Domestic sheep are a multi-purpose livestock. Sheep are raised for fleece, meat, and milk. There are more than 200 breed and there are over one billion domestic sheep in the world.
Most people think Sheep are dumb, but they are wrong. Their flocking behavior and quickness to flee and panic can make shepherding a difficult endeavor for the uninitiated. Despite these perceptions, a University of Illinois study of sheep reported them to be just below pigs and on par with cattle in IQ. Sheep can recognize individual human faces, and remember them for years. In addition to long-term facial recognition of individuals, sheep can also differentiate emotional states through facial characteristics. If worked with patiently, sheep may learn their names and many sheep are trained to be led by halter for showing and other purposes. Sheep have also responded well to clicker training. It has been reported that some sheep have apparently shown problem-solving abilities; a flock in West Yorkshire, England allegedly found a way to get over cattle grids by rolling on their backs.
Acipayam sheep are a multi-purpose breed (wool. Milk, and
meat) that originated in Turkey that was developed by crossing Awassi and
Daglic sheep.
Acipayam rams average
65 kg (140 lb) and ewes 60 kg (130 lb) at maturity. Both
have white, coarse wool.
Adal
Adal are raised for meat and are from Ethopia. They are mainly
found in the region surrounding Dancalia in northeastern Ethiopia. They are a hair
sheep breed.
Adal sheep are smaller sized and unicolored from white to
dark brown. Occasionally they are also pied or dark brown. They generally have
short ears, and often earless. Both rams and ewes are generally polled (without
horns).
Their average birth weight is around 2.54 kg, and around
2.26 kg for the ewes. The average live body weight of the mature ewes is around
24 kg. And average live body weight of the mature rams is around 35 kg.
They are hardy and strong sheep. They are
especially well adapted to arid
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Afghan Arabi
Afghan Arabi sheep are fat-rumpled sheep found in northern
Afghanistan used for meat and milk production. They generally are polled and
have long pendulous ears.
Typically, they are grey or black with white on their face and the
average height of mature ewes is 48 cm (19 in).
Africana
Africana sheep (also known as
Pelona, Camura, Red African, Rojo Africana, Colombian Wooless, or West African
sheep) are found in Colombia and Venezuela. They are very similar to Pelibuey
sheep in size and confirmation.
They are usually brown, ranging in shade from
tan to brown and cherry-red to dark red. They are is raised for meat and classified
as a hair breed.
Afrino
Afrino are a fine wool,
dual-purpose sheep.
During the late 1960's, a request
was made to the Department of Agriculture by the wool industry, via the South
African Agricultural Union, to develop a white-wooled breed for extensive sheep
grazing areas. In 1976, it was evident that the crossing of 25 percent Merino,
25 percent Ronderib Afrikaner, and 50 percent South African Mutton Merino best fulfilled
the requirements set for the new breed.
It was decided to retain only
this cross for further upgrading and development of the breed known today as
the Afrino. Eighty percent of the income from Afrino sheep is generated through
meat production and 20 percent through wool production. The Afrino
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Alai
Alai sheep
are a dual-purpose breed raised for its meat and wool from Kyrgyzstan.
They are white with occasional spots on their legs and
heads. Their wool is semi-coarse and often used in carpet. Rams may be either horned or polled;
however, they ewes are all polled.
Alai sheep are a fat-rump breed and are
specifically adapted to living conditions of the Alay Valley region (above 3 km
(1.9 mi) above sea level).
Alcarrena
Alcarrena sheep are medium-wooled
meat found in the La Alcarria, Guadalajara, and the Cuenca regions of New
Castille, Spain.
They are of the Entrefino type. Sometimes
they have light-brown markings on the head and legs, and occasionally they are all
black. Both sexes are polled.
Algarve Churro
Algarve Churro sheep are from
Portugal and used for meat.
They are white with black spots
on the feet and head. However, about 10% of them are completely black.
Mature rams grow on average to 95
cm (37 in) at the withers and weigh 75 kg (170 lb). However, ewes grow to 85 cm
(33 in) at the withers and weigh 55 kg (120 lb) at maturity.
Algerian Arab
Algerian Arab sheep (also
known as Ouled Jellal or Western Thin-tailed sheep) are found throughout
Algeria. They are adapted to arid climates and it is believed that they evolved from the Tadmit
sheep in Algeria. They produce carpet-grade wool but they are primarily raised
for meat.
They are white and have long
legs. The males are horned and the females are polled.
Alpagota
Alpagota, or
Pagota, sheep are from Italy (Lamon, Vicentina and Istriana; Belluno and
Venezia Provinces). They are well suited to the local hills and mountains.
Content and
Photo source: Agraria.org.
Alpines Steinschaf
Alpines Steinschaf are mountain sheep
from the Eastern Alps of Austria and southern Germany. They are used for wool
and meat and for keeping the grass down.
Alpines Steinschaf sheep are fine-boned
and small to medium sized. Rams weigh 55 to 80 kg (121 to 176 lb), and ewes 40
to 60 kg (88 to 132 lb).
They are found in all coat colors
and sometimes their face and ears are marked with black. Their face and lower
legs are without wool and their legs are thin but strong, and their hooves are
hard. Rams are often horned, but ewes usually are polled. Their ears are
carried horizontally or slightly drooping.
They are one of four breeds in the
Steinschaf group (the other three are Krainer St
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Altamurana
Altamurana sheep
are a medium-sized Milk sheep from the Bari and Foggia Provinces, in the Apulia
Region of southern Italy.
Altamurana sheep
are white with occasionally dark spots on their faces. They are well adapted to
live on arid soils. Altamurana sheep come down from the ovines of Asian race or
Syrian of the Sanson and just from the stock of Zackei.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Altay
Altay sheep are from the dry, cold mountain basins of China.
They are fat-rumped and are sometimes raised for carpet wool
(they average 2.5 to 3.5 pounds, 1.3 - 1.5 kg, of wool per shearing), but more often
they are raised for meat.
Over time Altay sheep gradually developed
a fat tail (or rump) as a consistent characteristic. The tail (or rump) weighs
about 15 pounds (7 kg). The rams average 180 pounds (82 kg) and the ewes 150
pounds (69 kg) at maturity.
American Blackbelly
American Blackbelly (also known as Corsican) sheep are a
composite breed resulting from the crossing of Barbados Blackbelly with Mouflon
and Rambouillet breeds. As the name implies, the underbelly of the American
Blackbelly is black, as is the inside of the legs, the back part of the thighs,
and the hair inside the ears. Two black facial barbs extend down the muzzle
medial to the eye, giving the breed an exotic appearance.
Through selective breeding, the
American Blackbelly has retained the coloration of its Barbados Blackbelly
parent stock, but can be easily distinguished by the presence of horns on the
rams. It is harder to identify which breed a ewe represents because American
Blackbelly females may be polled, scurred, or
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Ancon
Ancon sheep have long bodies with short
legs. Their fore-legs are crooked. This type of sheep was bred from a single
Massachusetts, USA, lamb. The Ancon sheep are quite desirable because they
cannot jump over fences. The Ancon name has been applied to other strains of
sheep. Scientists used the Ancon for genetic research and after it was no
longer needed for study it was allowed to become extinct. Excavations of the
Ancon have been done in the United Kingdom. They have found that the Ancon has
a history that dates back to AD 1500. The Ancon sheep have quite a few unique
features that were caused by dwarf mutation. They were well-known in the state
of Massachusetts in the 1700s. Sheep owners preferred this species as it made
...
Apennine
Apennine sheep
(also known as Appenninica, Bariscianese, Chietina Varzese, or Perugina del
piano) are white sheep that were found in the 1970's in central Italy, mainly
in Toscana, Emilia, Umbria, arche, Abruzzi regions of Italy. They were
developed by crossbreeding the local breed with other Italian or exotic breeds
such as: Bergamasca and Ile-de-France. There are an estimated 250,000 heads,
spread out over central and southern Italy.
They are white
with medium-wool that are raised mainly for meat. They are polled and have semi-lopped ears.
Content
and photo source: Agraria.org.
Arabi
Arabi, also known as Afghan Arabi, Sheep are fat-rumped
sheep from Northern Afghanistan. They typically have long pendulous ears; they
also generally have black or white faces. The Arabi rams have horns and the
ewes are polled (hornless). They are raised for meat and wool production.
Most likely Arabi sheep are descended from very ancient
importations from Arabia across the narrow Bal-el-Mandeb Straits at the mouth
of the Red Sea. They have adapted to extreme temperatures and conditions.
Within the foothills of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, summer temperatures rise
to 41 °C (110 °F) and winter temperatures down to -26 °C (-15 °F) with less
than 400 mm (16 in) rain.
Aragonesa
Aragonesa are a dual-purpose,
medium wool sheep raised mainly for its meat. They are the second
most important Spanish breed after the Merino. Spanish sheep breeds of medium
quality wool are considered to have originated from the crossbreeding of
fine-wool strains (Merino) and those with coarse wool (Churra and Lacha),
though this viewpoint is overly simplistic.
Aragonesa sheep are known for ruggedness, gregarious
instinct, pasturing ability, and adaptability to the harsh environment in which
it is raised.
Arapawa Island
Historical records suggest that sheep have
been known on Arapawa Island, NZ, in the Marlborough Sounds for at least 130
years.
Most likely the Arapawa feral sheep are
escapees of a flock of Merino Sheep.
To those unused to their distinctive
appearance, Arapawa sheep may at first acquaintance seem ungainly or even ugly,
with their somewhat hunched appearance and often ragged fleece. Certainly they
bear little resemblance to their more immediate Merino ancestors and even less
to the Merinos familiar to us all today.
Arapawas are not large sheep, being rather
lean and light-boned. The clear narrow face and head, with alert bright eyes,
is set on a long neck and topped with slender ears
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Argentine Merino
Argentine Merino are dual-purpose (fine wool and meat) sheep
from Argentina. They were developed from Criollo sheep crossed with Spanish and
Saxony Merinos and later Rambouillets.
Arkhar-Merino
Arkhar-Merino sheep were
developed at the Kurmektinski research station between 1934 to 1949 in
Kazakhstan. They were produced by crossbreeding wild Arkhar rams and Precoce
merino ewes.
In 1994 Arkhar-Merino sheep were
transferred to Arasbaran research station which is attached to the Research
Center for Natural Resources and Domestic Animals of East Azerbaijan.
Arkhar-Merino sheep have a firm
and expanded skeleton. They are bulky with long legs and a broad chest. Their
average staple length is 6.24 to 8.08 cm. The average fiber diameter is 22.99
in ewes and 23.51 in ram. Their greasy fleece weight is about 4.19 kg.
Arles Merino
Arles Merino is one of world's
20 merino sheep breeds. They were developed in the South of France, by using local
merino, Spanish merino (Est a Laine Merinos) and Australian Booroola sheep. The
sheep were first selected by the greatest amount of wool and fine wool. However,
currently the primary breeding goal is milk production of ewes and the rapid
growth of lambs. In addition, those specimens are preferred for breeding who
make the breed less dependent on the season, which means that the goal is to
ensure good fertility all year round.
They have a muscular rump and
fine wool. Their wool is white with a fiber diameter of approximately 20 microns (min
17 microns, max 26 microns) and a length of 60 to 70mm. Wool from
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Armenian Semicoarsewool
Armenian Semicoarsewool are dual-purpose sheep
mainly found in Armenia. They are a medium-wool fat tail breed. They are raised
as a dual-purpose animal, and are currently raised for milk and meat
production. They were developed by crossing Rambouillet and Lincoln with Balbas
sheep.
They are medium to large sized and are mainly
white with a white face. Both rams and ewes are generally polled. The mature
ewe’s average body height is around 26 inches at the withers, and around 29
inches for the rams. Their average live body weight is around 85 kg. And
average live body weight of the mature ewes is around 55 kg. They are well
adapted to their native environments.
Askanian
Askanian, also known as Askaniysky or Askanian Fine Fleece,
sheep are from Ukraine. They were developed in the early 1900s at Askania Nova
by crossing American Rambouillet with Merino sheep. There were over 1.6 million
Askanian sheep in 1980. Today the breed is raised mainly for it's fine quality
wool.
They are medium to large sized sheep. They are mainly white
and are unicolored with a white face. Their face is generally free of wool. The
ewes are either polled or horned, but the rams are generally horned. Average
body height of the mature ewes is around 69 cm at the withers, and the rams are
much larger than the ewes.
The Average live body weight of the mature Askanian rams is
around 115 kg. And the ewes ar
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Assaf
Assaf sheep are the
result of crossbreeding between Awassi and East Friesian Milk sheep. In 1955,
researchers of the Israeli Agricultural Research Organization (A.R.O) started
this project aiming to improve the fecundity of the Awassi sheep. A combination
of 3/8 East Friesian and 5/8 Awassi blood emerged as the best cross.
Most dairy sheep
breeders in Israel have adopted the Assaf, which is considered not only a top
quality dairy sheep and excellent mutton producer, but is also well-adapted to
semi-extensive to extensive production systems. Under Israeli conditions, in
which ewes have approximately 3 lambings in 2 years, the annual milk yield is
450 liters. The demand for Assaf sheep is increasing every year. They have b
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Aussiedown
Aussiedowns are large sheep were
developed in the early 1990s in Australia. Today they are mainly distributed in
New South Wales, Victoria, Australia. They were developed through crossbreeding
Southdown and Texel sheep. The resulting progeny have a maximum of 75 percent
Southdown and Texel ancestry.
They are mainly raised as prime
lamb sires, by crossing them over purebred or crossbred ewes. They are very
good for meat production.
They are generally completely
white. Both rams and ewes are generally polled.
Australian Merino
Although Australian Merino sheep derive their name and basic
appearance from the Spanish merino breed, they are a distinct breed in their
own right. They have been developed and adapted in Australia to the specific
conditions of this country.
More than 80 percent of all Australian sheep are pure
Merino, with most of the remainder at least part Merino blood. Merino is grown
primarily for its heavy fleeces of fine wool. Merino sheep were brought to
Australia from the Cape Colony, England, Saxony (South East Germany), France,
and America. The Australian Merino is not a single homogenous breed but a
number of strains of sheep all of which, regardless of their origins, are
uniquely Australian. The major factor determining the Mer
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Australian White
Australian Whites are Australian meat sheep which was
developed for Australian conditions. Australian White sheep are a stabilized
composite haired meat breed comprising White Dorper, Van Rooy, Poll Dorset and
Texel genetics. The development aim was to produce a unique Australian white,
shedding sheep breed to quickly produce large framed, heavy lamb carcases. Additionally,
walking or mobility ability, good fertility and mothering instincts in the ewes
and hardy lambs with good growth weights were required traits to be
incorporated into the breed.
In 2011 the Australian White sheep breed was shown at the
Sydney Royal Easter Show for the first time.
Avranchin
Avranchin are a grassland breed of sheep. They are hardy and
well-adapted to a ocean climate, usually living outdoors in small flocks. They are
one of the most prolific French breeds. They have a large or medium-sized
frame. They produce lambs of good butchering quality, with very fine textured
meat.
The selection of the Avranchin sheep breed tends towards the
maintenance of high prolificacy (the optimum sought is the ewe which regularly
produces twins at each lambing), and the improvement of the milk value of the
dams. Rams for breeding are chosen according to their conformation and the
prolificacy and milk value indexes of their dam.
Awassi
Awassi evolved as a nomadic sheep breed through centuries of
natural and selective breeding to become the highest milk producing breed in
the Middle East. They are similar to the Near Eastern fat-tailed type. They are
used for milk production and carpet wool.
The average Awassi ewe has single lactations over 300 liters
(650 pounds) per 210-day lactation, and it is not uncommon for outstanding
females to have 210 day lactations above 750 liters (1,625 lbs).
As a comparison, the lactation of the average U.S. sheep
breed is about 100 to 200 pounds per lactation. The breed also has the
advantage of natural hardiness and grazing ability. The males are horned and
the females are usually po
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The Babydoll Southdown is a sheep of the early Southdown
type imported into the U.S. and seen in England in the 1800's through the early
1900's. They are 18" to 24" at the shoulder and display the original
Southdown type and characteristics. The Southdown breed of sheep originated in
the South "Downs" of Sussex County, England, and is one of the oldest
of the Down breeds. English farms kept these sheep for their flavorful meat and
fine fleece.
Badger Face Welsh Mountain
Torddu, the Welsh name
meaning 'black belly' have distinct black stripes above the eyes and a black
stripe running from under the chin to the belly and continuing underneath to
the end of the tail. The legs are black with a tan stripe. The fleece can be
white, grey or light brown, but preference is given to the lighter shades. The
wool should be firm and medium length (7-10 cm). The Torwen, the Welsh name
meaning 'white belly' show the reverse coloring, but with a smaller eye stripe.
Their bodies should be compact and strong and of medium size. Both Torddu and
Torwen rams are horned and weigh up to 90kg. Ewes are polled and weigh up to
60kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep
Association
Bagnolese
Bagnolese Sheep
are an autochthonous breed from Campania, Italy that got its name from the village
of Bagnoli Irpino in the province of Avellino. They probably derives from the
crossbreeding of the Barbaresca breed and the local breeds of the Apennines.
Over time they spread from Irpinia to the entire region up to the provinces of
Caserta and Salerno.
They are
medium-large white sheep with black spots. There are excellent dairy products
derived from its milk: pecorino as well as ricotta cheese (fresh or salted and
aged). They are also raised for meat.
In Irpinia
(province of Avellino) they are still largely kept in wild or semi wild state,
fed on herbal pastureland with integration only in the winter mont
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Balkhi
Balkhi are medium to large sized sheep originated
from Afghanistan and North-western Pakistan. They are a fat-tailed mutton type
sheep. They are raised mainly for meat
production, but they are also good for producing wool.
Balkhi sheep are hardy and are well adapted
to their native climates. They have a low fiber density, and they approximately
yield 2 kg of coarse wool with an average 43.5 micrometer diameter. The ewes
are pretty good milkers and they produce enough milk for their lambs. The ewes
generally lactate for about 105 days and produce around 60 kg of milk.
They are black, grey, or tan. They have
somewhat long ears, and their body is muscular and compact. Their ta
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Baluchi
Baluchi are small sheep that originated in southern
Afghanistan, eastern Iran, and southwest Pakistan. They are a fat-tailed sheep
breed and are raised mainly for wool production. They are also known Araghi,
Baluchi Dumda, Farahani, Khorasani, Khurasani, Mengali, Neini, Naeini, Shinwari, Taraki and Yazdi sheep.
They are raised mainly for wool production. Their wool is
coarse with modulation. The average annual fleece weight is between 1.3 and 1.8
kg. The ewes are pretty good milkers, and they produce enough milk for their
lambs. On average an ewe generally produce around 40 to 50 kg of milk in a
lactation period of about 125 days.
They are black and white with black marks on the legs and
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Balwen Welsh Mountain
The Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep is a sheep for all seasons. One of
the original Welsh breeds of sheep the Balwen remains as one of the most
striking and versatile of all the rare breed sheep. The sheep has a base color
of black, dark brown or dark grey. It has a white stripe running from the pole
of the head to the top of the nose, four white feet and half white tail.
Average mature ewe weighs 40-50kgs, rams 45-60kgs.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Barbados Blackbelly
Barbados
Blackbelly sheep are indigenous to the Caribbean island of Barbados. They descend
from sheep brought to the islands from West Africa during the slave era.
Blackbellies are antelope-like in appearance, brown tan or yellow in color,
with black points and under-parts. Both ewes and rams are polled or have only
small scurs or diminutive horns.
They may have
some visible fuzzy wool undercoat within their hair coat, but it should shed along
with the hair each year. Barbados Blackbelies are noted for their extreme
hardiness and reproductive efficiency. They are one of the most prolific sheep
breeds in the world.
Barbaresca Siciliana
Found in Sicily
in southern Italy, the Barbaresca Siciliana (Sicilian Barbary) was developed
from the Tunisian Barbary and the Pinzirita.
They have coarse
to medium wool and are kept for both milk and meat production. The Sicilian
Barbary is polled and usually has dark spots on the face and legs. They have
lop ears and stores fat at the base of their tail.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Bardoka
Bardoka are a multi-purpose sheep found
mainly in the Metohia region of Kosovo. It's name is derived from the Albanian
word 'Bardoka' which means white. They are mainly found in Kosovo and partially in Albania, Montenegro,
and Serbia.
They are medium-sized sheep. They are
mainly white with a white face. Their face is generally free of wool, and their
skin color is pink. Both rams and ewes are generally horned. Their horns are
generally long and spiraled. Rams weight around 3.5 kg at birth and the ewes
around 3.2 kg. The mature Bardoka ram's average body height is around 70 cm at
the withers, and around 60 cm for the ewes. Bardoka rams is around 65 kg. And
average live body weight of the mature ewes is around 50 kg
Basco-Bearnais
Basco-bearnaise sheep originated from the Basque country,
and also known as Vasca Carranzana, France. They were developed during the
1960s from Basque and Bearnaise sheep.
