The first symbolic meaning of sheep: virtue
Sheep are born beautiful, symbolizing purity and preciousness. In the concept of the ancients, sheep was a symbol of beauty and kindness. There is a poem named "Lamb" in The Book of Songs, which uses a lamb as a metaphor for a noble doctor. Sheep are docile by nature, and the moral of sheep is kindness, easygoing and good luck. There is a saying in Shuowen that "beauty and goodness are synonymous". Sheep have the idea of kneeling to feed, and lambs seem to understand the hardships and difficulties of their mothers, so they will kneel to feed. Therefore, the lamb kneeling on the chest is endowed with the meaning of "filial piety" and "ceremony". It is recorded in The Story of the Spring and Autumn Period: "When a lamb eats its mother's food, it must kneel down and collect it, like a polite person."
The second symbolic meaning of sheep: good luck.
"Sheep" was connected with "Xiang" in ancient times, and "Xiang" can also be written as "auspicious sheep", which means good luck. Sheep are also a symbol of good luck. In ancient times, it was auspicious for someone to hang a sheep's head on the door at the beginning of the year, send the sheep in communication, or use the sheep as a dowry. Legend has it that the antelope will find a tree to find a suitable place to jump down at night and hang it on the branch with its horns to ensure that its whole body is suspended and out of reach of other wild animals. About the origin of antelope hanging horns, it was first seen in Yaya Stone Beast: the antelope sleeps at night and hangs its horns on the tree without leaving any trace to prevent the enemy from coming.
The third symbolic meaning of sheep: tenacity and unyielding.
If you see white clouds floating in the blue sky in the morning, it is a symbol of life and happiness. The ancient Romans also believed that if the first animal they saw that day was a sheep, it would be a symbol of love and happiness. "Christ calls himself a good shepherd" because sheep have the characteristics of gentleness and peace. In the wilderness without aquatic plants, sheep will obediently follow people. Sheep's strong endurance and continuous progress are the characteristics of people born in the Year of the Sheep. Gentle appearance, but strong vitality.
A famous sheep breed
Boer goat
Heng yuan bo er goat lamb
Boer goat: It is an excellent meat goat breed. This variety originated in South Africa and was introduced as a seed by many African countries as well as New Zealand, Australia, Germany, the United States, Canada and other countries. Since China introduced the first batch of Boer goats from Germany in 1995, some Boer goats have been introduced in Jiangsu, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Henan, Beijing and other areas, and have been gradually extended to surrounding areas and all parts of the country through pure breeding and group propagation, showing good meat properties, wide adaptability, high economic value and remarkable hybridization advantages.
Boer goat has white fur, reddish-brown head and neck, and a red hair band around its neck. Boer goats have wide drooping ears and short and thin fur. Short legs, strong limbs, plump hindquarters and many muscles. Strong fertility, generally two years can give birth to three children. Lambs have fast growth and development, good growth speed, high meat yield and strong feed intake. It is the most popular meat goat breed in the world at present.
1. Boer goat is a kind of meat goat with large size and fast growth; Strong reproductive ability, more lambs; High slaughter rate and more meat production; The meat is tender and delicious; Rough feeding resistance and strong adaptability; Strong disease resistance and stable heredity.
2. Appearance characteristics
2. 1 head
Thick head, big eyes, brown; Good oral and maxillofacial structure; The forehead is prominent, the curve corresponds to the radian of the nose and the corner of the eye, and the nose is hooked; The horns are solid and of medium length. The horns of the ram are thick at the base and bent backward and outward. The horns of the ewe are thin and erect. Have a mane; The ears are long and big, and they hang wide.
2.2 neck
The neck is thick and moderate in length, commensurate with the body length; The shoulders are wide and fleshy, and the body and body armor are commensurate. The armor is wide but not pointed, the chest is deep and wide, and the neck and chest are well combined.
2.3 Body and abdomen
The forequarters are developed and the muscles are full; The body is deep and wide and cylindrical; The rib opening is commensurate with the waist and the back is wide and straight; The abdomen is compact; Tobu
Ancient bronze inscriptions
Wide and long, full of muscles in hips and legs; The tail is straight, the tail root is thick and upturned.
