Stara Kamienica - Nemo

11 Tsurcana
Type: milk, meat and wool breed
Weight: rams 60-80 kg, dams 40-55 kg.
Characteristics:
There are three varieties: white, grey and black. The white Tsurcana is the most numerous and
highly selected, presenting specific ecotypes for special breeding areas. There are two types:
Precocious Tsurcana and Belated Tsurcana. The Tsurcana breed has increased from 40% to
60% of the total sheep population in Romania during the 1990's.
Tsurcana is highly adapted to mountainous conditions but it also spreading well received in
hill and plains areas. It’s a hardy breed, remarkably well adapted to bad weather due to its
highly water resistant fleece and ability to cover long distances in search of forage. The breed
is also very disease resistant. In autumn it develops 5-10 kg of internal fatty deposits, which is
used as energy supplies during the winter and dry-lot period. During mild winters it can be
feed on the pasture only, which makes winter feeding costs typically 2-3 times less in
comparison with other wool breeds.
Milk: medium production of about 100 ± 40 kg is obtained in 220 lactation days. The fat
percentage is 7-8% and 6% in protein in milk. The milk is very good for feta, yoghurt, Swiss
cheese, cheese for pizza.
Meat: if best conditions are provided, weaned lambs at 2.5 to 3 months and fattened
intensively reach 40-47 kg at the age of 7 months.
Fur of young lambs: the black and grey varieties are good for cross-breeding, with Karakul
breed, having as a result 70-80% good quality Karakul fur.
Options:
The Tsurcana hybrids with varieties specialized for milk or mutton are more productive, but
less resistant at the environment and consequently most breeders prefer purebred animals.
Generally speaking, Tsurcana sheep are beautiful, harmonious, resistant, and good for moving
to/from (Alpine-like) pastures, less expensive, good for milk, mutton, wool and fur of young
lambs. As a result, this breed is more and more preferred by breeders.
References