They mainly are raised as a milk breed, and an ewe on
average produces around 120 liters of milk per lactation. And their lactation
period is around of 130 days. Their milk is of good quality containing around
5.39 percent protein.
Basco-bearnaise sheep are medium to large sized. They are
mainly white and have long, white and hanging wool. Their head and hooves are
reddish-yellow colored. The rams have spiral horn around the ear. And the ewes
can be either horned or polled.
The average body height of
...
Bavarian Forest Sheep
Bavarian Forest sheep are an old and once wide-spread breed from
Bavaria. Unfortunately they are decreasing in popularity. They are a small to
medium sized sheep. They are mostly white, though brown and black animals do
occur.
Their fleece contains a mixture of fibers: kemp, hetero
type, and wool fibers. Forest sheep are aseasonal: they usually lamb 3 times in
2 years. Their fertility amounts to about 180 percent. They are a hardy,
weather and disease-resistant breed. They have good mothering ability.
Belgium Milk
Belgium Milk Sheep are strongly influenced by Friesian Milk
Sheep. In all probability, the Belgium Milk Sheep descends from Flemish sheep.
Since the 19th century, Flemish sheep were selected for milk character. After
the Second World War, the other milk sheep breeds were added.
The Belgium Milk Sheep is a finely-built sheep which stands
on high legs. The body is wedge-shaped. The head is covered with fine white
hair. The abdomen is wooly, but slightly hairy. A typical characteristic of
Belgium Milk Sheep is the so-called "rat-tail." The fertility of the
breed is high. The udder is well-developed and the animals give much milk with
a creamy taste.
Bellary
Bellary are medium-sized sheep native to the districts of
Bellary and Davanagere and the adjoining areas of Haveri and Chitradurga
districts of Karnataka, India.
They are medium-sized with body colors ranging from white
through various combinations of white and black to black. Most rams have horns,
though ewes are generally polled. Their ears are medium long, flat and
drooping, their tail is short and thin, their fleece is extremely coarse, hairy,
and open and their belly and legs are devoid of wool.
In farmers' flocks lambing percentage is 80–85% and the
litter size is generally single. Breeding is mostly pure. Rams are selected on
the basis of size. They are primarily maintained for meat. The ewes are milked
...
Beltex
The Beltex is a medium sized sheep, long in the body. It is
wedge-shaped from a narrow shoulder to a distinctive large, double-muscled
hindquarter. The head is generally white in color but may have black, blue or
brown shadings or patches. The fore face is short and thick. The fleece is
tight, dense of medium staple length. Average male body weight 95kg.
Bentheimer Landschaf
Bentheimer Landschaf (A.K.A The Landrace of Bentheim) are
medium-sized German sheep. They were developed by a cross between German and
Dutch heath sheep and marsh sheep. They have been bred in the northern German
Emsland area since 1934, especially in the county of Bentheim.
They are mainly white and have black around their ears,
eyes, and legs. They have a slender body, long head and Roman nose. Their ears
are small and the tail is long and woolly. Both rams and ewes are generally
polled. The average body height of the mature ewes is around 67 cm at the
withers, and the rams are slightly larger than the ewes. The average live body
weight of the mature Bentheimer Landschaf rams is around 75 to 80 kg. And
average live body we
...
Bergamasca
Bergamasca, also
known by: Bergamasker, Gigante di Bergamo, Bergamacia (Brazil), sheep have
white coarse wool and are raised for meat.
Bergamasca sheep
are found in the Lombardy, region of northern Italy. They are a basic breed of
the Lop-eared Alpine group and are polled. The Bergamasca is the foundation of
the other Lop-eared Alpine breeds and of Fabrianese.
Content and Photo source:
Agraria.org.
Berrichon du Cher
Berrichon du Cher sheep have been bred for meat production
since the 18th century. This long-lasting breeding process has resulted in a
well-conformed breed, characterized by early growth.
Berrichon ewes have a natural ability to lamb out-of-season:
60% of lambs are naturally born from September to November, a schedule which
provides high flexibility in terms of production.
Berrichon du Cher Sheep are hardy and are able to cover wide
distances, which render the breed suitable for various livestock management
systems.
Beulah Speckled Face
Speckled-face sheep have been bred on the hills of Eppynt,
Llanafan, Abergwesyn, and Llanwrtyd Wells for over 100 years, without
introduction of female stock. On the hill, the ewes are normally purebred,
providing flock replacements, finished lambs for the meat trade, or store lambs
for finishing on lowland farms.
Beulah ewes are also idea for crossing with most continental
rams, as well as Suffolk and Down rams to produce high-quality carcasses. Rams
have found great demand in many mountain flocks to improve size and wool
quality. They have very clean soft handling wool. Ewes are hornless, as are the
majority of rams. Their face is free from wool and distinctly speckled.
Bibrik
Bibrik are medium-sized sheep that originated from Pakistan.
They are a fat-tailed breed and are raised mainly for meat production. They are
found mainly in the parts of Sibi and Loralai districts in Baluchistan Province
of Pakistan.
They are mainly white with a black or brown head. Both rams
and ewes are generally horned, and the rams have pretty large and curved horns.
The rams generally weight around 2.8 kg at births, and the ewes around 2.4 kg.
Average body height of the mature ewes is around 19 inches
at the withers, and around 25 inches for the rams. The average live body weight
of the mature Bibrik rams is around 37 kg. And the average live body weight of
the mature ewes is around 31 kg.
They
...
Biellese
Biellese sheep
are from the Piedmont region of northern Italy. They are a polled carpet wool
breed used for meat production. They are one of the Lop-eared Alpine group of
sheep breeds.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Bizet
Bizet [bi.ze] sheep originating in France. They were
developed between 1830 and 1900 by first crossing Caussenards sheep with Southdown
and Dishley English sheep. In 1905, steps were taken to start standardizing the
breed. In 1952, Bizet were introduced on the Kerguelen archipelago, where they
are raised for food for the scientific station there.
They grow wool but they are primarily raised for meat. The rams
have horns and ewes are polled (hornless). At maturity, rams grow to 80 cm (31
in) and ewes 75 cm (30 in) at the withers. On average, rams weigh 90 kg (200
lb) and ewes 55 kg (121 lb). Ewes can lamb up to three times in two years.
Black Hawaiian
Black Hawaiian Sheep are the
source of some controversy. Some say they are a cross of Mouflon and black hair
sheep from the Hawaiian islands. Others say they are Barbados sheep with a
dilution of the red color gene making them black. They have a thick black coat
and are usually black all over, although some sport a white muzzle.
Like the other species of sheep of
this type, their horns grow up, back, down, forward, up again, and then tip
out. The horns of the Black Hawaiian are jet black. Males can weigh up to 140
to 150 pounds while females usually weigh about half that much. They are raise
primarily for trophy hunting.
Black Welsh Mountain
Hardiness and self-reliance are the outstanding features of
this ancient breed. Hill flocks of this breed, in normal conditions, require no
supplementary feeding, they thrive on the short rough grasses and herbage of
the unploughable uplands. They are an ideal breed for the smallholder as well
as being used in their natural environment on the hill. They are a good breed for
children to work with as they are shown on halters and the lambs are easy to
handle. They cross well with terminal breeds to produce good quality tasty meat
both as a crossbred and as a purebred. Average mature ewe weighs 45kg, rams
60-65kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Blackhead Persian
Blackheaded Persian sheep originated in the arid regions of
east Africa in what is now Somalia. They are a fat-rumped breed and both sexes are polled.
Blackheaded Persians have a white body and black head and neck with the two
colors sharply distinguished.
They found their way to the tropics of the Caribbean region
via South Africa many years ago. The Caribbean population has adapted well to
the humid tropics. Blackheaded Persian sheep are one of the breeds that were
used to develop Dorper sheep.
Harlequin or
Speckled Persians
Some
Blackheaded Persians have solid colored heads, legs and tails, while their body
is covered with spots and patches on a white background. The pattern on each
individua
...
Bleu du Maine
Bleu du Maine are a large grassland sheep with slate blue/grey
coloring heads. They originated in Western France in the region
of Mayenne. They were developed from crossing Leicester Longwool and
Wensleydale sheep. The breed has no wool on its head or legs.
They are similar to Texel sheep but they have a higher
litter size and age of sexual maturity. Their average daily gain, carcass
leanness, milk yield, and lambing interval are similar to the Texel, but the
Blue du Maine are lighter muscled.
They have a very alert eye, large nostrils and ears, and no horns.
Blue du Maine sheep are large; the average mature ewe weighs 80-120kg,
rams 110-180kg. Both sexes are polled.
Blue Texel
Blue Texel sheep are a color variant of the normally white
Texel sheep. Blue Texel sheep come from white Texels who carry the color factor
"blue" with them. This factor is a recessive factor. From a mating of
two white Texels who both carry the factor for the blue color, there is a 25
percent chance blue lambs will be born while a mating between a Blue Texel and
another Blue Texel always gives blue lambs. Texel sheep evolved as a result of
crossbreeding the Dutch polder sheep with several English breeds, such as
Leicester, Wensleydale, and Lincoln at the beginning of the 20th century.
Today, as a result of efficient selection, the Texel breed
has developed into a meat-type sheep of outstanding lean meat quality that has
beco
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Bluefaced Leicester
The Bluefaced Leicester is the single most significant sheep
breed in the UK today, with nearly 50% of the UK's commercial breeding flock
being sired by the Bluefaced Leicester. Of the remaining 50% around
half are being mated with Bluefaced Leicester rams to produce Mule ewes.
The great strength of the Blueface, is that no matter what breed of sheep it’s
crossed with, its progeny the Mule proves a better commercial ewe than its
mother. The Bluefaced Leicester’s improve prolificacy, mothering ability, ease
of management and most importantly financial return. The breed started in
Northumberland around 100 years ago. Over the last half century the breed has
spread all over the UK, especially into Scotland and Wales
...
Bond
Bond sheep evolved in Australia in 1909 as a dual-purpose
breed, using Peppin Merinos and imported Lincoln rams. Bonds are tall,
long-bodied sheep, heavy in the bone and with open faces and a robust
constitution. They produce bulky, long-stapled, bright 22-28 micron wool. Lambs
are long, lean, and fast growing. Bond rams weigh up to 150 kg (330 lbs.).
Bond sheep are mainly found in the south east portion of
Australia. They have the ability to produce economic results in a wide range of
climatic conditions of rainfall from 350-1140 mm (14 to 45 inches).
Booroola Merino
Booroola Merino sheep were developed on the Southern
Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. They differ from normal Merino in two
ways. First, they are more fertile; their fertility is as high as any breed in
the world. The number of lambs born per ewe lambing is 2.4, with a range of 1
to 6. Half-Booroola ewes on average wean 20 percent more lambs than comparable
Merinos under the same conditions. Secondly, Booroolas have the ability to
breed at most times of the year, thus extending the breeding season.
The high profligacy of the Booroola Merino is due to the
action of a single gene. Bo
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Border Cheviot
Border Cheviot sheep originated as a mountain breed, native
to the Cheviot Hills between Scotland and England, where the climate is harsh
and the conditions are rugged. Cheviots are extremely hardy and can withstand
harsh winters and graze well over hilly pastures. They were bred to look after
themselves. Recognized as early as 1372, the breed is reported to have
developed from sheep that swam ashore from shipwrecked Spanish ships that fled
northward after the defeat of the Armada.
Cheviot sheep are a distinctive white-faced sheep, with a
wool-free face and legs, pricked ears, black muzzle and black feet. They are a
very alert, active sheep, with a stylish, lively carriage. Cheviot wool has a
distinctive helical crimp, which
...
Border Leicester
Border Leicester sheep are one of three distinct
breeds of Leicester sheep.
Border Leicester sheep were developed in 1767 by George and
Matthew Culley of Fenton, Northumberland, England. They were friends of Robert
Bakewell and had access to his improved Leicesters. Some believe that the
Culley brothers developed the Border Leicester by crossing Bakewell's improved
Leicester rams with Teeswater ewes. Others argue that Cheviot blood was
introduced.
In any case, the breed was firmly established in England by
1850 and Border Leicesters have now surpassed the old English Leicester in
popularity in the British Isles and in other countries.
Border Leicesters are a distinctively large white she
...
Borderdale
Borderdale sheep were
developed in New Zealand. They are the result of breeding the Border Leicester
and Corriedale breeds and interbreeding each generation until the F5 stage.
Borderdales are a medium-large, hardy, long-woolled breed, with a comparatively
low susceptibility to foot rot. They have a good growth rate.
Ewes are often used
for crossbreeding with terminal sires from the meat breeds. Borderdales are
found mainly on the plains, dowlands, and foothills of Canterbury (New
Zealand).
Boreray
Boreray sheep originated on the island of Boreray in the St
Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. And the breed was named from
this island. It is also known by some other names such as Hebridean Blackface
and Boreray Blackface sheep.
They were developed during the late 19th century from
Scottish Blackface and a Hebridean type of Old Scottish Shortwool sheep. They
have been largely feral since 1930.
Their fleece is white to light tan, but occasionally darker.
Both sexes are horned. The ram's horns are large and spiraled. Adult ewes weigh
about 28 kg (62 lbs) and stand 55 cm (22 inches) at the withers.
Today, it is the rarest sheep breed in the United Kingdom
and there
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Bovska
Bovska Sheep got their name from the small town Bovec that
lies in upper Soflorina valley which is in the Northwest part of Slovenia near
the Italian border. In Trenta valley this breed is also called trentarka or pure
trentarka if it has the short ears sometimes seen with this breed.
The Bovska sheep breed originated in the white sheep which
were once distributed throughout the Alps. Bleiweis (1871) mentioned the
Trbiska sheep breed and reported that sheep with shorter ears produced more
milk. Pirc reported that Tolminska and Bovska sheep breeds originated from the
peat sheep while in the German literature it is stated that in some Alpine
valleys and swampy areas Stonesheep (Steinschafe) or Zaupelschafe were found
which
...
Braunes Bergschaf
Braunes Bergschaf, or Brown
Mountain, sheep are from the alpine regions of Bavaria (Germany), Tyrol
(Austria), Southern Tyrol (Italy), and the Swiss Canton of Engadine. In recent
years, Braunes Bergschaf Sheep have gained popularity beyond their original
borders. Brown Mountain Sheep are descended from the Tyrolean Steinschaf (Stone
Sheep), which can be of all colors, one color per sheep, and is rarely white.
Braunes Bergschaf are
medium-sized with a slender, hornless head, and a Roman nose profile. Their
ears are long, broad, and hanging. They have strong legs with hard hoofs. They
are extremely hardy and show no fear of heights. Non- seasonal breeding is
possible three times in two years, and twins are the norm.
Brecknock Hill Cheviot
Brecknock Hill Cheviot
sheep were developed from Scottish Cheviot sheep that were introduced to Wales
in the 1850's. They are known for their longevity.
They have a white face
and legs. Their ears are erect with no ruff of wool behind them. They have no
wool on their face or on their legs below their knees or hock. They have broad,
strong backs. The rams are occasionally horned, and ewes are polled. The
average mature ewe weighs 60kg and rams weigh 90kg. Ewes and usually rams are
polled.
Brentegana Scelta
Brentagana
Scelta are large white sheep raised for wool and meat. They are an Italian breed
and belong to the Alpine group. They are
known for their adaptation to the local marginal conditions.
Content and
photo source: agraia.org.
Brianzola
Brianzola are
large white sheep related to the giant Alpine meat sheep coming from Ovis aries sudanica of Sanson. They
come from Brianza, Italy, a territory including the provinces of Como, Lecco
and Monza (Lombardia). They are raised for meat.
Brianzola are
large white sheep related to the giant Alpine meat sheep coming from Ovis aries sudanica of Sanson. They
come from Brianza, Italy, a territory including the provinces of Como, Lecco
and Monza (Lombardia). They are raised for meat.
Content and
photo source: Agraria.org.
Brigasca
Brigasca sheep
are a local breed whose name is linked to the border territory between Liguria,
Piedmont and Provence. They are descended from the Frabosana breed and likely
crossbred with Langhe sheep. The Brigasca is a rustic animal, perfectly adapted
to the traditional rearing system of a minimum of six months in alpine
pastures.
Brigasca sheep
are used for milk and meat. Their milk is used to produce three different kinds
of cheese: Sora, Toma, and Brus. All are made with techniques and tools bound
to the ancient tradition of transhumance.
Content and
photo source: Agraria.org.
Brillenschaf
Brillenschaf sheep
are from Carinthia, Austria. They are a member of the Alpine Mountain Sheep
Breeds. They are named for their eyeglass marks around their eyes, under the
eyes, and on their ears. They are a cross between the Landschaf, Bergamasca,
and Paduaner Schaf sheep.
They are hardy
and frugal; they can cope with high precipitation and are experts in climbing,
therefore they are used for grazing high alpine areas which are inaccessible to
cows.
They are
endangered and since 1938, they have almost completely died out.
British Milk
British Milk sheep are medium to large polled sheep with a
predominantly white face and legs. Their head is usually free from wool, the
muzzle broad and the ears long. The ewe is naturally prolific and is noted for
its quiet temperament which is important in the management of high performance
sheep. The conformation of the ewe, particularly the roomy pelvic area, ensures
that lambing is easy. The rams have a long body and good hindquarters. They are
robust and active being keen and vigorous workers all through the year. Average
mature ewe weighs 80kg, rams 110kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Brogna
Bragna sheep
have white coats and rosy skin. They are used mainly for meat, but also for
milk. They are an autochthonous breed of uncertain origin. They are mainly
reared in the province of Verona (Veneto), particularly in Lessinia, Italy.
Content and
photo source: Agraria.org.
Brown Headed Meat
Brown Headed Meat, or Braunkopfiges Fleischschaf, are one of
the four predominant sheep breeds in Switzerland. They are the heaviest breed. They
were developed by crossing Oxfords from England and German Blackheaded Mutton
sheep onto landrace sheep.
The breed is seasonal, lambing once per year, usually in the
winter, averaging 1.7 lambs.
Bundner Oberland
Bundner Oberland (also known as
Bunder Oberlanderschaf, Grisons, or Graubunden) sheep are from Switzerland.
They are found in white, brown,
or silver-grey. Their head is slender and bare. Rams have substantial horns
while ewes have small horns or are polled (hornless). Both sexes display rather
primitive behavior. Multiple births are common. When mature, rams weigh on
average 72 kg (159 lb) and ewes 50 kg (110 lb). After reaching maturity, rams
grow to 72 cm (28 in) and ewes 68 cm (27 in) at the withers.
In 2007, there were less than
1,100 but their population is increasing and are used primarily for vegetation
management.
Calabrese, also
known as Sciara or Moscia Calabrese, sheep are an autochthonous breed from the provinces of Cosenza and Catanzaro
(Calabria), reared in the high hills on poor steep grazing land. They belong to
the group with soft hanging woolly coat but it is smaller than Altamurana and
Leccese breeds.
They have white
coats and are raised for milk.
Content and photo source: agraria.org.
California Red
California Red are medium-wool meat and wool sheep developed
in 1970. They are a cross between Barbados and Tunis sheep.
Mature rams weigh 225 to 250 pounds and ewes range from 130
to 150 pounds. Both sexes are naturally hornless. Lambs are born a solid rust
or cinnamon red color, a color that is retained as they mature.
At maturity, their fleeces turn a beige or oatmeal color.
Their legs and faces are free of wool with long pendulous ears. Their wool is
silky in texture and has found a specialty market with hand-spinners and
weavers. They breed all year-round.
California Variegated Mutant
California Variegated Mutant Sheep, or simply C.V.M. Sheep,
are the result of many crossbreeding started in 1915.
In 1915 A.T. Spencer developed the Romeldale breed. He
purchased several New Zealand Romney Rams in 1915 that were brought to the
Pan-American exposition in San Francisco. He felt the Romney breed would
increase the staple, length, and carcass quality of his Rambouillets. Through
many years of selection, the Romeldale breed was developed, with fleece
properties of 60-64's, extremely high yield, and uniformity, including carcass
cutability superior to other white-face breeds.
During the 1960's, Glen Eidman, a partner of J.K.
Sexton, found in his purebred Romeldale flock a mult
...
Cambridge
Cambridge Sheep are a very prolific breed that has particular
value in crossbreeding. The Cambridge is a dark faced medium size sheep. The
mature weight of rams and ewes is 100 kg and 67 kg respectively. They are long
lived with excellent teeth and are hardy and resilient to environmental
extremes. Ewes lambs easily, are good mothers and the incidence of mastitis is
low. The breed’s high prolificacy means that it can be mated with a variety of
other breeds and crossbreeds to produce, high performance commercial ewes.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Cameroon
Cameroon are hair sheep from West Africa. Instead of wool,
they carry a hair coat that in the autumn forms an additional undercoat, which
is shed after winter. Cameroon sheep do not require shearing.
Cameroon sheep are very prolific and reach puberty very
early. They are aseasonal and can produce two lamb crops per year. They are a
resistant, problem-free sheep. Their most common color is brown with a black
belly, head, and legs.