2.4 limbs
The limbs are straight and short, the joints are tough, and the hoof shell is solid and black; The forelimbs are of moderate length and well proportioned.
2.5 skin and fur
The skin of the whole body is soft, and there are obvious wrinkles on the neck and chest, especially the ram. There are spots on eyelids and hairless parts. Whole body capillaries, short and shiny, with a small amount of fluff. The head, neck and ears are all reddish brown. The head, neck and forequarters are reddish brown, and brown is allowed, with leucorrhea from the forehead to the lips. The skin on the body, chest, abdomen and front is white, and reddish brown spots are allowed. The tail is reddish brown and can extend to the buttocks.
2.6 Sex organs
The ewe has a pair of well-structured breasts. Ram has a pendulous scrotum and two large testicles with uniform size and good structure.
The average weight is 65 ~ 75 kg, 90 ~ 150 kg. Mutton has moderate fat content and good carcass quality. The average weight of sheep is 4 1 kg, the slaughter rate is 52.4%, and the average weight of lamb carcass is 15.6 kg.
Small-tailed Han sheep
Small-tailed Han sheep is the national treasure of China and the best sheep breed in China. It has been praised by sheep experts at home and abroad as "omnipotent" and "national treasure of China". Its low price and generous returns have been the first choice for the central poverty alleviation project to promote agriculture through science and technology for many years.
Small tail Han sheep [1] is an excellent local breed with both meat and wool. Multiple births and high yield, two births a year or five births in three years, 3 ~ 5 lambs per fetus, up to 8 lambs; Fast growth, tall individual, one-year-old ram more than one meter, weight more than 180 kg, one-year-old ewe height more than 80 cm, weight more than 120 kg, strong adaptability, rough feeding resistance, easy to feed; Both stocking and captivity are suitable; Strong immunity. The annual profit of raising a suitable ewe is above 1 1,000 yuan. The people in the producing areas have a deep understanding: "It is better to grow an acre of grain to raise a small-tailed Han sheep."
Small-tailed Han sheep is a well-known meat sheep and fur sheep breed in China and even in the world. It has the advantages of early maturity, multiple births, multiple lambs, fast growth, large physique, more meat production, good fur, genetic stability and strong adaptability. It can be fattened and slaughtered at the age of 4 months, and the annual slaughter rate is over 400%; It can be bred and conceived at the age of 6 months, with an annual output of 2, with 2-6 fetuses, sometimes as high as 8; The average lambing rate is over 26.6% per fetus and over 500% per year. At the age of 6 months, the weight can reach 40 kg, 1 year can reach 88 kg, and the weight of adult sheep can reach 100 ~ 120 kg. Among the sheep breeds in the world, Han sheep with small tail has high yield, big head and good benefit. It eats grass and straw, which is "delicious" and "beautiful" for human beings and "gold" and "silver" for farmers. It is not only one of the best projects for farmers to get rid of poverty and become rich and well-off, but also the most secure project for the government to help the poor. It is also an important measure for the country to close mountains and return fields, plant grass and raise sheep and build ecological agriculture.
Han sheep with high legs and small tail
It has the advantages of more meat production, good fur, stable heredity and strong adaptability. It can be fattened and slaughtered at the age of 4 months, and the annual slaughter rate is over 400%; It can be bred and conceived at the age of 6 months, with an annual output of 2, with 2-6 fetuses, sometimes as high as 8; The average lambing rate is over 26.6% per fetus and over 500% per year. The body weight can reach 50 kg at the age of 6 months, 1 year, 100 kg and 130 ~ 190 kg for adult sheep. Among the sheep breeds in the world, the small-tailed Han sheep has been designated as a well-known livestock breed by the state because of its high yield, large size and good benefits, and it has been praised as a "national treasure" in China and "super sheep" and "high-legged sheep" internationally. [2]
Appearance characteristics: tall individual, symmetrical body structure, white hair, raised nose, drooping ears, round fat tail, upturned tail tip and no longer than hock joint; The chest is wide and deep, the ribs are open, the back and waist are straight, the body length is cylindrical, the limbs are high, and the body is strong and straight. Ram head is big, neck is thick, spiral angle is big, ewe neck is small, mostly angular, and hindquarters are developed.
