In 1985, he was drafted into the army and served in Germany, returning home two years later.
“After returning, I started working in construction, and then graduated from the Zhambyl Technical School with a degree in accounting. Later, I worked in a local store. In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we acquired 385 Merinos, and our farm was named ‘Amanbay asyl tukum koy charbasy’,” he shared.
These sheep are known for their wool quality: with good feeding, one sheep can produce up to 5 kg, and rams can yield up to 8 kg. One kilogram of wool costs 200 soms and is used to produce various goods, including expensive clothing and töshöki. Folk artisans order wool from this breed for sewing kalpaks (traditional Kyrgyz headwear),” Amanbaev added.
According to him, the price of a Merino lamb starts at 10,000 soms, while an adult animal can cost up to 15,000 soms.
“The total number of sheep on our farm reaches 800 heads, and I try to maintain a herd of at least 500. Every year we get about 250 lambs. We sell the adult animals, and newcomers take their place,” he noted.
“Lambs are very fragile at birth. During lambing, we keep watch and don’t sleep — it could be me, my wife, or my son. After birth, we clean the lamb's mouth, cut the umbilical cord, and bring it to the mother for suckling. If it cannot suckle on its own, we feed it from a bottle. These sheep are very calm; they graze without fuss, and their meat is more nutritious compared to regular Kyrgyz sheep,” continued Aibek myrza.
Aibek is married, has two sons, two daughters, and eight grandchildren.