Campbell Island
The first sheep were landed on sub Antarctic Campbell Island
(over 600 kilometers south of the New Zealand mainland) in 1895 after a grazing
lease had been taken up. Two thousand more were introduced in 1901, and a
further thousand in 1902. Both of the first introductions are known to have
been Merinos, but the last was of an unknown breed - at least some must have
been longwools such as Lincolns or Leicesters.
As a result, the Campbell Island sheep are one of the few
feral breeds known to have anything other than Merino blood; they range from
quarter- to half-bred Merino-longwool crosses. Campbell Island sheep do not
have the high proportion of colored animals that occur in some feral flocks.
When farming was
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Canadian ARCOTT
Canadian Arcott sheep are
raised primarily for meat. As the name suggests, they were developed in Canada.
And the later half of their name, ARCOTT, is an acronym for the Animal Research
Center in Ottawa. They were developed from crossbreeding Romnelet (6%), North
Country Cheviot (7%), Leicester (14%), Ile de France (28%) and Suffolk (37%)
sheep. The remaining 8 percent was contributed from Shropshire, Lincoln,
Corriedale, East Friesian, Finnsheep, and Southdown Dorset.
They are medium to large
sized hardy sheep, and are well adapted to their native climates. They are able
to adapt to pasture or confinement systems easily. The lambs grow relatively
fast and produce excellent carcass meat and reach a market weight of 37 kg at
...
Castlemilk Moorit
Castlemilk Morrit Sheep were developed during the the early
years of the 20th century. The late Sir Jock Buchanan-Jardine began a breeding
program on his Castlemilk Estate in Dumfriesshire. Using Manx Loghtan, moorit
Shetland, and wild Mouflon, he developed a breed to beautify his parkland and
provide fine, kemp-free moorit colored wool. On the death of Sir John
Buchanan-Jardine the flock was dispersed in 1970, and six ewes and a ram were
bought by Joe Henson at the Cotswold Farm Park.
All of today's Castlemilk Moorits are descended from these
few sheep. The Castlemilk Moorit is one of the larger primitive-type breeds,
with mature ewes weighing in the region of 40 kgs. (85 lbs.) and rams 55 kgs.
(120 lbs.) The ewes exhibit t
...
Charmoise
Charmoise sheep are polled white faced and white legged
sheep with a deep body coated in a tight fleece of good quality. It has the
most excellent conformation with short neck well-muscled loins and strong
gigots. It is light of bone and very alert and lively from birth. Average
mature ewe weighs 65-70kg, rams 80-90kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Charollais
Charollais Sheep are a medium to large sized sheep. They are
long and well-muscled with thick, deep gigots. The body is long with a well-muscled
broad loin and wide deep chest. The head is free from wool, pinkish/grey in color
sometimes with spots. The line of the shoulders should retain a wedge shape
which is so important for ease of lambing. The legs are clean, quite short, colored
but never very dark. The front legs should not be set too wide apart and animal
must be well balanced. The gigots are well developed, thick and deep. The breed
is primarily a terminal sire and the fleshing quality is of the highest
importance. Excessive bone is undesirable in the breed; the fineness of bone
contributes to the high killing out percentag
...
Chatham Island
Near the southwest corner of
the main island of the Chatham group, NZ, is a small flock of feral sheep which
appear to have certain Merino characteristics, and thus may predate the
Island's change to longwool breeds.
It is believed that Chatham
Island ferals have been living wild for almost a hundred years, and it is
possible that they originated from some Saxon Merinos that were taken to South
East Island (another of the Chatham group) in 1841.
The most noticeable difference
between these and the feral sheep of Pitt Island is that the Chatham ferals are
mostly white-woolled, whereas those on Pitt are mostly colored.
Content and
Photo Source: New Zealand Rare Breeds (
Cheviot
Cheviot Sheep are white-faced Hill sheep from the Scottish
Borders. The ewe has fine hard white hair on her face over the crown and on her
legs which should have a fine, flat quality bone. The fleece should be dense
and firm with no kemp or colored hair. The rams can have horns.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Chios
Chios are semi-fat-tailed milk Mediterranean
sheep. Like many breeds, the exact origin of the Chios is unknown. Some sources
suggest it is the result of crossbreeding between local sheep of the island of
Chios (Greece) and breeds from Anatolia (Turkey). The Chios is typically white
with black, occasionally brown, spots around the eyes, and on the ears, nose,
belly and legs. The entire head is often black.
Female conformation is
typically dairy. Milk production for the breed varies from 265 to 660 pounds
(120-300 kg) of milk per location depending on management and husbandry
conditions. The highest production recorded is 1,317 pounds (597.4 kg) during a
272 day lactation.
Cholistani
Cholistani sheep are from Pakistan. Though they grow wool, they
are raised primarily for meat.
They have a black to brown head and ears with a white body.
They have stubby, small ears and a long tail.
Mature rams weigh 48.5 kg (107 lb) and ewes weigh 34 kg (75
lb). Their average height at the withers of mature rams is 75 cm (30 in) and
ewes is 66 cm (26 in). At birth and on average, rams weigh 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) and
ewes weigh 3.0 kg (6.6 lb).
Ewes have an average litter size of 1.05 lambs. During an
average lactation cycle of 110 days, ewes produce 45 kg (99 lb) of milk.
From 1986 to 1996, the world population of the
Cholistani decreased from 275,964 to
...
Churra
Churra sheep are raised in Castile and Leon in northwestern
Spain. They are used for milk production. They are breed of great hardiness,
well suited to the continental climate with long, severe winters, very short
springs, and hot dry summers.
Zamorano cheese is a classic Spanish sheep's milk cheese. It
is made with full cream milk, coming mainly from the Churra sheep. Navajo
Churro sheep descend from the Spanish Churra.
Ciavenasca
Ciavenasca are a
meat sheep with white wool. They are indigenous to Sondrio Province (Val
Chiavenna), Lombardy Region, northern Italy.
Content and photo source: agraia.org.
Cikta
Cikta sheep were brought to Hungary, in the 18th century, by
German settlers. While they grow wool they are primarily raised for meat. They
belong to the Mountain Group of sheep breeds.
They are white (unicolored). The rams have horns and the ewes
are polled (hornless), and their ears are erect. Typically, their horns are
small or knob-like.
At maturity, rams weigh 37 kg (82 lb) and ewes weigh 45 kg
(99 lb). At the withers, rams grow to 55 cm (22 in) and ewes to 47 cm (19 in).
Ewes have an average 1.1 lambs per litter.
Cine Capari
Cine Capari sheep originated from the Aydin Province in
Turkey. They are a fat-tail breed. Generally they are white but occasionally they
have light brown to dark black spots on their feet and belly. The ewes weigh 38
kg (84 lb) on average at maturity.
In 1998, there were 300 Cine Capari and the population was
decreasing. The decline in population has been due to local farmers crossing
this breed with the Chios for the purpose of creating a more prolific offspring.
Ciuta
Ciuta Sheep are white Italian
mountain sheep bred for meat. Unfortunately they are most likely extinct.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org
Clarence Reserve Sheep
Clarence Reserve Sheep are little-known sheep that
originated from a feral flock living in Clarence Reserve, Marlborough, NZ. They
are almost certainly of Merino origin - descended from escaped sheep brought
into the area in the early period of European settlement.
Clarence Reserve Sheep have clean faces and bellies and are
largely dag free. Such features are typical of sheep which have evolved a
resistance to flystrike. The rams have wideset horns. Nearly all of them are
white, which is unusual in long-established feral flocks. They tend to be "secretive"
in their behavior and will often keep to themselves when placed amongst
commercial breeds of sheep. The fleece is fine but not very heavy.
Content and Photo Source
...
Clun Forest
Clun Forest Sheep are a very adaptable breed, living equally
happily in the down lands of the South of England or the hills of Wales and
Scotland. They have a low mortality rate and are highly resistant to disease.
They have an alert appearance with a clean open dark-brown face, with a
characteristic covering of wool on the top of the head and ears that are
carried high and forward. The body has a strong muscular neck carried high from
fine shoulders, lengthy good back, deep rib, strong loin, good hock and a deep
and well-rounded rear. Clun ewes are protective and productive mothers.
Longevity is a strong point of this breed. The Clun ewes are used for either
the production of cross bred ewes. Pure Clun lambs are highly prized
...
Coburger Fuchsschaf
Coburger Fuchsschaf are a breed of landrace sheep that were
almost extinct.
In the 19th century Coburger Fuchsschaf populated the
European hilly ranges abundantly. These red fox-colored sheep could be found
under names that indicated their color or living area, such as Golden Fox,
Eisfelder Fox Sheep, Eifeler Sheep, Ardenais Solognotes, or Rousse Tetes. In
the beginning of the 20th century, 60% of the sheep in the German Coburg area
were Coburger Fuchsschaf with the red fox-colored heads, but by World War II
they were nearly extinct.
It took Otto Stritzel, a breeder and weaver from Bavaria to
publicize the favorable characteristics of the Fuchsschaf, which laid the
foundation for its continued existence. The Cobur
...
Columbia
Columbia sheep were one of the first sheep to originate in
the United States. They are the result
USDA and university research. Development began in 1912 in Laramie, Wyoming. Lincoln
rams were crossed with Rambouillet ewes. In 1918, the foundation flock was
moved to the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois, Idaho, for further
refinement.
Though originally bred for range conditions, the Columbias
have found widespread acceptance throughout the United States and are used
increasingly to sire crossbred market lambs. Columbias are one of the
larger-sized breeds. Rams weigh between 225 and 300 lbs (100-135 kg) and
females weigh between 150 and 225 lbs. (68-102 kg).
Columbia sheep p
...
Comeback
Comeback sheep originated in Australia. They were first
developed by crossing a British long-wool cross back to a Merino sheep. But
more recently, the type has been produced by crossing some popular sheep breeds
such as Corriedale and Polwarth with Merino. The main aim of the cross was to
develop a finer, better style of wool. Wool of the Comeback sheep style is also
produced by Cormo, Bond, and Polwarth sheep. And these breeds may prove easier
to breed than the Comebacks.
Today, Australia has approximately three million comeback sheep
mainly in cool wet areas. They are raised as a dual-purpose sheep for producing
both meat and wool.
They are very strong and hardy. They are well adapted to the
high rainfall
...
Comisana
Comisana sheep
are milk sheep from southeastern Sicily. They were developed from Maltese and
Sicilian sheep in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, they are
raised in Sicily, Southern and Central Italy, Piedmont and Lombardy.
They are white
with a reddish-brown face. They have course to medium wool, semi-lop ears, and
are polled.
Content and photo source:
Agraria.org.
Coolalee
Coolalee sheep are Australian short wool, meat sheep breed,
developed from an eight-year breeding program commenced in 1968. The breed
resulted from the crossing of the Wiltshire Horn, Suffolk, Hampshire Down, Poll
Dorset, Lincoln and English Leicester sheep.
The first Coolalee rams became commercially available in
1983. These rams are used as terminal sires for prime lamb production.
Coolalee sheep have shown considerable promise as an
independent central progeny testing system for prime lambs. The system is
designed to identify outstanding meat sheep sires and their ability to sire
elite lamb with a carcass weight of more than 22 kg and a fat score of 2-3. The
testing also showed s
...
Coopworth
Coopworth are medium sized, dual-purpose, white faced sheep
with an alert but quiet disposition. They were developed in New Zealand in the
1960's from Border Leicester and Romney crosses, and was first imported into
the United States during the late 1970's. Today they are one of the most dominant
breeds in New Zealand.
They are a highly productive sheep, and are popular for easy
care lambing, prolificacy, and good mothering ability. Coopworth wool is
relatively coarse and long and is popular with hand spinners.
Cormo
The Cormo Sheep was
developed in Tasmania by I.K. Downie.Mr. Downie crossed Corriedale Rams with 1200 carefully selected
superfine Saxon Merino Ewes.
The original selection
criteria included: high, clean fleece
weight; fiber diameter of 17-23; fast body growth rate and a high rate of
fertility. The result- 1/4 Lincoln, 1/4
Australian Merino, and 1/2 superfine Saxon Merino.
Cormo wool is fast
becoming one of the best wool producing breeds in the sheep industry today.
Cormo selling points do
not end with their wool quality.
Cormo are considered easy
keepers; they are somewhat smaller than many breeds and therefore require 40%
less feed then larger breeds.
...
Cornella
Cornella, also known as Cornella White or Cornella Bianca dell'Emilia Romagna, sheep are a common
breed from the Bologna Province, Emilia Romagna Region, Northern Italy.
They are white sheep used for milk and meat and are
well suited to the hills and plains of Northern Italy.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Cornigliese
Cornigliese sheep
are descended from Vissana sheep with some Merino and Bergamasca blood. They
are from Corniglio, Emilia Region, Italy. They are white with dark spots on
face and legs. They are bred for meat, milk, and wool but mainly for meat.
Content and photo source:
agrarian.org.
Corriedale
Corriedale sheep were developed in New Zealand and Australia during the late 1800s' by crossing Lincoln or Leicester rams with Merino females. The breeds is now widely found worldwide and are the most common breed of sheep in South America and are widely used throughout Asia, North America, and South Africa. They are, perhaps, the second most populous breed of sheep in the world, after Merinos.
Corriedale sheep are a dual-purpose sheep. They are large-framed, polled, and have good carcass quality. Although they traditionally have been used to produce premium lambs when mated to sires of meat breeds, they are now achieving comparative performance rates with purebred lambs.
Corriedales produce bulky, high-yielding wool ranging
...
Corteno
Corteno,
or Pecora di Corteno, sheep
belong to the Alpine group of sheep. They are medium-sized white Italian sheep
and bread for meat.
Content
and photo sheep; Agraria.org.
Cotswold
Cotswold Sheep are a large, polled, longwool breed. The head
is carried well up, the back long, ribs well sprung, the frame and legs strong,
giving an overall imposing appearance. The head has a pronounced forelock of
wool and a white face, with dark skin on the nose. The high quality wool is
white, lustrous and long-stapled. Average mature ewe weighs 85kg, rams 140kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Criollo
Criollo sheep are the highlands of Colombia, Ecuador,
Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Guatemala over hundreds of years. They are
known by some other names such as Venezuelan, Uruguayan, Tarhumara, Colombian,
Lucero, Creole, Chilludo, and Pamba. Spanish settlers brought the Churra with
them in the mid sixteenth Century. The Churra is believed to be the ancestor of
the modern day Criollo sheep. Today, they are raised mainly for meat
production.
They are relatively small sheep and they are generally black
and also white or pied. They have a coarse fleece of carpet-type wool. The rams
on average weight around 32.8 kg at maturity. And average live body weight of
the mature ewes is about 26.1 kg.
Daglic sheep are mainly found in Western Anatolia in Turkey.
Some believe they originated the Kamakuyruk and Chios sheep breeds. They are short-fat
tailed sheep breeds and are a dual-purpose animal: they are raised for both
meat and milk production.
They are small uni-colored sheep with a white body and black
spots on their head and legs. They have a short-fat tail. The ewes are always
polled, but the rams are generally horned. The average body height of ewes are
around 24 inches or 60 cm, and the rams are slightly larger than the ewes.
Dala Fur
Dala Fur, known as Dala palsfar, sheep originated in Sweden
and are one of several sheep breeds that are remnants of the old Swedish
landrace breed. They are a Northern European short-tailed sheep breed.
Dala Fur sheep are short but very hardy. They are used for
both meat and wool production. The wool is very curly and finer than most other
Swedish sheep breeds. The lambs were traditionally slaughtered at 2 months and
10 days of age to be used for the costumes. The white fleece was preferred
because of this use, and still today most of the Dala Fur sheep are white.
Along with wool production, the breed is also very good for quality meat
production.
Today, it’s pretty rare. There were only 160 heads in 2
...
Dalesbred
Dalesbred sheep are found in the Upper Wharfdale and Central
Pennines in England. They were developed from the Swaledale and Scottish
Blackface breeds.
Dalesbred are a hill sheep with a black face and distinctive white
marks on each side of their nostrils with their nose-end becoming grey. Their legs
also have clear black and white markings. The average mature ewe weighs up to
45-60kg, rams 55-75kg (depending on environment). Dalesbred wool
is typically of carpet quality. Their fleece is curly on the outside with a
dense undercoat.
Dalesbred sheep are very adaptable to climatic changes and
can survive in the harsh environmental conditions. Dalesbred ewes are often
crossed with Teeswater rams to produce the M
...
Damani
Damani sheep are a dual-purpose (meat and
wool) sheep from Pakistan. They are mainly found in the Dera Ismail Khan
district and part of the Bannu district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of
Pakistan.
Damani are small to medium sized, strong, and
well adapted to their local environments. They are generally with white with a black
or tan colored head and camel-colored legs. Their ears are small, and the udder
and teats of the ewes are well developed. The average body height of the mature
rams is around 61 cm at the withers, and around 53 cm for the ewes.
They yield is about 1.5 kg of coarse fiber,
per year. The rams on average weight around 2.7 kg at birth, and the ewes
around 2.5 kg; with an average
...
Damara
Although there are claims that
the Damara breed of sheep originated in Egypt as long ago as 3000 BC, its
recognition as a named breed is more realistically dated to the early twentieth
century. In 1904, this long-legged sheep breed was seen by German explorers in
the northern region of Namibia, which was then called Gross Damaland – hence it
became known as the Damara Sheep. At one time, local farmers who used copper in
their traditional attire, exchanged Damara Sheep for copper wire and for
horses.
In 1954, many Damara Sheep were
confiscated from commercial farmers who were smuggling sheep through the
“Veterinary Cordon Fence”, which was erected to separate disease-free areas of
southern Namibia from those of the n
...
Danish Landrace
Danish Landrace (also known as dansk landfar or klitfar )
sheep are native to Jutland in Denmark. They were developed from the Merino and
Heath sheep, with early specimen interbreeding in the nineteenth century with
Leicester and Oxford Down sheep.
They are medium sized and are generally white with a gray
head. They are mostly polled, with only around 10 percent horned rams. They are
double-coated and long tailed. Generally their tail is spotted brown, but they
are predominantly white.
The average height of the mature Danish Landrace rams are
around 75 cm at the wither, and around 70 cm for the ewes. The average live
body weight of the mature ewes is between 50 and 65 kg. And the average live
body w
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Debouillet
Debouillet sheep were developed in New
Mexico in 1920 from Delaine Merino and Rambouillet sheep. They are well adapted
to the range conditions of the southwestern United States. They are a
medium-sized sheep with white hair on their face and legs.
They are hardy and gregarious and adaptable
to unassisted pasture lambing. They produce a fine wool fleece with a deep,
close crimp.
Decanni
Decanni are small dual-purpose sheep (meet and wool). Their wool
is black or ash and separated and grained. They produce about 0.5 kg wool per
year.
Delaine Merino
Several strains of Merinos evolved in the United States. The
type "A" Merino was developed in Vermont through selection and
inbreeding. This Merino carries a very heavy, wrinkly hide. In form, the type A
is angular and has little carcass value. It is not advocated for commercial
lamb and wool production. The "B" type Merino was developed
principally in Ohio, a result of breeders selecting for a heavy fleece on a
sheep that has a fair mutton form.
Its body is fairly free of wrinkles, but it carries heavy
neck folds and frequently wrinkles or heavy folds behind the shoulders and on
the thighs and rear flanks. The type B is larger and better adapted to everyday
conditions than the type A. The type "C" or Delaine Merino is the
...
Derbyshire Gritstone
Derbyshire Sheep have a clean cut black and white marked face and
legs clear of wool. They are polled in both sexes. The Derbyshire Gritstone is
a handsome sheep of aristocratic lineage, big, flat bones, strong and alert.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Desert Sand Sheep
Desert Sand are hybrid sheep created in Texas, USA around 1900 with Mouflon Sheep influence in their ancestry. Desert Sand Sheep are a naturally shedding, and are generally light to dark shades of champagne, cinnamon or copper colored. All rams must have horns, and the ewes are allowed to have horns although most ewes are polled.
According to the United Horned Hair Sheep Association, "The Corsican Group of Sheep (Painted Desert, Texas Dall, Black Hawaiian, American Blackbelly, Desert Sand, and sheep referred to as Corsicans) are actually the result of initial crosses decades ago between the shedding, European Mouflon Sheep (Ovis orientalis musimon, native to Corsica and Sardinia) with a wide range of more well known "wool" breeds of
...
Devon Closewool
Devon Closewool Sheep are a medium sized, white faced,
hornless sheep with a dense white fleece of medium length and staple which
contributes to its valued quality of hardiness. Average mature ewe weighs
55-60kg, rams 90kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Devon Longwoolled
Devon Longwooled Sheep have a well-covered Head with long
curly wool. Both sexes are polled. The body is covered in long curly, white
wool. Well-proportioned with a strong wide and long top, with well sprung rib
giving plenty of volume. The rear being well muscled with good conformation.
Average mature ewe weighs 100kg, rams 136kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Diggers Hill
Diggers Hill sheep are named after the locality in western
Southland, NZ, evolved in a feral state. They have, somewhat confusingly, also
been referred to as Takitimu, Dean Forest, and Fiordlander, but the term
Diggers Hill is preferred and used here.