Variety characteristics: early maturity, rapid growth and development in the early stage, tall body, good meat quality, estrus in all seasons, strong reproductive ability and strong heredity.
oracle bone script
Stability and other characteristics.
Production performance: two births a year or five births in three years, with 3 ~ 5 lambs per fetus, with a maximum of 8 lambs; The average weight of a ram is 85 kg and that of a ewe is 62 kg. Adult ram is 98kg and ewe is 70kg. The average shearing amount is 3.5 kg for ram and 2 kg for ewe. Matured 5-6 months in advance, lambs can be born in the same year, and the lambing rate is 260-270%.
Adaptation areas: Northeast China, North China, Northwest China and Southwest China.
Main uses: this variety is an excellent female parent material for developing mutton sheep production or introducing mutton sheep varieties to cultivate Chinese mutton sheep varieties and developing lamb meat production.
The way to distinguish a ram: a ram is good at fighting, that is, two sheep collide with their heads, and the one won by the same age is healthier.
How to select seeds: tall individuals, symmetrical body structure, white hair, high nose, drooping ears, round fat tail, upturned tail tip, and tail length less than hock joint; The chest is wide and deep, the ribs are open, the back and waist are straight, the body length is cylindrical, the limbs are high, and the body is strong and straight. Ram head is big and thick with spiral horns, while ewe head is small and long with horns and developed hindquarters.
Duboyang
Dubo sheep is a meat sheep breed from South Africa, which has the characteristics of early maturity, rapid growth and development, strong feeding ability, strong adaptability and obvious meat characteristics. Dorper sheep is a cross between Dorset sheep and Persian black-headed sheep. It was originally bred and raised in the arid areas of South Africa, and is famous for its strong adaptability, rapid early growth and good carcass quality. Dorper sheep are divided into two types: white head and black head.
1. Appearance characteristics: Dupo sheep has a unique barrel shape, no horns, short, dark, black or white hair on its head, short and thin light-colored hair (mainly in the front half), and obvious dry and dead hair on its abdomen.
Second, breed characteristics: Dorper sheep has strong adaptability to different climate and grazing conditions in South Africa. Eat a lot, not picky about food, ok.
Saneng dairy goat
Origin: Originated in Switzerland, it is the representative of dairy goat breeds and is the most widely distributed. It exists in almost all countries in the world except in very hot or cold regions, and more than half of dairy goat breeds are related to it.
Remarkable features: it has typical body characteristics of dairy animals and developed hindquarters. The coat is white, and occasionally the tip of the hair is light yellow, which has four long appearance characteristics, namely, head length, neck length, trunk length, limbs length, developed hindquarters and well-developed breasts. Both rams and ewes have beards, and most of them have no horns.
Breed Description: It is one of the best dairy goat breeds in the world, originated in Switzerland, and is a representative type of dairy goat. Almost more than half of the existing dairy goat breeds contain the blood of Saneng dairy goat to varying degrees [3].
Appearance characteristics: it has typical body characteristics of dairy animals and developed hindquarters. The coat is white, and occasionally the tip of the hair is light yellow, which has four long appearance characteristics, namely, head length, neck length, trunk length and limbs length. Both rams and ewes have beards, and most of them have no horns.
Production performance: the weight of adult ram is 75 ~ 100.0 kg, the highest is 120.0 kg, and the weight of ewe is 5.
goat
0 ~ 65.0 kg, up to 90.0 kg. The lactation performance of ewes is good. The lactation period is 8 ~ 10 month, and the milk yield can reach 600 ~ 1200.0 kg. Under different conditions, milk production varies greatly from country to country. The highest personal milk production record is 3430 kg. The lambing rate of ewes is generally 170 ~ 180.0%, and the highest can reach 200 ~ 220.0%.
White goat: White goat is full of treasures. Baishan mutton is delicious, rich in protein and low in fat and cholesterol. It is one of the important meat foods for human beings. Goat milk has lower fat content than milk and is easy to digest and absorb. Therefore, mutton and milk are ideal foods for human beings, especially middle-aged and elderly people, children and patients with hypertension and heart disease. The ancients listed them as precious supplements. Goatskin is an important raw material for high-grade leather products.
