Edilbay sheep (Kazakh: Еділбай қойы, Edilbaı qoıy), also known as Edilbaev(skaya) sheep (Russian: Эдильбаевская овца), are a breed of domesticated sheep which originated in northern Kazakhstan. This breed belongs to the coarse-wooled fat-tailed type of sheep and the Kazakh group.^[1][2] It originated in the 19th century as a cross between Kazakh fat-tailed sheep and Kalmyk/Astrakhan coarse-wooled sheep.^[3] Today, it is found in Kazakhstan (2,419,000 head as of 1980)^[3] and Russia (20,100 head as of 2003).^[3]

Edilbaevskaya sheep are very hardy, as they were breed to conform to nomadic life in the semi-deserts and deserts of Kazakhstan.^[2] They are adapted to severe winter frosts and summer droughts,^{[note 1]} can travel over long distances and thrive in poor feed conditions.^[1]

Their yearly lambing rate is 110–120 lambs born for every 100 ewes.^[1][2]

They are mainly bred for their meat and tail fat.^[3][4] At four months old, carcass weight is around 22 kg (49 lb) and tail fat weight is around 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb). Well-grown wethers can reach a rump weight of 40–45 kg (88–99 lb) and a tail fat weight of 12–14 kg (26–31 lb).^[1]

The milk, though of lesser importance, is also used commercially, in the production of ayran, qurt, and butter.^[1][4] Ewes have a yearly milk yield of 152 L on average.^[3][1] Fat content ranges from 3–9%, with an average of 5.8%.^[1]

Their wool production surpasses all other breeds of the Kazakh fat-tailed type, both in yield and quality.^[3][1] The average fleece yield from two clippings is 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) for rams and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) for ewes, fleece thickness is approximately 15 cm.^[2][1] The fleece consists of true wool with a fineness of 18.0 μm (54% on average), intermediate fibres (33.1 μm, 17.5% avg.), and guard hair (59.5 μm, 26%avg.).^[1] Kemp is rarely found.^[1]