They appear to be basically of Merino origin, but are
distinct enough to be a recognizable breed, although there is some variation in
type. They are also typical of New Zealand feral sheep - small body weight,
less hair on the extremities, single lambing, and a tendency to shed their fine
but chalky fleece.
These sheep have never been shorn (as they shed their wool)
or treated with conventional animal health treatments. They are only handled to
shift paddoc
...
Dohne Merino
Dohne Merino are a synthetic, dual-purpose Merino developed
by the South African Department of Agriculture using Peppin-style Merino ewes
and German Mutton Merino sires. The progeny were interbred and selected for
high-fertility, rapid lamb growth rate, and fine Merino wool under commercial
rangeland conditions.
The breeding program was initiated in 1939 and the Breed
Society was formed in 1966. Selection since 1970 has been done with the aid of
performance and progeny testing and comprehensive production records. All
recorded animals are maintained in a computerized flock recording scheme. The
Dohne Merino is one of the leading woolled breeds in South Africa.
Dormer
Dormer sheep are a cross between Dorset Horn rams and German
Merino ewes (presently known as the South African Mutton Merino). They were
developed through a series of extensive slaughter lamb experiments carried out
at the Elsenburg Research Station of the Department of Agriculture since 1927
over a period of more than ten years. The name Dormer is shortening of the name
Dorset-Merino.
The main object with the development of the Dormer was to
breed a mutton breed which could adapt to conditions in the winter rainfall
area of South Africa (cold and wet) and from which suitable rams could be
produced for cross breeding purposes. The Dormer is well known for its high
fertility, excellent mothering abilities, long breeding seaso
...
Dorper
Dorper Sheep appear white but they are actually genetically
a black sheep with a huge white spot covering its entire body except for the
very striking black head (black headed Dorper). The Dorper is a quality meat
sheep with all its easy care attributes highly developed like no other breed in
the world. The White Dorper has the same breed standards as the Dorper (Black
headed) except where color and markings are described. The White Dorper
still has all the same labor saving qualities as the Dorper together with a
great carcass. But as its name implies the White Dorper is genetically a
white sheep therefore all its progeny should be white except when mated to a black
sheep.
Content and Photo Source: Nationa
...
Dorset
Dorset ewes are of medium size and are naturally prolific; skin
color is pink whilst the face, legs and ears are white. Rams show a bold
masculine appearance and also carry good fleshing throughout. The wool of both
the Horn and Poll is of the highest quality, not only is it fine and densely
grown but is particularly white which helps it find a ready market in times of
plenty. Average mature ewe weighs 85kg, rams 120kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Dorset Down
Dorset Down Sheep are active,
medium sized short-woolled sheep. They have strong legs that support a deep
chested, long sheep with well fleshed hindquarters and fine wool.
Content and Photo Source:
National Sheep Association
Drysdale
Drysdale sheep area a dual-purpose breed whose wool is used
mainly for carpet manufacturing. They carry the dominant Nd gene, a mutation
which occurs in the Romney breed. The Nd gene causes a high abundance of course,
very hairy fibers, called halo-hairs.
The wool of the Drysdale is without crimp, highly
medullated, with a fiber diameter of 40 microns. It is known for its whiteness
and dyeing versatility. The Drysdale is found in most environments throughout
New Zealand. They are sheared twice a year.
The East Friesian breed originated in the
Friesland area in the north of Holland and Germany. In Europe it has been used
either purely as a milking breed - it is considered to be the world's highest
producing dairy sheep - though it is often crossed with other breeds to improve
fecundity and milk production in breeds that are bred for their meat or for
their milk production. The East Friesian is described as a large-framed,
high-fertility breed with a pink nose and a thin tail.
Some breeders refer to their very quiet
temperament and docile nature, though it is not clear whether this is more
pronounced than other sheep that have close contact with humans.
The New Zealand Sheep Breeders' Association
reports that
...
Easycare
Easy Care Sheep are a revolutionary breed of sheep which requires
minimal shepherding and veterinary care, sheds its wool in the summer, does not
need shearing and yet offers excellent meat yields and lambing ratios. The
breed is now well established in Britain and abroad and is proving extremely
popular and successful with breeders in today's farming environment.
The guiding principle behind Easy Care is
straightforward. Centuries ago, sheep didn't naturally have huge fleeces,
merely a winter coat which was shed in springtime, as with most wild animals.
However, man began to breed sheep for wool because of its value. In recent
times, the value of wool has fallen so dramatically that its production is
uneconom
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Elliottdale
Elliottdale are a dual-purpose (meat and wool) sheep developed
at the Elliott Research Station in Tasmania during the 1970s. They were
commercialized in 1986, which helped established the Australian Carpet Wool
Industry. The effect of the EI gene (Elliottdale) is similar to the Drysdale,
Tukidale, and Carpetmaster genes in the Romney breed, and are at a different
locus on the chromozone. Today, the Elliottdale sheep breed is rare and is at
serious risk of extinction with very little breeding animals left.
They are medium-sized uni-colored white sheep. They produce
good quality fleece, and their wool has a fiber diameter of 38-40 microns. The
ewes are always polled, but the rams can be either horned or polled. The average
...
English Leicester
English Leicester (also known as Bakewell
Leicester, New Leicester, Dishley Leicester, Leicester Longwool, Improved
Leicester, and simply as Leicester) sheep were developed by the eighteenth
century breeding innovator Robert Bakewell.
At first they were pretty slow-growing and
closely boned. But over time they have been developed to gain weight quickly
and grow very fast. In 1826 they were one of the first pure sheep breeds
introduced to Australia. They have been used for improving may other sheep
breeds, mainly because of their meaty carcass and heavy fleece.
They are large sheep. Their face is usually
of a wedge shape and covered in white hairs, often with a blue tinge). Their
lips and nostrils
...
Epynt Hardy Speckled
Epynt Hardy Speckled Sheep are a commercial; easy-care breed with
the primary purpose is to perform well in a mountainous environment year round
with limited supplementary feeding. They are a long living, good mouthing sheep
producing lambs which are easy to finish. They are a heavy boned hill sheep
which is stocky and sturdy in stature with a speckled face and legs, of grey
brown or black clean of wool. The ewes are polled and the rams usually horned.
Their attributes include a strong hefting ability, excellent mothering ability
and being a good breed for crossing. Average mature ewe weighs 40-50kgs, rams
60-70kgs.
Content and Photo
Source: National Sheep Association
Est a Laine Merino
At the end of the 18th century, Merino blood was introduced
into German sheep in the borders with France, and gradually these large meat Merinos were kept in large numbers in the Alsace Lorraine region of France.
This breed became known as the Est a Laine, which translated means East and
Wool.
Est a Laine Merinos are an attractive, strong, large-framed
sheep with very fine white wool. Their head is long, white in color, with long,
drooping ears. Their sheep is naturally polled (no horns), unlike the original
Merinos. Their necks have no folds or dewlap, making them easier to shear.
Estonian Ruhnu
Estonian Ruhnu (also known as Eesti
Maalammas) sheep were found on the small Estonian island of Ruhnu in the Gulf
of Riga in the Baltic Sea. They are thought to have developed from sheep left
on Ruhnu island by Swedish-speaking inhabitants who settled on the island in
the fourteenth century.
Their total population was documented as
300 in 1944. Currently they are rare, and their total population is around 30
animals. They are a dual-purpose animal were originally raised for both meat
and wool.
They are medium sized sheep and most of
them are white or cream colored with grayish head and legs. Some have a
distinctive ‘badgerface’ pattern. Most of the rams are polled, and only around
10 percent are horned. All
...
Exmoor Horn
Exmoor Horn Sheep are an ancient dual purpose hill breed which has existed since time immemorial in the west of England,
but is well adapted to modern requirements.
They are white faced, with horns, cherry colored skin and a white
fleece of medium length and good quality.
Fabrianese sheep are medium-large white sheep
bred for meat. They are polled and have a Roman nose.
They are found in Ancona Province, Marche
Region of Italy. They originated from local Apennine crossed to Bergamasca
sheep.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Faroes
Faroes, or Faeroes, sheep are related to Old Norwegian,
Icelandic, and perhaps Shetland breeds. They are not gregarious and tend to be
territorial. Faroes forage in small groups, spreading to cover the entire area,
behaving somewhat like Icelandic sheep. They are small and well adapted to
mountainous terrain. Their color varies from white, grey, light red, dark red,
chestnut brown, to black.
However, due to the low price of wool, Faroes sheep are
sheared primarily for the comfort of the sheep. Their lambs reach a slaughter
weight of 20 to 45 pounds at 5 months of age. A good ewe will weigh about 45
pounds at 6 to 7 years of age. Rams weigh from 45 to 90 pounds. Bone structure
is light, but strong. They are seasonal breeders,
...
Finarda
Finarda Sheep
are large white Italian sheep bred for meat found in the Piedmont and Lombardy
Regions. They are a composite of Bergamasca and Biellese sheep.
Content and
photo source: Agraria.org.
Finnsheep
The Finnsheep or Finnish Landrace originating
in Finland in northern Europe. They are an active, hardy animal, adaptable to a
wide range of conditions. It is most generally used for crossing to increase
fertility in a standard flock. It also brings with it resistance to facial
eczema.
They are characterized by high fertility
(lambing rates frequently exceed 200 percent) and white, lustrous, bulky
fleece. Other recognition features are its naturally short tail, its clear,
wool-free face, and its pink nose.
Besides its good, fine-wooled fleece, they
produce very lean meat.
Content and Photo Source: New
Zealand Rare Breeds (www.rarebreeds.co.nz)
Florida Cracker
Florida Crackers are one of the
oldest breeds of sheep in North America. It is believed that they were developed
from sheep that the Spanish first brought to the southeastern United States in
the 1500's. They developed largely through natural selection under humid
semitropical range conditions in Florida. Prior to the end of open range in
1949, they were allowed to free range.
In the middle of the last
century, the emphasis on high input agriculture caused the sheep industry to
turn to breeds of sheep, which were larger in size and produced more wool and
meat. This caused the numbers of Florida Cracker sheep to decline dramatically
endangering its very existence. Now, with renewed interest in low-input
sustai
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Frabosana
Frabosana sheep
are from the Ligurian Alps, Province of Cuneo (Piedmont Region), Italy. They
are medium-sized white, sometimes brown, diary sheep. They are rustic and
frugal, with a characteristic snub-nosed profile and flattened horns,
spiral-shaped in males and backwards in females.
Gaddi are medium-sized sheep native to India. They are one
of the 8 different sheep breeds found in the northern temperate area of India. They
are raised mainly for wool production. They are mainly found in Kistwar and
Bhadarwah tehsils in Jammu province of Jammu andKashmir, Ramnagar, Udampur and Kullu
and the Kangra valleys of Himachal Pradesh and Dehradun. Nainital,
Tehri-Garhwal and Chamoli districts of Uttar Pradesh.
They are generally uncolored and white, although they can be
found in mixed tan, black and brown. The rams are horned, and their horns are
usually large. But the ewes are usually polled, and are found only 10-15
percent horned. Their tail is small and thin, and their ears are short.
Galician
Galician, or Ovella galega, sheep are from Galicia region of
Spain.
They are small sheep. Their coat is either all white or
black. The ewes have smaller horns and those are generally diminutive if they
exist at all. While the rams have relatively large horns, in the form of
double-spirals. There are two separate ecotypes, Montana, of the 'high areas' as well as Marinano of the 'low areas'.
Their total population has dwindled significantly, but their
numbers have improved notably in the last few years. Their total number was
4548 in 2012, across 110 farms. Among those animals, 3862 were ewes and 686 were
rams. Today they only exist in smaller, isolated communities throughout the
Galicia region. But they
...
Galway
Galway sheep are from Galway, in the west of Ireland. They
were developed in the West of Ireland, as a result of the importation of
English Longwools from the late 17th century onwards. From the middle of the
18th century Robert Bakewell's Dishley Leicester, also known as the New or
Improved Leicester, was exported to Ireland in large numbers, in particular to
the estate of Bakewell's associate, Lord Roscommon, and later Lord Sheffield.
The breed which developed was for many years known as the
Roscommon, and a Flock Book of Roscommon Long-Wool Sheep was established in
1895, surviving until at least the 1920s. The Roscommon was a large,
white-faced polled breed and, though classified as Longwool, did not have the
very lon
...
Ganjia
Ganjia are meat sheep from China (North
China; Xiahe, Gansu).
Gansu Alpine Fine-wool
Gansu Alpine Finewool sheep is one of a number of finewool
breeds in China related to Xinjiang Finewool, as well as Russian Merino sheep. Gansu
Alpine Finewools were initially based on Mongolian and Tibetan ewes and was
developed through backcrossing to Merino type, followed by selection.
They were developed in the Huangchen District of Gansu
Province, China, which has an altitude of 2,600 to 4,000 m (8,530-13,123 ft),
an annual mean temperature of 0 to 3.8C (32-39F), an annual precipitation of
257 to 461 mm, and an average humidity of 35 to 58 percent. The sheep are well
adapted to this particular ecological condition. The average weight of grease
fleece in ewes is about 4.6 kg (10.1 lbs), and the wool quality is 60-64's
(2
...
Garessina
Garessina, also known as Muma or Garessio, sheep are an
Italian transhumant (migrating) meat breed found in southeastern Cuneo Province
(Piedmont), mainly in Val Tanaro and Val d'Inferno. They are classified as an
Apennine breed, and show traces of Merino and French Alpine ancestry. About 90%
of them are slaughter as lambs and about 10% are raised for wool. Very rarely
they are raised to make cheese from their milk. On the average, ewes lamb twice
in three years.
Unfortunately they are considered endangered.
Content and photo source:
Agraria.org.
Garfagnina White
Garfagnina white
sheep are a composite of different breeds of the Appennine group; Garfagnana,
and North-western Toscana. They are small white goats bred for milk and meat
and are well adapted to the local environment (hills).
Content and photo source:
Agraria.org.
Gentile di Puglia
Gentile di Puglia sheep, also known as Merino di
Puglia, Pugliese Migliorata, Merino d'Italia, or Merino Gentile, are a
fine-wooled breed from the Puglia region of southern Italy. They were initially
developed in the 15th century but their primary improvement was from the 18th
century, onward. They were developed from Spanish Merino crossed with local
breeds. Saxony and Rambouillet breeds was introduced during the 19th century.
In the last half century the number of head has dramatically decreased.
Gentile di Puglia sheep are white and raised for meat and wool. They are traditionally reared in the hill pastures
from th
...
German Blackheaded Mutton
German Blavkhead mutton, or Schwarzkopf Fleischschaf, are from Westphalia,
Germany.
They are medium-sized, white sheep that are wide and long with
dark-brown to black head, ears, and legs. They grow crossbred wool with a tight
and firm staple that protects them in a wet climate.
In 1850, blackheaded meat breeds, such as Leicester, Southdown,
and Hampshire were imported from England into Saxony to be crossed with local
breeds. Thirty years later, breeding of these sheep started more in Westfalia
and Eastern Prussia than in Saxony. The Merinofleischschaf (Merino mutton
sheep) was prevalent in Saxony.
German Gray Heath
German Gray Heath sheep are the symbol of the Lueneburger Heide in
Germany. Their ancestors, the Mouflon were at home in Corsica. Single lambs are
born in spring with a curly, black fleece. After the sheep’s first yearly
shearing, its wool turns silver gray with a black bib. Head and legs are black
and free of wool. Rams weigh up to 80 kg (176 lbs) and have imposing horns that
curl close to the face. Ewes weigh about 45 kg (100 lbs) and have short horns.
Their meat tastes like venison. The dual-coated fleece of a ewe
weighs 2.2 kg (4.4 lbs.), of a ram 4 kg (8.8 lbs).. The coarse, straight outer
coat is 25 cm (11.4 in.) long. The downy underwool grows 6 cm (2.7 in) long and
has a fiber diameter of 25-30 microns. The wo
...
German Merino
German Merino sheep have a large frame, a straight head with a
small woolly tuft on top, no horns, and rough, large ears that stick out to the
side, with legs free of wool.
In the 18th century, Southern German Landsheep were crossed with
French and Spanish Merinos, which produced the German Merino, or Merinolandschaf.
They are the most common sheep breed in Germany today, at 40% of the total
German sheep population.
German Merino were developed from the dual- coated Zaupelschaf,
which already in 1539 was not liked because it produced inferior wool. For that
reason it was crossed with the Marschschaf from the Lower Rhine. This sheep was
large, prolific, and could march, and its wool had a fiber diameter of
...
German Mutton Merino
German Mutton Merino are well suited for intense production in
arid or in agricultural areas. They are highly resistant and easily adapts to
any climate and keeping conditions. They grow easily with a good meat yield.
Non- seasonal breeding cycle (3 breedings in 2 years), high fecundity, and good
mothering instincts make the Merinofleischschaf a good choice for intense
milk-lamb production.
There are three German Merino breeds: Merinolandschaf (Merino
landsheep), Merinofleischschaf (Merino mutton sheep), and Merinolangwollschaf
(Merino longwool sheep). Although all three breeds produce Merino wool and are
similar in meat yield, they went through a different historical and
genealogical development. The Merinofleischsc
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German Whiteheaded Mutton
German Whiteheaded Mutton, or Deutsches Weibkopfiges
Fleischschaf, was developed along the
North Sea coast in the middle of the last century. English Leicester, Cotswold,
Hampshire, and Oxfordshire were imported and crossbred with the local
Wilstermarschschaf, a northern German marsh sheep. Breeders succeeded in
retaining the wanted qualities of the marsh sheep, such as high fecundity, fast
development, and large size. In the 1930's, a new breed, the German Whiteheaded
Mutton started to roam the grassy areas next to the North Sea.
They are the perfect breed to withstand the rough, damp sea
climate and suited for life on the dikes. The sheep fatten on the lush dike
grass, pound down the earth and encourag
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Ghezel
Ghezel (also Known By: Kizil-Karaman, Mor-Karaman, Dugli,
Erzurum, Chacra, Chagra, Chakra, Gesel, Gezel, Kazil, Khezel, Khizel, Kizil,
Qezel, Qizil, and Turkish Brown) originated in northwestern Iran and
northeastern Turkey. Their fleece is red and has sections of black red or light
red. They are used for both meat and wool production. The males are usually
hornless and the females are always hornless.
Gotland
Gotland Sheep are fine-boned and medium-sized. They have a hornless black head, free from wool,
sometimes with white markings. Bold eyes, alert medium sided ears. Small, neat
muzzle with even jaw. Slender neck and shoulders set smoothly into a level back
with generous length, good depth and reasonable breadth of body. Slender black
legs well-spaced and upright. Short hair-tipped tail. Dense long lustrous grey
fleece, occasionally black, white or brown. Clearly defined even curl and
staple, soft to handle. Calm friendly disposition. Average mature ewe weighs
55-70kg, rams 75-85kg.
Content and Photo
Source: National Sheep Association
Grey Troender
Grey Troender are medium-sized sheep from Trondelag region
of Norway. They were developed, in the late 19th century, from
the crossbreeding of native landrace sheep with the now extinct Tautra sheep.
They are most commonly found in shades of grey with
distinctive white markings under their eyes. Although, brown, black, and white
woolled animals are also occasionally seen. Their wool is uniform with a minimum
fiber diameter of 32.3 mm, and around 2-3 kg average weight. Both rams and ewes
are usually polled and they have half-long or variable length tails. They weigh
from 70 to 80 kg.
Today, they are a very rare breed with approximately 50
individual animals available (nearly all residing within Norway); h
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Greyface Dartmoor
Greyface Dartmoor, also known as the Dartmoor or Improved Dartmoor, sheep are descended from local breeds, which grazed the low ground in
and around Dartmoor. They have immense strength of constitution developed
through withstanding the severe winters and exposed conditions, which exist
around the Moor. Improvements were carried out during the 19th century using
the local Longwools (Notts) and the Leicester.
Dartmoor fleece is classified as Lustre Longwool. They are a
medium sized sheep (approx. 60 kg/132 lbs), hornless, deep bodied, short
legged, with well woolled head and legs. The white face should be mottled or
spotted with black or grey with matching feet.
Gromark
Gromark Sheep development began in 1965 in northern New
South Wales, Australia. Gromark are approximately 50 percent Corriedale and 50
percent Border Leicester. They are a dual-purpose sheep which evolved from
objective selection for high growth rate and fertility with final selection
being based on visual criteria: wool quality, frame, and carcass attributes.
Gromark sheep are large-framed (ewes average 80 kg/175 lb) producing large
lean lambs and good fleeces with wool fiber diameter being about 30 microns.
Guirra
Guirra, also known as Sudat and Levant Red, sheep are from
Spain. They are found mainly in the Mediterranean coast of the Spanish
provinces of Alicante, Castellon de la Plana and Valencia. Their early history is
unknown; but according to some authors, they were developed from crossings of Manchega
with thin-tailed North African sheep brought to the Mediterranean coast. In the
past they were bred to produce meat, milk, and wool. But today, they are raised
primarily for meat production.