Breeding and feeding goats mature earlier than sheep, and the age of first mating varies with breeds and regions. Generally, early-maturing varieties are 8 ~ 12 months old, and late-maturing varieties 18 months old. The weight of the ewe mating for the first time is equivalent to more than 70% of the adult weight. The ewe has obvious estrus symptoms such as singing and wagging its tail. Estrus duration 1 ~ 2 days, estrous cycle 18 ~ 20 days. Most varieties are on the market.
goat
Estrous mating in autumn and winter. However, some varieties, especially those distributed in low latitudes, can be in estrus all the year round, three crops a year or two crops a year. The gestation period is 146 ~ 150 days. The lambing rate is generally above 1.50%. Most ewes give birth to a lamb at first, and often give birth to two or three lambs after the second child.
Mainly grazing and foraging. Grazing in pastoral areas and mountainous areas all year round, and supplementary feeding is only carried out before and after heavy snow closure and lambing of ewes; In agricultural areas, most farmers are decentralized, and seasonal grazing or grazing is carried out by gaps along rivers and roadsides. In places where there are no grazing conditions, some people forage in the house all year round. In the grass season, each sheep is fed with 3 ~ 5 kilograms of mowing, and in the hay season, it is fed with 1 ~ 1.5 kilograms of hay. Rams and ewes in late pregnancy and lactation should be supplemented with concentrate as appropriate. Heat-resistant, but afraid of thieves and cold rain, so be sure to pay attention to cold and rain. Take a medicine bath two weeks after shearing. Male lambs that are not used for breeding are castrated about half a month after birth.
Lingzhou Heishan mutton is rich in protein, and its amino acid composition is closer to human needs. It can improve the body's disease resistance, and has the effects of invigorating the middle energizer, invigorating the spleen and stomach, strengthening bones and muscles, resolving phlegm, calming wind, quenching thirst and promoting fluid production. Has the effects of nourishing yin, strengthening yang, tonifying deficiency, strengthening body constitution, improving human immunity, prolonging life and beauty beauty. Especially for the old and infirm, it has obvious nourishing effect and is suitable for all ages. Sheep like to eat leaves, such as Sophora japonica leaves, elm leaves, Amorpha fruticosa leaves, poplar leaves, Hollyleaf leaves, acacia leaves, mulberry leaves and oak leaves. The crude protein content of these leaves is about 20% in dry matter, which is non-toxic and nutritious, and is the material source for sheep to grasp and keep fat in winter. Therefore, whenever the sheep can't go far to eat grass in the cold winter, they can be driven to the Woods, beaches and highways to eat these leaves. Some leaves contain tannins and are astringent, which sheep don't like to eat. Oleander leaves, castor leaves and sumac leaves are poisonous, so feeding is prohibited.
South Xinjiang antelope (Asian antelope)
The first new breed of meat goat in China originated from Nanjiang County, Sichuan Province. It was artificially bred by China animal husbandry technicians by applying modern livestock genetics and breeding principles and adopting multi-variety complex hybridization methods. 1995 and 1996 have passed the field appraisal and reexamination by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for the Management of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, and it is concluded that Nanjiang Yellow Sheep is the new goat breed with the best meat performance in China at present. Officially named by the Ministry of Agriculture and issued a certificate of new breed of livestock and poultry. Nanjiang Yellow Sheep (Asian Yellow Sheep) originated in Nanjiang County, Sichuan Province, and it is the first new meat goat breed in China by using modern livestock genetics and breeding principles and adopting multi-variety complex hybridization methods. 1995 and 1996 have passed the field appraisal and reexamination by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for the Management of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, and it is concluded that Nanjiang Yellow Sheep is the new goat breed with the best meat performance in China at present. Officially named by the Ministry of Agriculture and issued a certificate of new breed of livestock and poultry.
Nanjiang Yellow Goat was bred from Newbin Dairy Goat, Chengdu Mayang Goat and Jintang Black Goat as male parents and Nanjiang County local goat as female parents through multiple cross breeding and then introduced into Tugenbao Dairy Goat's blood. At present, it is a group of goat breeds with good meat production performance in China.
Cultural tradition of sheep
Historical origin
Sheep is an animal food that is most closely related to the life of ancient ancestors. Sheep entered civilization with the Chinese nation, which has a deep historical origin with the development of traditional culture in China, and influenced the emergence and development of China culture such as writing, diet, morality, etiquette and aesthetics.
