns such as Prejmer, Covasna also increased the demand for semi-fine wool, characteristic of the țigaie sheep, contributing to the formation of a uniform population of țigaie in these areas.).

Properties

Generally the sheep has long dangling ears, white wool with some black thread, and its legs and head are black or dark brown. Its skin is dark and the body parts which are covered with

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. It is the key structural material making up Scale (anatomy), scales, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, feathers, horn (anatomy), horns, claws, Hoof, hoove ...

are dark grey. The male Tsigai can sometimes grow horns. The Tsigai only lambs once a year, and rarely bears twins. There are two different breeds of Tsigai:

"Old" or native Tsigai

The "old" breed is bred for its milk, meat and wool, which is used in

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

. The male Tsigai's shoulder height is and the female's is . The Tsigai is milked for 5–6 months, and this breed can yield 40 to 60 litres of milk. The lambs are sandy grey in colour. There are around 10,000 females and 50 males in Hungary, both in the

Körös-Maros National Park Körös-Maros National Park is one of the 10 national parks in Hungary (area 501.34 km2), located in Békés county, in the Southern Great Plain. The park was created in 1997 for the protection of birds. Körös-Maros National Park has a n ...

and in private breeders' farms.

Domestic Tsigai

Since 1999 the domestic Tsigai has been recorded as a separate breed to the "old" Tsigai, and has been a protected breed since 2008.The domestic breed is bred for its milk. The milk of the Tisgai is used in

cheesemaking Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrate ...

. Its body size is much bigger than the "old" Tsigai; the male's shoulder height is and the female's is . In the milking period it yields of milk. Lambs are born with a black fleece.

References

Sources

*Történelmi állatfajták enciklopédiája (encyclopedia book) by János Tőzsér, Sándor Bedő. Released by Mezőgazda kiadó, Budapest, 2003 {{Authority control Sheep breeds originating in Hungary Sheep breeds