Guirra sheep are small to medium sized, with red and white
coloration. The lambs have a reddish-brown fleece, but their wool lightens to a
red and cream color mixed fleece as they mature. Their ears are medium sized
which project horizonta
...
Gulf Coast Native
Spanish sheep first arrived in Florida in the 1500's. Later
importations of Spanish and other breeds of sheep mixed with the earlier
population, all evolving under the strong natural selection of the native range
conditions of Florida and the other Gulf Coast states. Today a remnant of this
population survives and is known as Gulf Coast sheep.
Gulf Coast sheep are best known for their resistance to
internal parasites. The Florida Agricultural Experiment Station in Gainesville
has a flock which has been maintained without the use of anthelmintics since
1962. The Gulf Coast Native is classified as a "critical" breed by
the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Gute
Gute sheep are the most primitive breed in the collection of
breeds that make up the Swedish Landrace breed group. These breeds belong to
the North European Short Tailed Breeds and are related to such breeds as the
Finnsheep, Romanov, Spelsau, Shetland, Faroe, Orkney, and Icelandic sheep.
Both rams and ewes have two well-developed, slightly turned,
converging or diverging, symmetrical horns which are strongly curved and deeply
ringed. The rams' horns are large and strong; the ewes' are thinner. Gute wool
is coarse and may be straight or wavy. It is a mixture of fine wool, long
coarser hair, and kemp fibers. Most sheep shed their fleece partly or entirely
in the beginning of the summer.
Hampshire Sheep's face and ears are a rich dark brown, approaching
black, with wool over the poll and forehead. Wool is white with an average
staple length. Body deep and symmetrical with ribs well sprung, broad, straight
back, flat loins, wide rump and deep heavily muscled hind legs and breast. Legs
being strongly jointed and powerful are set well apart. Average mature ewe
weighs 80kg, rams 120kg.
Content and Photo
Source: National Sheep Association
Han
Han are a type of Mongolian sheep. They were developed in
the semi-humid agricultural areas of China (Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and
Jiangsu Provinces). There are two types of Han which in 1982, were claimed as
two different breeds: Large-tail Han and Small-tail Han. The Large-tail Han are
polled and are characterized by a long, broad, fat tail, with a thin twisted
end turning upwards between two lobes, and broadest at the base. Maximum weight
being 25 kg.
Since the tail is too heavy for the sheep to move around
easily during grazing, this type (or breed) is only adaptable to the plains.
Han sheep are precocious and highly prolific, their fecundity levels being 163%
for the Large-tail Han and 229% for the S
...
Hanzhong
Hanzhong
are meat sheep from Ningqiang, Lueyang and Mianxian county, and Shanxi province,
China.
Adult males weigh 35 kg, females 31 kg. Their
wool is 30-38 microns in diameter and is 8-10 cm long.
Harnai
Harnai are a fat tail, mutton and
wool type sheep. They are found in parts of Loralai, Quetta, Sibi and Zhob
districts in Baluchistan Province. They are medium size with a white body coat
with a black or tan spotted head and ears. The wool yield is 2.6 kg (medium;
fiber diameter 33.4m). They have a compact body with a small fat tail, high
fiber density.
Hasht Nagri
Hasht Nagri are a fat tailed mutton and wool type. They are
found in the Hasht Nagar tract in NWF Province of Pakistan. They are medium
sized with a white body coat and their head and face either partially or
completely black or tan.
Their wool yield is 1.5 kg (medium; fiber diameter 36.7m).
They have a compact body with short legs. Their hanging fat tail may reach their
fetlock.
Hazaragie
Hazaragie sheep are from Central
Afghanistan. They are a fat-tailed meat breed with carpet quality wool. They
are usually reddish-brown but individuals which are black or white with a brown
belly are also seen. Both sexes are polled.
Hebridean
Hebridean Sheep are a small, hardy breed with fine bones and a
tail reaching no lower than the hocks. Both sexes are horned, and about 10% of
animals have four or more horns. Occasionally polled ewes are to be seen but
these are genetically four horned and usually produce horned lambs. The animals
are entirely black, though the fleece usually goes grey with age. Lambs may
have a dark brown appearance because the tips of the fleece have been bleached
by the sun. The wool has a stiff, springy quality. It sheds water easily. The
face and legs are free of wool. Ewes lamb very easily. The Hebridean is a very
active and long-lived sheep, ewes often still lambing well at ten years or
more. It thrives on all types of grazing and responds w
...
Heidschnucke
Heidschnucke are a fairly small sheep, initially originating
from Niedersachsen in Germany. There are several varieties of Heidschnucke
sheep: the grey horned Heidschnucke, the white horned Heidschnucke, and the
moorschnucke (marsh sheep). At one time, the Heidschnucke were the most
important sheep in northern Germany, but their numbers have declined
substantially.
Lambs are black at birth, but their fleece discolors their
first year of life, until it gets its characteristic grey color. Both rams and
ewes have beautiful horns. Lambing percentage is usually low, only about 100
percent.
Herbert
Wild sheep or bushies have long been known to occur in
the area around the headwaters of the Waianakarua River, inland from Herbert
and Hampden, in North Otago, NZ. This area is at the southern end of the
Kakanui Mountains and the northern end of the Horse Range. They originated from stragglers that escaped muster on sheep farms, and although occasionally
shot, were largely left alone. From about the 1970s serious efforts were made
to eradicate these feral animals, partly to facilitate development of some of
the land, and partly because of the perceived damage they were causing to
patches of native forest. About this time, some were re-domesticated, largely
for their novelty value.
Although these sheep are generally refer
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Herdwick
Herdwicks Sheep are a sturdy, strong boned
breed. The rams in particular have a broad chest, noticeably thick-set legs and
may have strong horns, although as many as 20% are polled or have relatively
small amounts of horn growth. The female sheep are somewhat finer boned and
should not have any sign of horns. Purebred Herdwick lambs are born largely
black often with tips of white on their ears. As they age, the heads and legs become white and the fleece assumes a
color ranging from a slate blue-grey to a light grey. Herdwick sheep are widely
considered to be the hardiest of all Britain's breeds of hill sheep. Probably
99 per cent of Herdwick sheep are kept in commercial flocks in the central and
western dales of the Lake Distri
...
Herik
Herik (also known as Amasya Herik, or Heregi) are short
fat-tail sheep from northern Anatolia in
Turkey. They are a carpet wool breed also used for meat and dairy production.
They are similar to Daglic sheep. They are usually white with dark spots on their
head. The males are horned and the females are usually polled.
Hill Radnor
Hill Radnor Sheep are a native hill or mountain breed most
commonly found in the Border counties running from the North of Powys down to
South West Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. It is a heavy breed which has good
body length and width in its hind quarters, standing on well set legs with an
abundance of bone. At birth the lambs are full of vitality, exceptionally well
coated and gain excellent body weight. Lambing percentages vary under different
conditions but the breed can easily average around 155%. The Hill Radnor is a
healthy breed free from many of the contagious and hereditary diseases which
often affect other breeds.
Content Source: National Sheep Association
Hog Island
About 200 years ago, a flock of sheep was established on Hog
Island, one of Virginia's barrier islands located off its Eastern Shore. The
sheep were already native to the area and are believed to have had a
substantial amount of Merino blood in them. There were occasional subsequent
introductions to the population, the last being in 1953, when a Hampshire ram
was taken to the island. In 1974, the island was sold to The Nature
Conservancy, which decided to remove all the sheep and cattle.
Gunston Hall Plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia,
eventually became the owner of the greater number of these sheep and exhibited
them as part of their replication of 18th century plantation life. Hog Island
sheep evolved and sur
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Hokonui
Hokonio Sheep are from the Hokonui hills in
the heart of Southland, New Zealand, where they have made the rugged and
isolated Hokonui Hills their home for more than a century.
At one time more than 2000 Merino sheep
roamed the hills. Today only about 100 remain feral. Another 100 to 150 are
being retained in domestic flocks.
Wild sheep were known to occur in this area
as early as 1863 - only a few years after the first Merinos had been brought to
the district.
Re-domesticated Hokonui sheep continue to
display feral behavior patterns. They build strong family groups, and quite
frequently a junior ram will stand guard over a younger lamb while the mother
goes off to feed.
Content and Photo
...
Hu
Hu sheep originated from Mongolian sheep. They are distributed in the Zhejiang Jiangsu provinces of China and the suburbs of Shanghai. Hu sheep are well recognized for their beautiful wavy lambskins, early sexual maturity, aseasonal breeding, prolificacy, and the adaptability to a hot and humid climate. Hu sheep are raised indoors all year round. The lambskins taken from lambs slaughtered within the day of birth have distinctive wave-like stripes which are still retained after processing.Hu sheep lambskins are traditional export item of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. The first estruses in ewes occur at the age of 4-5 months. Rams are capable of mating at the age of 4 months. Ewes cycle all year round. The average ovulation rate is
...
Icelandic Sheep are a medium-sized, upstanding sheep, with a
light frame and a naturally short fluke-shaped tail. Although the majority of
them are horned in both sexes, polled rams and ewes are common. The horns of
the ram are strong and well rounded; the ewe's horns are finer and usually
swept back. Four horned sheep are found occasionally in Iceland, but none have
occurred in the UK. The fleece consists of a dual coat of very fine under-wool
and an outer coat of long hairs and is found in all the natural colors, including
a wide range of browns. Broken colored sheep are common, the patterns ranging
from limited markings, such as speckled, to large patches of color on a white
background or the reverse. Darker dorsal stripes a
...
Ile-de-France
Ile-de-France Sheep have a strong head with a broad forehead,
polled with protruding sockets, face of medium length, lips and nose rather
thick. The profile is straight, slightly concave for the ram, with large ears,
horizontal or standing slightly upwards, covered with thin short hair. The body
is wide and large, broad and deep chested. It has a close white fleece. White
covering covers the top of the head and extends down to or slightly above the
orbital arches, frames the face, extends to just above the knees of the
forelegs, covers the chest and belly, extends over the buttock to the hock of
the hind legs. Average mature ewe weighs 70-90kg, rams 110-150kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Imroz
Imrov (also known as Gokceada) Sheep are among the smallest sheep breeds in Turkey.
They are raised for meat, milk, and wool. They are predominantly white, with
black marks around the mouth, nose and eyes, on the ears and rarely on the tip
of the legs.
Their tail is thin and long, usually reaching below the
hocks. Rams have strong spiral horns extending sideways; ewes are usually
polled, but up to 30% of the ewes may have small scurs. Their head are narrow
and its profile is straight. Their wool is very coarse and long, and it covers
the top of the head.
INRA 401
The creation of the INRA 401 sheep bloodline began in France
in 1970, after a series of experiments crossing the Berrichon du Cher and
Romanov which began in 1963 with the Romanov breed.
Matings were carried out for several successive generations,
between breeding stock of the same generation chosen in priority to maintain
the origins represented in the foundation generation. The INRA 401 is a highly
productive ewe, with a 200 percent prolificacy, excellent out-of-season
fertility, good milk production, and outstanding mothering ability.
Istrian milk
Istrian Milk,
or Istriana or Carsolina, sheep are milk sheep from the Istria and Karst regions of Italy. The Istria sheep
breeders have traditionally bred domestic, autochthonous (indigenous) sheep which they called Istriana or
Carsolina. Through the years they have bred Istrian sheep mainly for their
unusual and distinct long-stepping walk and the ability to graze in rocky
terrain. While they will graze even on dry old grass, they are quite skillful
at finding fresh grass between rocks.
Istrian sheep are
found in the provinces of Udine, Gorizia, Trieste (Friuli-Venezia Giulia -
Italy) and Slovenia.
Jacob Sheep were traditionally a parkland breed but it is
now much more widespread and is found in every part of the British Isles and in
several countries around the world. It is an alert and attractive sheep being
upstanding and deep bodied. Its white fleece has well defined black patches,
the head and neck being mostly black with a white blaze. Both sexes are horned
with either two or four horns. Jacob ewes are hardy and excellent mothers who
milk well, frequently having twins or triplets. The finished lamb is tender and
lean with an excellent flavor with a good meat to bone ratio, which is now
sought after by butchers nationwide. The fleece has a great appeal to spinners
and weavers.
Content and Photo Source: Nat
...
Jezersko Solcava
Jezersko Solcava, or Jezerskosolflorinavska, sheep were
developed by the crossbreeding of native white sheep with Bergamasca and Padova
sheep. They resemble the Austrian Bergschaf that has a similar origin. They got
their name from the breeding centers of Jezersko and Solflorinava. Their head
has a convex profile and hanging ears. Their legs are long and strong. Jezersko-Solcava
sheep are very convenient for lamb
production in the Alpine and Pre-Alpine region.
Since 1980, Jezersko Solcava sheep haves been crossed with
Romanovska sheep, and the number of pure breed animals has been decreased
quickly. Therefore, a special program on preservation the pure breed has been
started in 1991. An ewe has 1.42 lam
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Kamieniec are a dual-purpose medium-wool sheep from Poland.
They were developed between 1954 and 1965 in the Kamieniec farm of the Breeding
Center in Susz, near Olsztyn. The starting point was a flock of primitive ewes
of the Pomeranian type, from individual farms in the regions of Gdansk and
Koszalin or brought from settlers from the East. They were initially crossed
with Leine and Texel rams, and then mated to Romney Marsh rams.
After selection, the progeny was interbred in order to
obtain genetic consolidation of the required traits and a more uniform type.
Sheep of this strain have rather large, deep, and broad bodies. Their wool
covering much of the body is uniform in quality, with long staples and hgh
clean
...
Karakul
Karakul Sheep are a fat-tailed (and
fat-rumped) sheep characteristic of the Middle East as well as southern Asia
and North Africa (although they were found as far south as the African Cape by
the seventeenth century). As the general name implies, they are distinguished
by an accumulation of fat in the tail and around the rump which evolved as a
store of food necessary for survival in a harsh, drought-prone environment.
Descriptions of such sheep can be found in
the earliest records of British exploration, but they have been known and bred
for thousands of years as is witnessed by Biblical reference to the type. The
Book of Leviticus records that a ram was bought for a burnt offering. After it
was slain, Moses "too
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Karayaka
Karayaka are multi-purpose sheep from Turkey. They are good
for producing both meat and milk, and their wool is also used in carpets. They
are mostly found in the northern Anatolia in Turkey, and are strongly
identified with the village of Karayaka. They are also found along the eastern
half of the Black Sea coast, especially in Giresun, Ordu, Sinop, Samsun, and
Tokat. And they are also raised in Duzce, in the region of Western Black sea.
The quality of grazing in the areas where these animals are distributed is
quite high. And grazing season in these areas is longer than in most of the
other regions. Flock size of the Karayaka sheep varies from 5 to 200 heads. The
flocks are usually smaller in size in the coastal areas and larger
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Katahdin
The development of the breed began in the late 1950's with
the importation of a small number of haired sheep from the Caribbean by Michael
Piel of Maine. The Piel Farm had several thousand sheep at the time and Piel
felt that progress in selection for traits important to the production of meat
would be greatly enhanced by the elimination of wool as a major factor for
selection. His goal was to combine the hair coat, prolificacy, and hardiness
of the Virgin Island sheep with the meat conformation and rate of growth of
wool breeds. He began to experiment with crosses between the hair sheep and
various British breeds, especially Suffolk. After almost 20 years of crossing
the resulting hybrids “in every conceivable combination” and sel
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Kelso
Kelso sheep are one of several composite breeds developed in
New Zealand. Unlike traditional breeds, which are bred for appearance as well
as productivity, composites are bred for productive traits alone. Kelso sheep
are continually being upgraded and modified to meet changing market needs.
Kelso is a sheep genetics company which has developed two
large scale breeding programs over the last 50 years. The Kelso (Maternal Sire)
and Ranger (Terminal Sire) breeding flocks are run on five farms from Gisborne
to Southland all genetically linked.
Kerry Hill
Kerry Hill Sheep are a well-balanced sturdy sheep with ears
set high and free from wool. A black nose and sharply defined black and white
makings on the head and legs. Both ewes and rams are hornless. It is a handsome
sheep, with a dense fleece, which is unusually white. The fleece handles well
and is amongst the softest of British wools. In both ewes and rams teeth should
be regular and meet the pad neither undershot nor overshot. The Kerry Hill
sheep are good on their feet and good in their teeth. Average mature weighs
55-65kg, rams 65-70kg.
Content Source: National Sheep Association
Kivircik
Kivircik sheep are found in northwestern Turkey, where it is
kept for milk and meat production. Their fleece is of carpet-wool type, but their
wool is of better quality than the wool of all other indigenous breeds in
Turkey.
They are white with white or spotted faces, similar to the
Karnobat and the Tsigai. Black and brown varieties are also found. Rams have
horizontal spiral horns extending sideways; ewes are usually polled. Tails are
long and thin, usually reaching the hocks.
Kooka
Kooka sheep breed originated from Pakistan.
They are raised for meat and wool production. They produce about 3 kg of white wool
per year.
They have a very heavy head with a wide
forehead, long hanging ears, small horns, and a medium sized mouth. The females
produce about 1 kg milk daily.
Lacaune sheep are the most
numerous sheep breed in France. They have been selected in France for increased
milk production under a sophisticated selection program incorporating
artificial insemination, milk recording, and progeny testing of sires for
longer than any other dairy sheep breed in the world.
Annual genetic improvement for
milk yield in the French Lacaune is estimated at 2.4% or 5.7 kg (12.5 lbs).
Lacaune ewes produce milk with higher total solids than the East Friesians, but
in slightly less volume. The sheep of the Lacaune breed produce the milk which
is responsible for the famous Roquefort cheese.
Lamon
Lamon sheep are
an Alpine breed, raised for meat. They large and polled with lop-ears and
yellow-white wool. Sometimes, rarely, their face and legs are speckled brown or
black. Their tail is thin and hangs below the hocks. Horns are absent.
Lamon sheep are
one of the few Italian breeds that migrate throughout the year. In the past
most Lamon sheep flock migrated every year, but today, most are not migratory. Traditionally
Lamon sheep were registration in the town of Lamon in the Belluno Province or northern
Italy. They are also found in the Trentino-Alto Adige region.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Landschaf
Landschaf sheep are a cross
between German and Dutch heath sheep and a marsh sheep. Since 1934, they have
been bred in the northern German Emsland area, especially in the county of
Bentheim. The highly endangered, frugal Landschaf is used for landscape
preservation. It is the largest of the German heath and moor sheep with long
legs and hard hoofs.
They have a slender, long head,
Roman nose, small ears, no horns, long and woolly tail. They are white, but
dark pigmentation is permitted around the eyes, on the ears and on its legs.
Fleece weight is 3-4 kg (6.6-8.8 lbs), with a fiber diameter of 34-40 microns.
Langhe
Langhe, or Delle Langhe, are high-quality medium-large white
dairy sheep, originally from Langhe, Region Piedmont, Italy. Today they are found
in the provinces of Cuneo, Asti (Piedmont) and Savona (Liguria).
Content and Photo source: Agraia.org.
Lati
Lati, also known as salt Range,
Sheep are raised for meat and wool in, and around, the Salt Range hills area in
the Punjab Province, Pakistan. They are medium size with white wool and a tan
or tan spotted head. Their wool yield is 1.5 kg (medium; fiber diameter 34.9m)
with a low fiber density. They have small ears and a medium-sized fat tail.
Laticauda
Laticauda are a
white Italian sheep descended from Northern Africa sheep that have developed
many of their modern characteristics from subsequent crossbreeds with sheep
from the Apennines. Most likely they were imported to Italy at the times of
Charles III. They are raised for both meat and milk. Their milk is high-quality
and used to produce high-quality pecorino cheese.
They are also
known as Barbaresca campana, Bastarda arianese, Beneventana, Casalinga,
Casereccia, Coda chiatta, Nostrana.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Latxa
Latxa sheep are a
milk sheep breed from the Basque Country of Spain. They are mostly raised
within the provinces of Biscay, Gipuzkoa, and Navarre. They are known for excellent
quality milk production. Their unpasteurized milk is used for producing
Idiazabal and Roncal cheeses.
Latxa sheep have
been managed traditionally by moving the flock to the mountain pastures in the summer
when the ewes have finished lactating, with cheese-making taking place on the
farm. Some flocks are moved while still lactating, with the animals being
hand-milked on the high pastures. A breeding scheme has been introduced since
1982, and new production methods tested. And for providing earlier lambing and
prolonging the breeding season, the
...
Leccese
Leccese, or Moscia Leccese, sheep
are most likely are related from
Zackel sheep from Asia. The have a not-so-curled woolly hanging coat.
They have rosy
skin and a white coat, with black spots on their breastbone. A black
short-haired muzzle, and a plain black or spotted limbs.
In the past they
were raised for wool, meat, and milk but today they are mainly bred for milk
production.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Leicester
Leicester Longwool Sheep are perhaps the most historically
significant of all sheep breeds in its British homeland, and it is certainly
the most famous of the longwools. It was the breed selected for development by Robert Bakewell, the most renowned and successful of all the early workers
in the field of livestock improvement. Working at Dishley Grange in
Leicestershire from 1755, he produced the New - or Dishley - Leicester, which
combined the breed's original hardiness and excellence in the production of a
long, heavy fleece with an increase in fattening ability and early maturation.
