Tsigai

Tsigai

Tsigai is a Hungarian sheep breed.

History[]

Its name originates from the Romanian word þigáie. Tsigai has become widely bred for three different purposes: its meat, milk and soft wool. Many Transylvanian farmers changed their previous sheep stocks to Tsigai, because of the popularity of its wool. Although it was originally a mountain breed, it adapted well to lowland conditions. Most of the Tsigais were kept between the Danube and the Tisza, and this is where they remained breed them after the World War I too.^[clarify] In Hungary the Tsigai flocks are small, whereas in Moldova it is the leading breed of sheep, and is also important in Romania and Slovakia.

Properties[]

The male Tsigai can grow horns, but this is rare. 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 are dark grey.

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 male tsigai's shoulder height is 75–80 cm and the female's 60–65 cm.
Milked for 5–6 months, this breed yields 40-60 liters of milk. The lambs are sandy grey in colour.
In the Körös-Maros National Park and in private breeders' farms there are around 10,000 females and 50 males in Hungary.

Domestic Tsigai[]

The domestic breed is bred for its milk.
Its body size is much bigger than the "old" Tsigai: the male's shoulder height is 90–100 cm and the female's 75–80 cm.
In the milking period it yields 110-120 litres of milk.
Lambs are born with black fleece.
From 1999 it has been recorded as a separate breed, and has been a protected breed since 2008.

Sources[]

Történelmi állatfajták enciklopédiája (encyclopedia book) by János Tőzsér, Sándor Bedő. Released by Mezőgazda kiadó, Budapest, 2003