MORPHOLOGIE ET PRATIQUES D ELEVAGE DU MOUTON PEUL-PEUL DU SENEGAL

Sheep breeds raised in Senegal are diverse and among the local breeds it is described the Touabire, the Waral? and the Peul-peul. This last breed which is the most important in numbers is exploited mainly in the sylvo-pastoral zone. The aim of the study is to contribute in the knowledge of the husbandry of the Peul-peul sheep breed and precisely its husbandry practices and morphological characteristics. Surveys were conducted with forty (40) farmers in the sylvo-pastoral zone, and morphologic characterization study involved one hundred and ninety-seven (197) animals from unrelated herds. Results show that the Peul-peul breed is the most largely represented breeds/genotype in the flocks which have an average size of 173 heads per flock. Husbandry systems on natural pastures is extensive and characterized with high mobility. The results of the morphological characterization showed among the types of coat described, the white coat with black patches in varying proportions (53.81%) is predominant compare to the bicolor coat (24.87%) largely described for Peul-peul sheep. In contrast to ewes, rams have developed horns and present mane. The study also shows that Peul-peul sheep farming is booming and farmers have developed adaptive strategies with regards to climate change and market demand.