Unfortunately Bakewell did not record his breeding and
development methods - nor talk of them much - although there is no doubt he was
hug
...
Leineschaf
Leineschaf, or Leine, sheep comes from the
region of Nordheim (Hannover), in particular from the Leine river valley (hence
the name).
They were created through crossbreeding of
local breeds with Friesian, Merino, and Berrichon du Cher rams as well as rams
of the English Leicester, and Cotswold breeds. In effect, a white hornless
sheep of the dual purpose type was obtained. Medium-early maturing with uniform
medium coarse wool, it is a hardy and healthy breed, well adapted to difficult
conditions and to walking over long distances. In Germany, the breed is nearly
extinct.
Limousine
Limousine sheep are from Limousine France. They are known
for their hardiness and excellent adaptability in very varied regions, notably
on non-chalky, acid soils. They breed notable for its female qualities: early
sexual maturity, a sure aptitude for off-season breeding, maternal instinct,
and milk value.
Lincoln
Lincoln Longwool Sheep are the oldest known British longwool
and is believed to be ancestral to all the other British longwool breeds. It is
recorded as already existing in an established form by 1749, in the marshy
fenlands of Lincoln County. It was the greatest rival of the Leicester,
although, as they evolved in neighboring counties there is little doubt of
their close relationship. Certainly there was considerable interbreeding of
these two rather similar sheep.
They are the principal breed to be used with the Merino to
develop the Corriedale. The Lincoln Longwool was eventually replaced by the
Romney in New Zealand and today it is reduced to a few thousand animals mainly
used for crossing to produce the Halfbred.
Lithuanian Black-headed
Lithuanian Black-Headed are multipurpose
sheep developed in Lithuania during the mid-20th century. They were developed
by crossing local sheep with English Shropshire and meaty German black-headed
rams, with the goal of combining the best characteristics of both.
Lithuanian Black-Headed sheep
mature early and supply homogenous semi-fine wool. They have short and white
wool, while their head, ears, and legs are covered with black hair. They have
no horns.
In order to form productive herds
of thoroughbred sheep, state-run Black-Headed sheep breeding nucleus farms were
established in Pasvalys in 1952, and in Telsiai in 1956. In 1963 the Seduva
Experimental Farm was launched to preserve the breed. Since
...
Litla Dimun
Litla Dimun sheep were a primitive, short-tailed, small,
black, short-wooled breed of sheep that lived in Litla Dimun (a small island between the islands of Suouroy
and Stora Dimun in the Faroe Islands of Denmark). They became
extinct during the mid-19th century.
They were a feral sheep, probably derived from the earliest
sheep brought to Northern Europe in the Neolithic Period. The last of these
sheep were shot in the 1860s.
They were similar in appearance and origin to the surviving
Soay sheep, from the island of Soay in the St. Kilda archipelago off the west
coast of Scotland. The sheep now living on Lítla Dímun are Faroes sheep, a more
domesticated breed.
Livo
Livo sheep area
an indigenous breed from the Valle di Livo in the Lombardy Region of northern
Italy. They are medium-sized, have yellow wool, and are raised for meat.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Llandovery Whiteface
Llandovery Whiteface Hill Sheep are an elite hill breed of sheep.
The rams have tremendous scale for a hill breed possessing good length and
depth and can be either horned or moiled (without horns). The sheep have
a dense fleece able to withstand the elements of the harsh upland
environment. Both rams and ewes have a clean white face. For
generations the Llandovery Whiteface Hill Sheep has been bred to live and
thrive in the areas surrounding the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire with
Llandovery the central market where the sheep have been sold.
Content Source: National Sheep Association
Llanwenog
Llanwenog are blackfaced and polled with tuft of clean wool on the
forehead, this is a white fleeced, compact sheep with well sprung ribs, a
strong loin and thighs. Ears should be fairly short and thin, slightly
elevated. Average mature ewe weighs 56kg, rams 90kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Lleyn
Lleyn Sheep are a medium sized lowland sheep weighing up to 70kg
at maturity, renowned for their hardiness, prolificacy, easy lambing, strong
mothering instinct, milkiness and easy handling. The wool is white free from
any colored fibers or kemp and is of good length, dense and of high quality.
Heads must be feminine and warm white in color with wide foreheads. Bright
lively eyes and a black nose. Medium sized ears with black spots are desirable
with the base of the ear starting from the wool. The back should be long with
well sprung ribs and broad loins. Legs, which are warm white in color, should
be well set with no wool lower that the hock. Rams must be naturally polled.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep
...
Lohi
Lohi are large sheep with very
long ears. Their meat is considered to be very tasty and their hair is very long and grained.
Lonk
Lonk Sheep are one of the largest native hill breeds, their face
and legs are pure black and white. The fleece is trim and even from head to
skirting, white and free from kemp. Both sexes are horned. Average mature ewe
weighs 45-54kg, rams 75-91kg.
Manchega sheep are developed from Entrefino sheep and have a
double production use: milk and sheep meat. Among this breed, there are two
accepted varieties: black and white. The latter one makes up more than 90% of
the animals. The average milk production is 100 liters (26.4 gallons) per
animal a year, being markedly seasonal during the months of April, May and
June.
Manchego cheese is the most important and well-known sheep’s milk cheese
in Spain. True Manchega cheese is made only from whole milk of the Manchega
sheep raised in the ‘La Mancha’ region. This region is a vast high plateau,
more than 600 meters (1,969 ft) above sea level.
Manx Loaghtan
Manx
Loaghtan sheep are found on the Isle of Man off the coast of Great Britain. They
are member of the Northern Short-tailed group, similar to the Hebridean, but
slightly larger. Their wool is chocolate brown with paler tips. Manx Loaghtan sheep
are descended from the primitive sheep once found throughout Scotland and the
coastal islands of Britain.
Marrana
Marrana sheep are
raised for meat and have yellow, or sometimes light brown, wool. They are a
composite of different breeds of the Appennin; in recent decades there have
been many crosses with Bergamasca and Biella sheep. They are from the Ligurian
Alps, Italy.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Marwari
Marwari sheep are from Marwad, India. They are similar to black-headed
Persian sheep but they are smaller and have better fleece. They are found in the
Jodhpur, Jalore, Nagaou, Peli and Barmer districts, extending up to Ajmer and
Udaipur districts of Rajasthan and the Jeoria region of Gujarat. They are being
improved through selection for fleece weight and carpet quality.
Masham
Masham sheep have been bred for over a century on the hill
farms in the Northern Counties of England. They are produced by crossing a
Teeswater ram onto either a Dalesbred or Swaledale ewe, both hardy hill breeds.
It is from these parent breeds that the Masham gains its hardiness, longevity,
heavy milking qualities, strong mothering instincts and high prolificacy.
Masham ewes are medium-sized and hornless. They have a good
reputation for the ability to perform well in a wide variety of circumstances.
Producing quality lambs is what she is bred for with an added bonus of a long
stapled fleece. Average mature adult weighs 75kg.
Massese
Massese sheep are
raised for carpet wool, milk, and meat production. They belog to the Apennine
group and are similar to Garfagnina sheep. They are from Versilia in
North-western Toscana, central Italy.
Massese sheep are
medium-sized and have grey or brown wool with a dark head.
Both sexes are horned and
have a distinctive roman-nose.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Matesina
Matesina sheep
are an indigenous breed, descended from Gentile di Puglia and Appenninica
sheep. They arefrom province of
Caserta, Campania, in southern Italy.
They are
medium-sized (males 65 cm, females 60 cm, at the withers) with white-brown
wool. They are raised for meat, wool, and milk.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Meatlinc
Meatlinc Sheep are a British breed, in the terminal sire category,
developed from a breeding program originated by Henry Fell in 1963. Originally a mixture of chosen individuals
from five breeds, two British and three French, the Meatlinc evolved as a
result of many years of rigorous and disciplined selection based on performance
recording carried out under strictly commercial conditions. The breed was closed
to any further use of outside genetic material in 1975. It is thus a genuine
pure breed with recognizable uniformity.
They are amongst
the biggest of the British breeds, a mature ram weighing 140 kg (over 300 lbs).
Their face is white, have tight wool, with great length and heavy hindquarters.
...
Meatmaster
In the early 1990's, determined to utilize the advantages of
the indigenous fat-tailed hair breeds and realizing the huge gap between the
fat-tailed breeds and the well-muscled British and European breeds and the need
for a truly good pure hair breed with good meat qualities, a group of South
African farmers decided to develop a composite breed.
Various fat-tailed breeds were thus crossed with
well-muscled breeds and the dream of the Meatmaster emerged. Meatmaster sheep
are selected solely for economic factors under natural conditions. They have
been exported to Namibia, Australia, and Canada. The Meatmaster must just have
a percentage of Damara blood in it. The rest can be that of any other sheep
breed.
Mehraban
Mehraban sheep are from the western province of Hamadan, in
Iran; where they are the predominant breed. They are raised primarily for meat
production. There is approximately 3 million heads.
They are known for multiple births, fertility, and a high survival
rate from birth to weaning. Their wool is a light brown carpet wool quality
which was favored in Persian carpets.
Merinizzata Italiana
Merinizzata Italiana are a buautifulnewly-developed breed of sheep. They were
developed by crossbreeding Italian Merinos, Gentile di Puglia e Sopravissana,
with European Merinos (Ile de Frace, Berichonne du Cher, Merinolandschaf,
etc.). The cross breedings were made to develop sheep ideal for meat
production. They have a white coat and rosy skin.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org
Merino
Merino Sheep are one of the most popular breeds of
sheep worldwide. Merino Sheep are raised predominately for wool
production. Their wool is prized for being very soft and comfortable against
the skin. Merino
Sheep originated in Spain, but the modern Merino was domesticated in Australia.
Merino Sheep are excellent foragers and very adaptable. Merino
Sheep need to be shorn at least once a year because their wool does not stop
growing. If their coat is allowed to grow, it can cause heat stress, mobility
issues, and blindness.
There are multiple sub-species of Merin
Poll Merino – this is a comparatively new addition to the
breed of merino sheep. It is bred for the ease of handling and lack of horns
...
Merinolandschaf
Merinolandschaf, also known as Wurttemberger, sheep are a
German variety of Merino. They constitute about 30% of the sheep population in
Germany and are the most common commercial breed. They descend from Merino
sheep first brought to Saxony in 1765.
Miniature Cheviot
Cheviot
sheep originated in the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland. They were
introduced to the U.S. in 1838. Border Cheviots are small, hardy sheep that spend
their lives on the moors. In the U.S., they have become larger than their
ancestors from the UK, so the Brecknock Hill Miniature Cheviot registry was
formed to preserve the original size. The registry recently dropped
"Brecknock Hill" from its name to differentiate American Miniature
Cheviots from the Brecknock Hill Cheviots that originated in Wales and are
slightly different.
Miniature Cheviots are usually
white, with small heads and erect little pointed ears. Their fleeces provide a
medium wool with a distinctive helical crimp and a long staple, per
...
Mirror
Mirrors are medium-sized Sheep with a characteristic head
design. Besides its otherwise white color, it has black eye marks, black ear
points, and a black nostril.
They descend from old Bundner sheep races like the Prattigauer
sheep and probably have influences of the silk sheep and the Luzeiner sheep.
Austrian races might have participated like the Montafoner and the eyeglass
sheep in the emergence of the Mirror Sheep.
Mohaka
The Mohaka feral sheep flock is just one of
several of Merino type known to have occurred at various times in Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand. They evolved around the Mohaka River area behind the historic
Tutira sheep station.
Mohaka Sheep are probably of considerable age – feral
Merinos were described from this area as early as the 1880s and Merinos were no
longer being farmed there to any extent by 1900.
In 1976, scientist Tony Whitaker described
the feral Mohaka sheep as comprising several groups which may or may not be
discrete, on or near the banks of the Mohaka River between the Te Hoe and
Waipunga Rivers behind Tutira. There appeared to be fewer than 1000 sheep
spread over an area of 30 000 hectares. Their numb
...
Montadale
Montadale sheep were developed in the United States from Cheviot
and Columbia sheep crosses. E.H.
Mattingly, a well-known commercial lamb buyer is given credit for developing
the breed. His idea was to bring together the qualities of big western-white
faced sheep and the popular mutton characteristics of Midwestern sheep. His
result was a good meat type, dual- purpose animal with the head and legs free
of wool and with the stylish appearance and agile body of the Cheviot.
For fifteen years, many of these Montadale lambs were
carcass tested for characteristics which are now the standard in the industry,
but which at that time were yet to become widely accepted as the ideal. Montadale
sheep are considered a dual-purpos
...
Morada Nova
Morada Nova sheep are found in northeast Brazil but probably
of African origin. They may also be related to a Portugal breed called
Bordaleiro. They originated from selection of individuals of the Brazilian
Woolless. Both sexes are polled.
The rams do not have a throat ruff. It has been reported
that they have a litter size of 1.32 to 1.76. The predominant color is red to
cream, but white animals are also found. The breed is small with mature lamb
and ewe weights of about 40 (88 lbs) and 30 kg (66 lbs), respectively.
Mouflon
The Mouflon is thought to be one of the two ancestors for
all modern sheep breeds. It is red-brown with a dark back-stripe, light colored
saddle patch and underparts. The males are horned and the females are horned or
polled.
It is now rare, but has been successfully introduced into
central Europe, including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republics,
and Romania.
Najdi sheep are native to the Najd region
of the Arabian Peninsula, from where it got their name. They are raised
primarily in Saudi Arabia, but they are also present in Oman, Kuwait and
Jordan. They are highly priced in their native area. And some top Najdi ewes
can sell for around US$5,300-8,000. And the rams which can sire many more
offspring can fetch hundreds of thousands. Najdi sheep are very important
animals in their native area, and also in the areas where they are found.
Najdi sheep are very beautiful. They have a
distinctive appearance that has even been celebrated in Saudi ‘sheep beauty
pageants’ not unlike livestock shows and sales in the West. They have a long
face and are Roman nosed. They are very tall a
...
Navajo-Churro
Navajo-Churro sheep were the first domesticated sheep
introduced into North America. Brought from Southern Spain in 1514, Churro
sheep became the mainstay of Spanish ranches and villages along the Rio Grande.
Native Indians acquired flocks of Churro for food and
clothing through raids and trading and eventually incorporated them into their
lifestyle. After nearly becoming extinct through a government sheep ‘improvement’
program in the mid-1900's, the breed is now recovering and becoming more
popular, though still considered a rare breed.
Navajo-Churro sheep are a small breed, hardy, and disease
resistant. Rams may carry four horns. The Churro fleece is long, fine, and
coarse. It has two
...
Nelson South Wales Mountain
Nelson South Wales
Mountain Sheep are
similar in appearance to the other Welsh Mountain breeds. The main differences
are its greater size and the usual presence of tan markings on the face and
legs together with a brown collar. The fleece is dense with an even mixture of
white kempy fiber.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Nera di Arbus
Nera di Arbus, or Pecora Nera di Arbus ("black sheep of
Arbus"), Sheep are medium-small from
Arbus in the south west coast of Sardinia, Italy. They are found in the
provinces of Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano and Sassari. Their hair is black, sometimes with shades of gray lead.
They have course wool and it used to produce orbace, a
coarse hand-woven cloth, used to produce traditional Sardinian garments.
Content and Photo Source: Agraria.org.
New Mexico Dahl
New Mexico Dahl Sheep are an almost
extinct Spanish Colonial heritage hair sheep breed under development at Terra
Patre Wildlife Preserve and Teaching Farm in Colorado and New Mexico. The goal
in developing these unique sheep was to produce a truly multi-marketable,
low-maintenance product. These hardy, no-shear sheep are beautiful and majestic
with the rams supporting magnificent horns. They are also very excellent
sources of lean, less mutton-tasting meat.
NM Dahl is taking this one step
further and wanting to increase the meat marketability along with increasing
the growth of the horns not only on rams but also on the ewes for even better
future horn genetics. With this in mind, New Mexico Dahl Sheep are hybrids o
...
New Zealand Halfbred
New Zealand Halfbred are a
registered breed of sheep, originally developed in the 19th century by crossing
one of the English longwool breeds such as Lincoln, English Leicester, or
Romney, with the Merino.
New Zealand Halfbreds are mainly
farmed in the foothills of the South Island high country. Their wool has a
fiber diameter of 25-31 microns, intermediate between Corriedale and Polwarth.
Staple length is 3 to 4 inches.
Nolana
The breeding aim of the Nolana sheep is to combine the
advantages of hair sheep with the advantages of native wool sheep. Nolana sheep
are hair sheep. They don't produce wool, but carry a smooth coat during summer
and a 4-5 cm (1.6-1.8 in) thick pelt during winter which they shed naturally in
spring. Therefore, they don't need to be shorn.
Two types of sheep have evolved during the development of
the Nolana sheep: a meat-type (fleischscafe) and a landrace-type (landscafe)
for more extensive settings and landscape management. The meat-type is mostly
white, while the landrace-type is more variable in color and type.
Norfolk Horn
Norfolk Horn sheep originated in Norfolk, Suffolk, and
Cambridge, England. They are one of the ancient Heath breeds now being
revived in small numbers. Norfolk Horn sheep were used along with Southdown in
the development of Suffolk sheep.
They area a medium-sized breed with a long body and legs. Their face and
legs are black or dark brown and free of wool. Their fleece is white with new
born lambs being mottled. Both sexes are horned and the horn pattern is an open
spiral.
North Country Cheviot
North Country Cheviot (NCC) Sheep are a big, long rugged, white
sheep which combines thriftiness and healthiness with prolificacy and strong
maternal qualities. The largest of all the UK hill breeds, it is particularly
suited to grassy hills and uplands. Average mature ewe weighs 55-65kg hill,
75-90kg upland, rams 75-85kg hill, 95-100kg upland.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
North of England Mule
North of England Mule Sheep, also referred to as the The Original
Mule, has earned the right to be called the most popular lowland ewe in
Britain. When crossed with quality terminal sires she has the ability to
produce large crops of the quality fat lamb so demanded by today's markets.
Combine this with her great mothering ability, hardiness and general ease of
management and it is easy to see why North Of England Mules can be seen
throughout lowland Britain.
Content and Photo
Source: National Sheep Association
North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay are a small rare breed of sheep of the
Northern short-tailed group of breeds. They have remained virtually unchanged.
Their most unique feature is their diet, which consists mostly of seaweed.
Mature ewes rarely exceed 25 kg (55 lbs); rams about 30 to 35 kg (66-77 lbs.).
They are primitive and fine-boned and have evolved in a specialized seashore
environment on their native island.
They adapt well to mainland management including
conservation grazing. Rams are horned, but ewes can be horned, polled, or
scurred. Virtually any color of wool is possible. Wool is fairy fine, with some
kemp. Rams develop a mane and beard of coarse hair. There are about 3,700 of
these sheep still on the isla
...
Nostrana
Nostrana sheep
are an indigenous Italian breed, descended from Garfagnina (Apennine Group)
sheep. They are from the provinces of Massa-Carrara (Tuscany) and Parma
(Emilia-Romagna). They are medium sized (males: 65 cm, females: 60 cm, at
withers) with white wool. They are raised for meat and wool.
Content and photo
source: Agraia.org.
Noticiana
Noticiana sheep
mainly have a white coat with a thin red-brick colored light head. They are
mainly reared for milk. They are an autochthonous Sicilian sheep breed comes
from Comisana sheep. They area a rustic frugal breed that are well-suitable to
harsh environment.
Old Norwegian
Sheep are a small primitive type of sheep which inhabited Norway and the rest
of Scandinavia as well, including Iceland and Faeroes. They are small framed,
with good legs and a fleece varying in color from almost white to greyish, dark
brown, badger-faced, muflon pattern and black.
Adult males weigh
on average 43 kg (95 lbs) and females 32 kg (70 lbs). The fleece is remarkably
fine and in contrast to the mouflon, the inner fleece is highly developed. The
outer coat has long fibers, up to 30 cm (11.8 in) around the neck on the males.
Normally, they shed their fleece naturally in early July. All the males of this
breed are horned with approximately 10 % of the ewes also being horned. This
...
Omahaki
In 1976, Omahaki feral sheep were reported to be found
around the confluence of the Ngaruroro and the Taruarau Rivers, in the Eastern
Ruahine State Forest, and on the Big Hill and Omahaki stations, New Zealand.
There appeared to be several hundred sheep spread over an area of some 7000
hectares of scrubland, screes and bluffs.
Scientist Tony Whitaker noted that the origin of this flock
was uncertain but it was known to have existed there for over fifty years. It
was probably the remnant of a much larger feral flock that had its beginning in
the Merino sheep that had been grazed on the open tops of the Ruahines in the
previous century. There were indications that the proportion of black sheep in
the Omahaki flock was
...
Ossimi
Ossimi sheep originated in the Ossim village in the Giza
Governorate of Egypt and are the most popular among the Nile and Delta sheep
breeds. They are thought to be expanding their range at the expense of other
breeds.