Chinese characters are one of the oldest and most widely used characters in the world. The origin and development of Chinese characters are closely related to the civilization of the Chinese nation, which is the basic carrier of China traditional culture. Chinese characters contain abundant information, which is the most powerful "original record" to record, reflect and reveal the development process of ancient culture in China. Early Chinese characters are like fossils of ancient culture, recording ancient culture and ancient people's thoughts. Chinese characters, like a specimen, inherit the ancient culture of China, and sheep culture is a traditional culture with China characteristics.
Xu Shen explained the word "sheep" in the Han Dynasty and said, "Beauty is sweet. From sheep to big. " In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Qu Dajun applied Xu Shen's model and said in Guangdong Newspeak: "There are fewer sheep and more fish in the southeast, and there are people in the coastal areas who don't know the taste of sheep, while there are more sheep and less fish in the northwest, and their people are also." You can have both, so the words' fish' and' sheep' are' fresh'. "
"Yang" and "Xiang" have a holiday. Dong Zhongshu, a great scholar in the Western Han Dynasty, said: "Sheep are auspicious, so it is auspicious to use them." Hanshu Nanyue Lu said: "In the era of Wei Tuo, there were five-colored sheep, which was considered auspicious." [6]
In the old society, there was a custom of "sending sheep" among the Han people. "It's cloudy on June 6th, and cattle and sheep are as expensive as gold." It is also believed that people who belong to horses, dogs and rats avoid sheep, while people who belong to sheep avoid rats, cows, horses and dogs.
Kazak, Mongolian, Tajik and other ethnic groups are popular in the game of "grabbing sheep". On festive days, people put a sheep a hundred meters away, and the riders divided into several teams to grab it.
Xibo people have the wedding custom of "grabbing sheep bones", and then let them choose one cup each. Those who drink wine will be lucky, and then drink three cups in a row. After that, the brothers and sisters of both sides robbed the sheep bones. Families are harmonious and people are prosperous.
The communication custom of "sheep's head respects guests" is popular among Kazaks in Xinjiang. When new friends come, they slaughter sheep for dinner.
Guangzhou, known as Yangcheng, originated from a wonderful legend: in Zhou Yiwang, five immortals rode five sheep and six strings of ears of grain to Chuting (the ancient name of Guangzhou) and dedicated them to people, hoping that there would never be a famine here. Now, there is a Five-Sheep Album in Yuexiu Mountain Park, on which stands a 1 1 meter-high stone sculpture, which has become a famous urban sculpture at home and abroad.
There is a folk saying in the Ming Dynasty: "Cattle eat grass, such as watering; Sheep eat grass, such as burning. " It means that cows eat grass, grass can grow, and sheep eat grass, which destroys grass roots.
Health maintenance
From a cultural point of view, the key to the occurrence of human civilization is the invention of plant cultivation and animal feeding. If human beings can't grow plants and keep animals, they will always be in the primitive stage of fishing and hunting, and civilization will not come into being. The transition from predatory fishing and hunting production to productive agriculture and animal husbandry production is a great revolution of human society. This great revolution has brought great changes to human society, and the lifestyle has also begun to transition from vagrants to settlers, thus gradually bidding farewell to the instinctive production activities and lifestyles left over from the animal kingdom.
The myth of "Five Sheep Holding the Valley" is said to have happened in the Zhou Dynasty, when China began to enter a civilized society and animal husbandry was very developed. The entry of the Chinese nation into a civilized society cannot be separated from the material foundation. In China, firstly, the development of animal husbandry domesticated sheep at the earliest time, thus solving the problems of hunger and good food for our ancestors. From eating fish to eating sheep, it is the material embodiment of the progress of Chinese food civilization. Therefore, sheep are the most important to the activities and life of the ancestors of the Yellow Emperor. From the time of fishing and hunting, when wild animals were the main food source, to knowing how to adopt, with the accumulation of prey entering the animal husbandry period, food was preserved. "Livestock" is the beginning of food accumulation, and five animals become the staple food of health food, among which sheep is the main food, so "sheep" becomes the "food" of "nurturing" life, and "eating" and "sheep" constitute "nurturing"; "Kindness" (associated with food in ancient times) means having sheep in your mouth, and "eating" means eating sheep to fill your stomach. Judging from the "month", it shows that the staple food at that time was meat.
virtue
Sheep are born beautiful, symbolizing purity and preciousness. In China, both the original meaning of beauty and aesthetic consciousness originated from eating. The original aesthetic consciousness contained in the word "beauty", that is, the aesthetic consciousness of interest, is the precedent of other human aesthetics. Aesthetic worship is the source of human aesthetic activities.
