He was born on January 11, 1972, in a teacher's family and, together with his wife Rima, raised three children. His eldest daughter Roza now lives in Moscow with her husband, while another daughter Malina works as a lecturer at the I. Razakov Kyrgyz State Technical University. His son Emir studies at the history faculty of the I. Arabayev Kyrgyz State University and works at the National Bank.
Saralaev also participated as a delegate in the First and Third People's Kurultays.
Four years ago, he started breeding Arashan sheep to improve the quality of his flock. Previously, he kept 150 ordinary sheep, but after facing challenges in their maintenance, he decided to focus on quality. Since then, he has increased the number of Arashan sheep to 20.
Currently, their number has reached 20. He spoke about the advantages of this breed. "I used to keep 150 sheep, and their maintenance and feeding caused a lot of trouble. Sometimes, when selling, the price did not cover the costs and was too low. For the last four years, I have focused on quality and breed purity rather than quantity. I started crossbreeding them with Kochkor Arashan rams for improvement. Last year, I bought a seven-month-old ram named Ryzhik for 100,000 soms. Arashan sheep often give birth to twins. Now, out of 11 sheep, four have given birth to twins. Such sheep require more feed. Already, orders for male lambs are coming in. Sheep of this breed produce a lot of milk. When the lambs suckle, they cannot drink all the milk, and if the ewe is not milked, the lamb may not survive. Last year, I lost two lambs due to poisoning from stagnant milk — the milk had soured and caused their death. My wife milks the sheep and prepares uuz (colostrum, a dairy product) for the children," the villager recounts.
According to the farmer, if lambs from ordinary sheep are sold at the market for 7,000–8,000 soms, then a lamb of the Arashan breed costs no less than 25,000 soms. I am currently breeding second-class Arashan sheep, but I plan to gradually transition to first-class. Arashan sheep eat slightly more feed than ordinary sheep, depending on their weight. In the summer, we take them to the summer pastures. They graze just like ordinary sheep. I do not allow the ram to approach them. When we return home, I conduct mating. I feed the sheep hay three times a day and grain once. I no longer keep ordinary farm sheep," Kalybay Saralaev said.
In addition to breeding sheep, Kalybay also raises foals for sale. "I start feeding the foals from the beginning of December, tying them in the stable. By February, they gain weight and are ready for sale. I used to fatten cows, but they have an unpleasant smell and require more effort. A cow needs to be kept for four months to gain weight, while a foal can be fattened in three months. I keep one foal for three months. It costs about 15,000 soms to feed it, and I can now sell it for 60,000 soms. I give grain twice a day and hay three times. I have covered the floor in the pen with wood and regularly clean the manure. I continue to fatten and sell foals until July, replenishing their stock," he says.
Kalybay is assisted in his work by his wife Rima Asanova.
Rima was born on September 5, 1974. She works as a teacher's assistant at the Saparbek Esenaliev kindergarten in the village of Don-Alysh. In her free time, she helps with her husband's farming business.