They are adapted to variable conditions and are usually
raised under intensive cropping conditions. They are a medium sized sheep,
narrow, with a shallow body and long legs. They are multi-colored, usually
white with a brown head, neck, and legs. They produce coarse/carpet wool and
have a fat tail. Rams are horned.
Ouessant
Ouessant (also known Ushant, Breton Island Dwarf, and Mouton
d'Ouessant) sheep are a Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds and are one
of the smallest sheep in the world. They originated on Ile d'Ouessant, a small
island off the coast of Brittany, France. The average body height of the mature
ewes is around 18 inches tall at the shoulder. And the mature rams stand around 19
inches tall at the shoulder.
Most of them are dark brown or black; but sometimes they are
white. The average thickness of their wool is 27 to 28 microns. They are
suitable for fine knitting yarns and soft weaving yarns. The ewes are polled,
while the rams are horned. And the rams have relatively large horns as compared
to their body.
Oxford
Oxford, also known as Oxford Down, Sheep are the largest and
heaviest of the Down breeds. With a capacity for fast growing and early
maturity, it is an ideal crossing ram, producing light carcasses in early
lambing flocks earlier than its contemporaries and catching the market whilst
prices are good. When kept for heavy lamb production, the heavier carcasses are
produced without unwanted fat, being most suitable for today's market.
Content and Photo
Source: National Sheep Association
Pagliarola sheep are from Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania Italy. They are
usually yellowish-white but sometimes reddish-black. They are medium-sized
(males: 65-70 cm, females: 60-65 cm at withers) and both sexes are polled. They
are raised for meat, milk, and wool.
Content and photo source: agrarian.org.
Painted Desert
Painted Desert Sheep are spotted hair sheep that receive
most of their influence from Mouflon sheep. Before being established as a
separate breed, they were considered by many to be a parti-colored Corsican.
Other early influence came from Merino and Rambouillet sheep, and a few
four-horned individuals stem from Jacob or Churro ancestry. Long desired by
hunters because of the large horns and aesthetic, flashy looks, the Painted
Desert is now popular among exotic and alternative livestock fanciers.
Painted Desert sheep shed their short winter wool
naturally each spring, leaving a glossy, slick coat. Their colors can be very
wild with mixes of up to four or five colors. They breed out of season and lamb
twi
...
Panama
Panama sheep are one of only two
recognized breeds of sheep which were developed in the United States by private
sheep breeders. Originating in Idaho in the early 1900's, the Panama began as a
cross between Rambouillet rams and Lincoln ewes. Following approximately five
years of crossbreeding, rams and ewes were mated among themselves to establish
the breed.
Panama sheep are a hardy breed
that are highly adapted to range areas with ample feed conditions. They are
polled, resemble the Columbia breed, but are more intermediate in size, and
produce a heavy, dense medium-grade fleece with a long staple length.
Pedi
Pedi sheep are native to South Africa. They are one of three
of the Nguni type, along with Zulu and Swazi, they have been in the region
since 200-400 AD. They get their name and characteristics from having been
raised primarily by the Bapedi people in the north of the country. Pedi are
smaller fat-tailed sheep kept for meat, are polled, and are generally white,
brown, and red.
Pelibuey
Pelibuey are hair sheep, probably closely related to the
West African, Red African, African or Africana breed of Columbia and Venezuela.
They are descended from the West African Dwarf and are found in Cuba, coastal
areas of Mexico, and other locales in the Caribbean. 75 percent of sheep
population in Cuba are Pelibuey.
Their hair color ranges from beige, brown, dark brown, red,
white, black, and roan, with both solid and a combination of colors found.
Males do carry a throat ruff, but usually do not have horns.
Perendale
Perendale
was developed in New Zealand during the 1950's at Massey University to meet the
needs of hill country farmers on developing country. It is still a very popular
breed in New Zealand. Developed from the Cheviot and Romney, Perendale sheep
are a dual-purpose sheep producing a 28-32 micron wool with a 125 mm (5 in)
staple length.
Perendale sheep are very fertile and have great potential to produce a prime
lamb dam when crossed with a Merino. As a purebred, their hardiness makes them
ideally suited to colder, high rainfall areas. Perendales are easy to care for;
the ewes have little trouble lambing and are good mothers. Triplets are rare. However,
they are very active and independent sheep.
Pinzirita
Pinzirita sheep
are found in the area surrounding Sicily in southern Italy. They are a coarse-wool
breed kept for milk and meat production.They
have black or brown marks on the face and legs. The males are horned and the
females are polled.
Content and photo source:
Agraia.org.
Pitt Island
In the nineteen-seventies
a feral flock of several thousand sheep could be found on Pitt Island in the
Chatham group, New Zealand.
These possibly derived
from Saxony Merinos first taken to South-East Island - another island in the
Chatham group - in 1841 and later transferred to Pitt Island. In any case, the
flock is known with certainty to have been in existence for almost a century.
A Reserve for 300 of these
animals was created on Pitt Island in 1981. A number have also been taken to
mainland New Zealand.
Pitt Island sheep are
almost all colored and have the self-shedding fleeces characteristic of feral
breeds. The rams are impressively horned - up to a meter long measured around
the cu
...
Plezzana
Plezzana sheep (also
known as Bovska sheep in Slovenia) descend from Zaupel sheep, which were spread
all over Europe during the middle ages. They are medium-small sheep (males: 64 cm, females: 60 cm, at the withers). They are multi-purpose sheep. The milk is
used for cheese production. The mixed wool is used for the production of loden,
felt, and tweed. They are medium framed, thin-legged and finely boned sheep.
They have a narrow head and a straight nose profile. They are mostly white,
although black-brown and pied animals do occur. Rams are polled. Plezzana sheep
are hardy and modest. The meat is tasty and fine-fibred. Milking performance is
good. The mixed wool is suitable for many purposes.
Contenta nd phot
...
Polish Merino
Merino sheep were first introduced into Poland from Spain in
1786. In the early 19th century, Electoral Merinos were imported. After 1860,
Merinos of the Rambouillet and Precoce types were brought to Poland, and work
towards a dual-purpose type of sheep was begun. In the period between 1918 and
1939, the breed was improved for meat traits using such breeds as the Mele and
Ile de France, created on the basis of English Longwool sheep.
After 1945, Fleischmerinos and Landmerinos were introduced
into some of the Merno flocks which survived the war. The Polish Merino flocks
are located mostly in western Poland. The Polish Merino shows both meat and
wool traits.
Polish Mountain
Polish Mountain Sheep evolved from the old Carpathian
Cakiel, and especially one of its varieties - the primitive Podhale sheep. They
can be found in the whole Polish part of the Carpathian mountains; however, they
are most frequently found in the Podhale region near the town of Nowy Sacz,
where the breed traditionally originates. They have a light build, thin but
strong legs, and narrow rump.
Polish Mountain sheep are milked. The milk yield is 50 to
100 liters per lactation and 40 to 80 liters in a milking period of 150 days
with a fat content of 7 to 8%. Meat production is rather poor. The wool is
white and coarse, suitable for carpet manufacture. The thatch-like coat
consists of loose locks, with a characteristi
...
Poll Dorset
Poll Dorsets are a short wool, meat
producing sheep that were developed in Australia between 1937 and 1954 with the
aim of breeding a true Dorset type sheep without horns. They were developed at
a property called Valmore in Whitemore, Tasmania, a noted center for pedigree
livestock stud farms. Poll Dorset resulted from the introduction of Corriedale
and Ryeland blood into the Dorset Horn.
Their main distinguishing features are its
hornless appearance, long, lean square body set on short legs, pink skin and
'spongy' short-stapled wool. Poll Dorsets produce a fleece of white, dense
downs type wool of around 30 microns fiber diameter and they have a white wool free
face.
Poll Dorset rams are the most commonl
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Polled Dorset
Polled Dorset is a breed of sheep developed for meat at the
North Carolina State University Small Ruminant Unit in 1956. Their name refers
to the fact that they area hornless variation of the Horned Dorset sheep. Polled
Dorsets are the result of a genetic mutation by which some of the offspring of
a certain ram grew no horns. After some years of breeding work, a strain of
Dorset was developed which had lost the characteristic horns and which bred
true.
Polled Dorsets are an all-white, medium-sized sheep,
prolific and able to breed out of season. The carcases are muscular with good
conformation and the adults produce a thick fleece, which is free from dark
fibers. Since its development, the number of Polled Dors
...
Polwarth
Polwarth sheep are a dual-purpose sheep, developed in
Victoria, Australia, in 1880. They are 75 percent Merino and 25 percent
Lincoln. Polwarths are well suited to areas with improved pastures and are
mainly found in the higher rainfall districts of southern Australia. They have
been successfully exported to many countries, particularly South America where
they are know as 'Ideals'.
Polwarth sheep are found polled and horned sheep with the
polled types predominating. They are large framed, robust, and produces a
high-yielding, soft-handling fleece of 22-25 micron fiber diameter. Much of the
emphasis within the breed has been directed towards developing and improving
the wool aspects.
Polypay
Polypay are synthetic sheep, developed in the 1970's at the
U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, and Nicholas Farms at Sonoma,
California. Targhee x Dorset and Rambouillet x Finnsheep crosses were mated to
form a 4-breed composite that could produce two lamb crops and one wool crop
per year.
Polypays are a medium-sized, prolific breed with an extended
breeding season. Good mothers and milkers, they produce lambs with acceptable
growth and carcass quality. The name Polypay comes from "poly" for
many or much and "pay" to indicate a return on investment and labor.
Pomarancina
Pecora
Pomarancina sheep are a medium sized white sheep that most likely .evolved from
Appenninica sheep. They are found in Tuscany and Siena, Italy. Their milk
quality is quite good with a fat content 6/7% and wool, which is principally
used for the production of mattresses.
Content and Photo
source: Agraria.org.
Pomeranian Coarsewool
Pomeranian Coarsewool Sheep, also
known as just Pomereranian, or Pommersches Rauhwollschaf; Pommernschaf; or Rauhwolliges
Pommersches Landschaf) is an old domestic sheep breed from the Pomerania region
(split between Germany and Poland). The first records of similar sheep in
Pomerania can be traced to more than 3000 years ago. They are raised primarily
for meat and vegetation management.
Pomeranian Coarsewool Sheep are
polled (hornless), and have a black head with slate-blue or grey wool on the
body; the lambs are born completely black. Their legs are covered with wool,
and have a blue tongue. Their fleece has shorter hairs amongst the longer wool.
Initially, Pomeranian Sheep were called
Grauwollschafe ("g
...
Portland
Portland Sheep are a heathland breed from the Dorset area of the
UK – not Portland Oregon or Portland Maine - and a representative of the tan-faced group of
breeds from the South West. It is a small animal, the average adult ewe
weighing 38-40kg. The legs are an even tan color. The face is a tan color but
may have lighter areas around the eyes and muzzle. Some sheep carry a light
covering of wool on the forehead but the rest of the face is free from wool.
The horns of the ram are heavily spiraled; in ewes they curve through a half
circle.
Content and photo source: National Sheep Association.
Priangan
Priangan Sheep are from Priangan(a mountainous region in West Java province on the island of
Java in Indonesia). They are raised for meat and sport fighting.
Priangan rams are selected for size, horn size, and for
fighting ability. The champion rams are highly priced and may fetch up to
300,000 rupiah ( US $722 ). However, they are not used for breeding during
their fighting career as it is feared that mating would deprive them of their
taste for fighting.
Priangan is a variety of the Javanese Thin-tailed sheep.
Some indications are that Africander and Merino breeding were introduced in the
19th century. They are usually black or pied, occasionally individuals will be
gray or tan. Males are horned and femal
...
Pusterese
Pusterese, also
known as Pustera Gigante, Nobile di Badia, Gadertaler, Tedesca di Pusteria,
Sextner, Tauferer, or Aurina, sheep are from Tyrol, Italy. Their coat is white-straw
yellow. Neither gender have horns. They are medium sized (males: 75 cm, females: 65-70 cm, at the withers)
and are bred for meat and wool.
Quadrella sheep
are raised for meat and milk found in the region surrounding Campania, southern
Italy. They were formerly a variety of Gentile di Puglia . They are white. Both
horned and naturally hornless animals are found.
Rabo Largo, meaning broad tail, are sheep found in
northeastern Brazil. They originated from fat-tailed hair breeds which were
brought from Africa and crossed with the native Crioulo sheep.
They are white, pied, or white, with a colored head. Both
sexes are horned. Individuals within the breed vary between hair and carpet
wool. The breed is one of the long fat-tailed breeds.
Racka
Racka sheep are a unique Zackel-type breed that originated
in Hungary. Both ewes and rams have long spiral shaped horns.
The cork-screw horns protrude almost straight upward from
the top of the head. Mature males may have horns as long as two feet or more.
The minimum standard length is given as 50 cm (20 inches) for rams and 30 cm
(12-15 inches) for ewes.
They are raised for milk, wool, and meat production. They
are hardy often used in crossbreeding due to its ability to pass this
survivability to its offspring.
Raglan
The Raglan Romney feral sheep were sourced from a bush and scrub-covered peninsula jutting into the eastern side of Raglan Harbor in
the Waikato, New Zealand.
The first group of two rams and four ewes was mustered in
April 1976; eight ewes were added in December of that same year. (The peninsula
was subsequently cleared of bush - and sheep - and broken in for farming.)
The descendants of this small flock remained in the care of
Government farms since that time until mid-2005. Apart from a few rams that
were released to one breeder for use in grading up, a carefully controlled
breeding program was undertaken over that period to retain the genetic purity
of the line.
Raglan Sheep are relatively small, a
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Rahmany
Rahmany, or Rahmani, sheep originated in northern Syria and
northern Turkey and were introduced into Egypt in the 9th century. The breed is
named after Rahmania, a village in the Beheira Governorate in Egypt.
They are believed to have some resistance to internal
parasites. They breed all year round and the twinning rate is relatively high.
They are the largest of the Egyptian sheep breeds. They produce coarse/carpet
wool and have a fat-tail. Their color is brown, which fades with age.
Rambouillet
Rambouillet are considered the backbone of the American
Sheep Industry, forming the foundation of most western range flocks and raised
throughout the United States. Rambouillet sheep descend entirely from the
Spanish Merino. In fact, they are the French version of the Merino developed
when Louis XVI imported 386 Spanish Merinos in 1786 for his estate at
Rambouillet.
Though named for the town in France, the breed owes much of
its development to Germany and the United States. Rambouillet sheep are a dual-purpose
sheep, producing a desirable carcass and good fine wool. Rambouillets are large
sized, rugged and long-lived with a strong flocking instinct. Rambouillet ewes
possess many desirable traits which have resu
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Red Engadine
Red Engadine sheep originated in
Switzerland in Lower Engadin and in the bordering Tirolian and Bavarian
valleys. They originate from local varieties, from the Stone Sheep, and the
Bergamask sheep. They are medium to large framed and are distinguished by their
ram nose and their long, hanging ears.
They have a dark-brown body and a
red-brown, medium to coarse wool which with increasing age becomes lighter.
They are an easy-care sheep, well suited to extensive production situations. In
the 1980's, the breed was almost extinct in Switzerland, but conservation
efforts reversed the trend and in 1992, the Swiss Engadine Sheep Breeders Club
was formed.
Red Maasai
Red Maasai, or Red Masai, are an East African fat-tailed
type of hair sheep used for meat production. They are found in northern
Tanzania, south central Kenya, and Uganda.
Masai are red-brown, occasionally pied. Males are horned or
polled. Females are usually polled. Red Masai are known for being resistant to
internal parasites.
Rhoen
Rhoen sheep are one of the oldest landrace
breeds in Germany. They were mentioned in 1844 in the files of the convent of
Fulda: "The common sheep of the Rhoen farmer is a normal German sheep with
peculiar characteristics, which even in foreign countries is known as
Rhoenschaf. It is yellow-white with a black hornless head and is clothed in
coarse, non-elastic wool, with little crimp. Its body is large, the bones are
strong, and it lends itself to fattening."
Pictures from 1873 show that the Rhoenschaf
then was similar to the one of today, despite crossbreeding attempts with
Cotswold, Oxfordshire, and Merino rams. Even today it is a medium to
large-sized sheep with long legs and no horns. It is the only breed with white
...
Rideau Arcott
Rideau Arcott, or just Rideau, sheep are one of three
Canadian breeds. Their development began in 1968 at Agriculture Canada's Animal
Research Centre in Ottawa when the Centre's Suffolk, Shropshire, and Dorset
sheep were combined with imported breeds: Finnish Landrace and East Friesian.
In 1974, the Rideau was closed to the introduction of new genetic material.
From 1974 to 1977, the numbers within the breed were multiplied
with minimal culling to broaden the genetic base. From 1977 to 1986, selection
emphasis was on high fertility and the potential for year round lambing and to
a lesser extent retail cut yield. In 1988 and 1989, the breed was released to
nucleus flock owners.
Sin
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Romanov
Romanov sheep originated in the Volga Valley, northeast of
Moscow. The name "Romanov" comes from the royal family of Russia. These sheep
were first noticed in the 18th century, and were later imported into Germany
and then France. In 1980, the Canadian government brought in 14 Romanov ewes
and 4 rams for testing and put them into quarantine for 5 years. After that,
some were brought to the United States.
Romanov ewes tend to lamb by the litter. Most other sheep
give birth to singles and twins, while the Romanov average about 2-5 lambs per
lambing. When the lambs are born they are pure black but when they get older
they turn gray. Romanov wool (a mixture of gray wool and black guard hair) is
used for rugs, mats, and wall han
...
Romney
Romney Sheep are a dual purpose breed, used for wool
and meat, that originated in the Romney Marshes of Kent England. They are one
of the world most successful sheep breeds.
They are large
framed and carry a heavy long-wooled fleece. They have a broad white face,
sometimes with a small woolly top knot. Both sexes are hornless. Rams
average 250 lbs., ewes average 175-200 lbs. Their fleece on average their fleece
weighs 10-12lbs.
Romney Sheep are very
hardy and easy to maintain. Due to their swampy origin, they are more
resistant to foot rot and liver flukes than most breeds.
Whether shorn once or twice a year, the wool clip from a
purebred Romney flock is sought by commercial wool buyers an
...
Roslag
Roslag are an
endangered sheep from
Sweden. They originated from the remnant populations of
Swedish landrace breeds that used to be rather common all over the countryside, but are generally believed to have come from Raggaron in
Roslagen, Sweden.
They are small
and generally white or ivory colored (although 10% of the population are black
or white-black bi-colored), they are a short-tailed and are usually used in the production of wool and meat. Their wool is a carpetwool type; with
long, straight or curly guard hair and a thick cover of underwool, which can be
up to 30 cm long. Only the rams are horned. Ewes can lamb throughout the entire
year and usually have only one lamb,
but twins do occur.
...
Rosset
Rosset sheep are
a transhumant (magratory) breed found in western Aosta Province, mainly in the
three tributary valleys of the Dora Baltea: Val Grisanche, Val di Rhemes, and
Val Savaranche. A small number of rosset sheep can be found with other breeds
in several valleys of rivers flowing south from Mt Fallere, and in the Val
Pelline. They are kept in small flocks of five to ten heads. They are stall-fed
during the winter at the farmsteads in the valley. In the summer, the flocks of
many owners are combined into bands of about 500 head and taken with cattle up
to the mountain slopes where they graze and are tended by professional
shepherds. In mid-September they are returned to their owners in the valley.
Rossets rese
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Rouge de l'Ouest
Rouge de L'ouest are medium-sized Sheep. As its name
suggests its head, which is hornless, can vary from pink to deep red and is
covered with fine hair. The legs are a similar color to the head and are
covered in fine hair. The fleece is fine with a short staple which grows into a
dense 'jacket' giving the breed ample protection against the harshest weather.
Average mature ewes weighs 75-100kg, rams 100-140kg.
Content and Photo Content:
National Sheep Association.
Rouge de Roussillon
Rouge du Roussillon are an endangered breed of sheep from
southern France. They are primarily raised in the French Mediterranean
countryside for lamb meat. They are of Algerian descent, and came to France in
the 18th century, and were likely introduced to France via Spain.
They are a medium fine-wool breed. The males typically weigh
75-100 kg and stand 75-90 cm tall, while the ewes normally weigh around 55-65
kg and stand 65-75 cm tall. They have white wool with a red head and legs. They
are extremely hardy, and are able to survive all year outside. They can also
thrive at high temperatures, and can live in climates with temperatures of over
40 degrees Celsius. However, they also do well in colder climates with
...
Rough Fell
Rough Fell Sheep are horned with a black head and a definite
white patch on their nose. Their body is large and long with a broad loin,
strong frame and legs with a noble carriage. Average mature ewes weigh 50kg and
rams weigh 80kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association.
Roussin
Roussin Sheep are a medium-sized breed that has a brown face
and legs. The head and legs are free from wool. Both sexes are polled. Average
mature ewe weighs 70-90kg, rams 90-110kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association.