Another story about the origin of the word "beauty" comes from people who wore horns and sang and danced during labor or celebration in ancient times.
Kindness in the ancient concept, sheep is a symbol of beauty and kindness. There is a poem named "Lamb" in The Book of Songs, which uses a lamb as a metaphor for a noble doctor. There is a saying in Shuowen that "beauty and goodness are synonymous".
Living in groups is an important feature of sheep. There is a saying in the Book of Songs, "Who says you have no sheep, and there are three hundred dimensional groups?" "Shuo Wen" Xu Xuan notes: "Sheep are good." The resulting "mass" reflects the Chinese nation's emphasis on groups. [7]
The filial lamb seems to understand her mother's hardships and difficulties, so she kneels when she is nursing. Lambs kneeling on their chests are endowed with the meanings of "filial piety" and "knowing courtesy". "The Story of the Spring and Autumn Period" said: "When a lamb eats its mother's food, it must kneel down and collect it, like a polite person."
In ancient France, the word "law" was "order". According to Shuowen, it is as flat as water. If you can't touch it straight, go and go. " This means that Buddhism should be as flat as a bowl of water, so it should come from "water"; "Kun" is a one-horned god sheep in ancient legends, that is, loyal and honest. When people fight, they touch the wrong side with their horns, so the words "Kun" and "Qu" are used in the right half. Fable is a symbol of fairness, notarization and avoiding evil.
Righteousness is a just and proper truth or action, and it is an action that conforms to justice or public welfare. Sheep give people a good and kind feeling. Sheep sacrifice their lives or sacrifices for the people, and their words are righteous and law enforcement is like a mountain. So sheep have "righteousness".
Music is called "the first of eight tones" and is made of sheepskin. Primitive people like to sing and dance with a trumpet in their spare time.
"Five Tones and Twelve Laws" is China's early musical system theory. Five tones represent five tones according to the sounds of cows, sheep, chickens, pigs and horses, among which the sound of sheep barking is "business".
And sheep are docile by nature; Gregarious and harmonious; Music is "the sum of heaven and earth". The meaning of sheep: kind and easy-going, good luck. Harmony means impartiality, but nothing can be done. The ancients called it great virtue.
homecoming
"Sheep" was connected with "Xiang" in ancient times, and "Xiang" can also be written as "auspicious sheep", which means auspiciousness, and sheep is a symbol of "auspiciousness". At the beginning of the year, it was auspicious for the ancients to hang a sheep's head on the door, send the sheep in communication and use the sheep as a dowry.
Legend has it that when an antelope sleeps at night, it is different from ordinary animals and wild animals. It will find a tree, seize its position, jump hard and hang it on the branch with its horns, so as to ensure that its whole body is suspended and other wild animals can't reach it.
About the origin of antelope hanging horns, it was first seen in Yaya Stone Beast: the antelope sleeps at night and hangs its horns on the tree without leaving any trace to prevent the enemy from coming.
Song's Cang Bian said: "Poets praise love. In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, people were interested in nothing but interest. So its beauty is thorough and exquisite, and it is impossible to pool. " He also used "the voice in the air, the color in the phase, the moon in the water and the image in the mirror" to describe this ethereal and mysterious poetic realm.
There is also: in the sixteenth year of Jingdezhen Lantern Legend, the Zen master said in public: "I am in charge of the West Road, so you can find words and sentences;" If I were a gazelle, where would you touch it? "
In the seventeenth year of Jingdezhen Lantern Legend, the Zen master told the public: "If you are a good hunting dog, you can only trace it. Suddenly I met a gazelle, and I knew nothing about it. "
Later, people understood it as a Zen saying, which is a metaphor for a "punch line" that does not touch the Tao or say a word.