Royal White
Royal White is a new breed of hair sheep
privately funded and developed by William Hoag, of Dorpcroix Sheep Farm in
Hermeleigh, Texas. They are a cross between Dorper and St. Croix sheep.
They are pure white. They grow a longer
hair in the winter that is shed off naturally in the spring. Ewes and rams are
naturally hornless. Texas Tech and Texas A & M University are currently doing
research with the breed with regards to meat production and scrapie resistance.
Ruda
Ruda sheep are found mostly in Albania and Croatia. In 2009,
Ruda sheep were the most endangered breed of sheep in the Republic of Croatia.
Ruda may be related to Romanian Tsigai Sheep. They are primarily raised for
wool. They are well adapted to low temperatures and mountain grazing.
They have white or blond wool with a pink skin. They have a
white head and white spots on their body and head. At the withers, the mature
ewes average 55 cm (21.6 inches) and rams 65 cm (25.6 inches). The mature ewes
average 38 kg (83.7 lbs) and rams 48 kg (105.8 lbs).
Rya
Rya sheep are from Sweden, they are also known as Swedish
Carpet Wool Sheep or Ryafar sheep. They originated from Norwegian, Swedish, and
Norwegian Spaelsau sheep. They were raised to produce long, wavy and shiny wool
to produce rya-wool.
Few long wool sheep breeds remained in the province of
Dalarna, leading to the restoration of this sheep breed in the early 20th
century. And there was a stable population of about 2000 Rya sheep in 2000.
Currently most of the population of them can be found in the northern and
central Sweden, and most of the herds are located in Dalarna. Dalarna had a
population of sheep with long wool at the start of the twentieth century, which
was popular in the area to decorate national customers.
...
Ryeland
Ryeland Sheep have face's that are well-wooled and their
ears are of medium size, slightly dark in color. Ryeland's heads have no trace
of horn. Its chest is broad and fairly deep and has a straight, level back. Its
legs are a dull white color, well wooled to knee and hock with strong, compact
feet renowned for freedom from foot rot. Its fleece is dense, free from dark
fibers, coarseness and kemp. Average mature ewe weighs 50-60kg, rams 75-80kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep
Association.
Rygja
Rygja sheep are originally from Rogaland in south west
Norway. In the 18th century the local Norwegian Spael sheep were crossed with
several imported breeds, such as Merino, South Down, and Leicester. After 1860
mostly Cheviot and Sutherland sheep were imported and had also an influence. In
later years further crossings have been made with Texel, Finnsheep, Dala, and
Steigar sheep.
Rygja sheep are now spread throughout Norway and are bred
for both meat and wool production. They are white and long-tailed. Both rams
and ewes are polled. Their wool wool is uniform with a mean fiber diameter of
37.4 microns. Their mean greasy fleece weight is around 3.5 kg. They are known
for producing shiny wool, almost free of medullated
...
Saeftinger sheep originated around 1986 by crossing a
Romanov ram onto Suffolk ewes. The breed takes its name from the salt meadows
where it grazes.
Saeftinger meat is considered a culinary specialty. Mature
ewes average 2.2 lambs per lambing; ewe lambs, 2.0. Three lamb crops in two
years is common. Ewes and rams are both hornless.
Sakiz
Sakiz are a carpet wool sheep that is also kept for meat and milk
production. They can be found in the region surrounding Izmir in Turkey. The
males are horned.
Saltasassi
Saltasassi sheep are
from northern Italy. They are medium-small (males: 60-65 cm, females: 55 cm at
the withers), they have white wool, and are raised for meat.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Sambucana
Sambucana, also
known as Demontina, sheep are an indigenous Italian breed, probably descended
from Garessio sheep. They are found in southwestern Cuneo Province (Piedmont),
in the valleys of the rivers Bagni, Stura di Demonte, and, formerly, the Maira.
The elevation of the valleys is from 1.300 to 2.000 meters, with snow on the
ground four to five months of the year.
They have
yellow-white wool: about 8 percent of the breed are dark brown or black. Their
head is slightly convex; ears are horizontal and small, and the tail thin and
hanging to the hocks. Both genders are usually polled; however, rams with small
horns are considered locally to be the purest representatives of the breed.
They are
medium-large (ma
...
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Sheep are from Santa Cruz Island, California,
USA. There is considerable uncertainty as how and when sheep got to Santa Cruz
island. It's believed that Merino, Rambouillet, and perhaps some Churro sheep
are part of their ancestry. However, it is certain that they have been feral
for the last 70 years. The Nature Conservancy acquired 88% of the island during
the 1970's and began an eradication program in 1980.
In 1988, twelve lambs were brought off the island by a team
of Nature Conservancy and ALBC volunteers and were placed with five California
breeders to begin a population rebuilding effort. The Santa Cruz Island sheep
breed is an important genetic resource. Its historic background, long period of
isolation, a
...
Santa Ines
Santa Ines is a breed of hair sheep found in Brazil. They
are generally thought to be a cross of Morada Nova, a course-wooled Italian
breed, Bergamasca, and a native coarse-wooled Crioula, followed by a period of
selection or evolution for absence of fleece. Colors range from red, black and
white and can be spotted or solid. They have large bodies, are long-legged and
have large pendulous ears and are polled.
Rams do not have a throat ruff. They have a low litter size
of 1.25. Mature weights of the ewes in the field fall between 40 and 50 kg. (88
to 110 lbs.), and if well fed, the rams can weigh as much as 100 kg (220 lbs).
Sardinian
Sardinian, also
known as Sarda, sheep are an indigenous breed from Sardinia; they are also
found in central Italy. They are well adapted to live on karst soils. They are
white and raised for milk production.
Pecorino sarda cheese is made only from Sardinian sheep milk
coming from the island of Sardinia off the coast of Italy. In Sardinia, there
are more sheep than people.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Savoiarda
Savoiarda sheep are an indigenous breed found in the Province of Turin,
Piedmont, Italy. They are well-adapted to the local environment (plains and
hills).
They are dirty
white except for the nose, eyes, ears, and legs, which may have black spots.
Their long ears hang horizontally, and their tail is long and thin. Only the
rams are horned. They have a mattress type fleece, 120 - 150 mm long, with no
kemp. They are raised for meat, mainly,
but also for milk and wool.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Schnalserschaf
Schnalserschaf
(also known asUltnerschaf , Val
Senales, or Schnalserschaf) sheep
are from the province of Bolzano, northern Italy. They are an Alpine meat breed. About 80 percent
are white, 15 percent black, and 5 percent are brown. Both genderes are
polled.They are raised for meat and
wool.
They are derived
from local sheep (Steinschaf or Roccia) crossed with Bergamo, and are similar
in appearance to the latter, Italy's largest breed. They are stall-fed in the
valley during the winter. From late May to late September the holdings are
combined into bands of 300–500 head and taken to graze in alpine pastures above
2 500 m elevation.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Scotch Mule
Scotch Mule sheep are an intentionally produced crossbred
sheep out of Scottish Blackface ewes and sired by Bluefaced Leicester rams. The
term "mule" (when it refers to sheep) is used for an intentionally
produced crossbred sheep that is sired by a Bluefaced Leicester ram. In the
United Kingdom, Mule ewes are the backbone of the commercial sheep industry. The
various types of Mules are the most popular commercial ewes in the UK, and the
Bluefaced Leicester is the number one crossing sire there.
They are medium sized, polled and have a
mottled brown face while the fine white wool should have a curled appearance
(passed down from the sire). Average mature bodyweight 70kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep
...
Scottish Blackface
Scottish Blackface, also known as just Blackface, Sheep are the
most numerous of British breeds. They are found over a wide spectrum of hill
and marginal ground throughout Great Britain and Ireland. All Blackfaces are
horned, with black or black and white face and legs. The fleece should be free
of black fiber, and can vary from short, fine wool used for carpets and tweeds
to strong coarse, which is mainly sold for the Italian mattress trade.
Influenced by climate, environment and grazing quality several distinct types
have evolved within the breed and are generally identified by the centers at
which they are sold. The Perth type, a large framed sheep with a medium to
heavy coat, is found mainly in North East Scotland and North
...
Scottish Dunface
Scottish Dunface (also known as Old Scottish Short-wool,
Scottish Whiteface, or Scottish Tanface) are an extinct breed of sheep originally
from Scotland. They were part of the Northern European short-tailed sheep
group, and they were probably similar to the sheep kept throughout the British
Isles in the Iron Age. By the mid-nineteenth century they had mostly been
displaced by the Scottish Blackface and became extinct on the mainland of
Scotland in the late nineteenth century. However, several local types of
Dunface survived on islands around Scotland, giving rise to or contributing to
existing breeds including the Shetland, North Ronaldsay, Hebridean and Boreray.
Scottish Greyface
Scottish Greyface sheep are produced by crossing a Border
Leicester ram with a Scottish Blackface ewe.
Scottish Greyface sheep have a speckled gray face. Their
body is long, well-sprung, and evenly fleshed. Scottish Greyface sheep can be
found in all parts of the British Isles.
Scottish Greyface ewes are used to produce quality prime
lamb when put to a terminal sire.
Serrai
Serrai sheep are from Greece. They are bred primarily for
meat and milk.
They have a roman nose and a thin tail. The rams have horns,
weigh 78 kg at maturity are grow to 68 cm at the withers. The ewes have small
horns 30% of the time, weigh 68 kg and grow to a height of 73 cm. On average,
ewes produce 1.5 lambs per litter. They lactate 154 to 236 days (average 221
days) with an average yield of 0.7 kg of milk per day with a 7% fat content.
The fiber has a 34 micron diameter.
Shetland
Shetland Sheep are one of the smallest of the British sheep.
The ewes are usually hornless, and the rams have nicely-rounded horns, not too
heavy, nor too close together. Their head is well carried, their face is of
medium length with a straight nose and bright eyes, the back is straight and of
medium length.
They originated in the Shetland Isles, but is they are now
kept in many other parts of the world. They are part of the Northern European
short-tailed sheep group. Shetlands are classified as a landrace or
"unimproved" breed. They are kept for their very fine wool, for meat,
and for conservation grazing.
Although Shetlands are small and slow-growing compared to
commercial breeds, they are hardy, thrifty, easy
...
Shetland-Cheviot
Shetland-Cheviot sheep are the result of a North Country
Cheviot ram bred with a Shetland ewe. The hybrid vigor produced from the
crossing the two pure breeds ensures that the Shetland-Cheviot retains the
features of both. They are hardy, thrifty, and milky with their sire's
excellent conformation.
Following the realization that a small ewe crossed with a
large, fast growing sire could produce prime lamb very efficiently, producers
outside Shetland turned to the breed, which has spread into the Orkneys,
Caithness, and down through Scotland. The Shetland-Cheviot's main purpose is to
produce quality lamb when put to a suitable ram, usually a terminal sire.
Shropshire
Shropshire Sheep are medium sized Sheep. They are active and
alert. They have a soft black face, with a covering of wool on the poll. Their
ears should be soft, black and well set on. Their body is well-fleshed, long,
deep and symmetrical, having a broad straight back with well-sprung ribs. Their
legs are medium in length, of strong bone and upright joints, well set apart
and soft black in color. Their cherry skin is covered in dense, fine quality
wool weighing 3-4kg with an average staple of 10cm. Average mature ewe weighs
80kg, rams 120kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Skudde
Skudde are nordic, short-tailed heather sheep. They originally
were from East Prussia and the Baltic States. However, today only a few small
herds can be found in these areas.
Skudde sheep have an imposing snail horn. The ewes are
hornless or carry horn stumps. In individual cases, it occurs that ewes carry
chamois-like "hornlets." They are slender, rams weight between 35 and 50 kg
(77-110 lbs), and ewes weigh from 25 to 40 kg (55-88 lbs).
Their wool consists of fine wool fibers, dispersed with
short hairs and course cover hair. They are white, brown, black, or gray. White
Skuddes have small pigment spots on their head. Lambs have a rust-colored
marking on the nape of their neck and on their legs. This colorin
...
Soay
Soay sheep are considered to be the only living example of
the small, primitive sheep which inhabited the British Isles before the coming
of the Norsemen and Romans.
Their name is derived from the island of Soay off the coast
of Scotland. Soays were originally imported to North America in 1974. They are
a small framed sheep with a fleece that varies from light to dark brown in
color and is shed naturally in the summer.
Solognote
Solognote sheep are an old breed that derives its name from
Sologne, France, where it was developed in the 15th century.
They were in very widespread use in the 1850's. They were
exported to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Morocco. Solognote sheep are
a very rustic breed that is able to tolerate diseases and poor feeding
conditions.
Somali
Somali are hair sheep native to Somali in Africa where they
are reared primarily for meat production.
They are white with a black head. Both sexes are polled and
the breed belongs to the fat-rumped type. Somali sheep are the immediate ancestor
of the Blackheaded Persian which was developed in South Africa in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries and that has been widely used for crossbreeding in
many parts of Africa and elsewhere in the tropics.
Sopravissana
Sopravissana
sheep are found in the Central Apennines, Latium of central Italy. They have
white fine to medium wool and are raised for milk and meat production. They
originated from Vissana crossed with Spanish Merino and Rambouillet sheep in
the 18th and early 19th century. American and Australian Merinos were used
during the early 20th century for additional improvement of the breed.
Sopravissana rams
are horned and the females are polled.
South African Meat Merino
South African Meat Merino (SAMM) sheep were imported into
South Africa by the Department of Agriculture from 1936 to 1974 from Germany
where the Deutsche Fliesch Merino is a common meat sheep of Germany, Austria,
and Poland. In South Africa, the name was translated as Duits Vleis Merino and
then into English as German Mutton Merino. In 1974, the South African Breed
Society changed the name to the South African Mutton Merino.
When imported into Australia in 1996, Western Australian
SAMM breeders registered the name Prime SAMM, as the Australian usage of the
word "'Mutton" relates to a description of extremely old and inedible
sheep meat. The translation used in Australia is ‘South African Meat Merino.’
The SAMM is bred speci
...
South Dorset
South Dorset Sheep were developed in New
Zealand in the 1950s. Originally called the South Dorset Down, it was produced
by crossing Dorset Down rams with Southdown ewes. A typical "Downs" sheep, it
has a brown face, ears and legs, and a fine short fleece.
The South Dorset is a large,
rapidly-maturing breed used mainly for export lambs, although the rams are used
with ewes of other breeds as well to produce meat lambs.
South Dorset Sheep were officially renamed
South Dorset in the 1980s.
Content and Photo Source: New Zealand Rare
Breeds (www.rarebreeds.co.nz)
South Suffolk
South Suffolk sheep a fixed cross between Suffolk and
Southdown sheep. They are a large, comparatively heavy meat breed.
The rams are for use as terminal sires, used in cross
breeding for early prime lamb production. South Suffolks can be found in most
states of Australia and in New Zealand, where the breed originated. The wool is
of the fine Downs type and measures 24 to 26 micron in fiber diameter. Their fertility
levels are high.
South Wales Mountain
South Welsh Mountain sheep have been reared on the harsh
hill pastures of South Wales for centuries. Their ability to thrive where
lesser breeds have failed has ensured their predominance in the area.
They are a dual purpose breed. They are similar in
appearance to other Welsh Mountain breeds, and rams are frequently used to
improve the size and conformation of the other Welsh Mountain breeds.
When crossed with a Suffolk ram, the South Wales Mountain
ewe produces ewe lambs that are sought after as lowland breeding ewes, being
hardy, prolific and good milkers with strong conformation. Their fleece is
dense with an even mixture of white kempy fiber.
Southdown
Southdown Sheep are a good all-rounder, capable of meeting
the needs of all breeders. They are a well-fleshed, meaty, sheep with a wide,
level back through to the tail and a "leg at each corner". Their wool is of
fine texture and great density covering the whole body down to the hocks. Their
ears are small and covered with short wool. Southdown Sheep are an easy lambing
breed. Rams are robust, good on their feet and long lived. Average mature
weight for ewes is 65 -75kg, rams 85 - 100kg.
Content and photo source: The National Sheep Association.
Spaelsau
Spaelsau, also known as Spael, sheep are from Norway. They
are named for their short, nearly wool-less tail (spaelen). They originate from old
Norwegian landrace sheep. In 1912, two breeding stations were established to
prevent their extinction. Icelandic sheep were crossed onto the Spaelsau sheep
through semen import in the 1960's and 1970's. Finnsheep and Faeroe Island
sheep were also used in the breeding of Spaelsau sheep.
Spaelsau sheep are most commonly white, but they are also
found in black, brown, grey, blue-grey and various forms of piebald. Most of
them are polled, with about 10% occurrence of horned in both sexes. Their wool
is double coated, with mean fiber diameter 31.5 micron of underwool and 57.1
micron of out
...
Spanish Merino
A number of sheep breeding nations, including Phoenicia,
Italy, and Spain, are believed to have played a part in the development of the
Merino sheep. However, it is generally agreed upon that the Moors, who
dominated Spain through the eighth to thirteenth centuries, were primarily
responsible for selectively breeding the animals to such an extent that the
wool they produced became superior to that of all other sheep.
Indeed, the word Merino may be of Moorish origin, possibly
evolving from their word for a judge that settled disagreements about flocks
between shepherds. By the eighteenth century, Merino wool was considered so
luxurious and valuable only the sovereign of Spain was permitted to send Merino
sheep
...
St. Augustine
St. Augustine sheep are a cross between Dorper and St. Croix sheep. They were developed in
Florida, USA, by Ron Taber in 2000.
St. Croix, sheep have superior mothering abilities, parasite
resistance, and hardiness; while Dorpers are larger and have a heavily-muscled
frame. The result is a meat sheep cross that does well in hot, humid condition.
St. Augustine sheep are medium sized with a medium sized
frame. They are well adapted to hot, humid climates and have good parasite
resistance. They are easy to handle, with good flocking instinct. As excellent
foragers, mature ewes and rams do well on coastal/bahai grass pasture. Ewes are
deep bodied, able to produce multiple births with ease. Rams are fertile during
...
St. Croix
St. Croix is a hair sheep that originated in the Virgin
Islands, where it is called the "Virgin Island White." They are believed to have
descended from hair sheep of West Africa, but some think they are a cross of Wiltshire
Horn and native Criollo sheep. Most St. Croix sheep are white with some solid
tan, brown, black, or white with brown or black spots.
Both sexes are polled, and rams have a large throat ruff.
Exceptional parasite resistance compared to British sheep breeds has been
documented in studies at several universities. The St. Croix is classified as a
"rare" breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Steinschaf
Steinschaf sheep are a direct descendent of the now extinct
Zaupelschaf. They have developed characteristics that made them perfect for
life in the high mountains of Eastern Alpine regions. In the beginning of the
20th century the Steinschaf still roamed the meadows of Bavaria, Germany,
especially the areas around Berchtesgaden, Traunstein, and Rosenheim. In
Austria, their range was mainly in the Salzburg area.
The original Steinschaf used to be a dual-coated, small, and
wiry high mountain sheep, weighing 28- 30 kg (62-66 lbs). It was bred twice a
year and it had 20-70 % twins. The modern Steinschaf is a robust, small to
medium-sized sheep with a coarse, dual-coated fleece that can be of all colors
and marking
...
Stewart Island
The first large-scale sheep farming venture
on Stewart Island, New Zealand, was commenced in 1874 on what proved to be
unsuitable terrain at Scott Burn. Within a few years other sheep runs were
taken up on drier land at Island Hill and Kilbride in Masons Bay on the western
coast. Prior to this only small numbers of sheep had been kept on the island
for household supply, mostly at The Neck (on the east coast). Sheep farming was
never greatly successful on the island, although it did continue until the
1990s.
Sheep that escaped from farming operations
formed a feral population and some have been recovered in recent years and
maintained on the mainland. These are described as being very like those from
Arapawa Island i
...
Suffolk
Suffolk Sheep are a polled breed, with a distinctive
all-black head and legs, and single color close cropped white wool. Independent
trials show that Suffolk's have the fastest growth rate of the terminal sire
breeds. Average mature ewe weighs 84kg, rams 130kg.
Content and photo source: The National Sheep Association.
Swaledale
Swaledale Sheep have a fascinating masked
face: the upper part of their face is deep black but a bright silvery white
surrounds the nose and eyes. The hair on their face is short and strong. They
grow greyer with age. Their horns are set low, round and rather wide. Their ears
are grey or silver and of medium length. Their wool is white except at the back
of the head where it is mixed with part black, with a thick deep bed and curly
top of medium length. Their tail is thick, long and woolly and their legs are
good flat bone of medium length, well set four square, with well-shaped hocks,
grey or mottled in color, and with good sized feet.
Content and photo source: The National
Sheep Association.
Swifter
Swifter sheep are a new, highly
productive sheep breed, which was developed in the 1970's by the Agricultural
University in Wageningen, the Netherlands, to increase the productivity of the
Dutch sheep stock. Swifters are used as dams for slaughter lambs.
Swifter sheep were developed by crossing
Texel and Flemish sheep. To obtain excellent, fast-growing lambs for slaughter,
the Swifter ewe is tupped by a ram for slaughter lamb production: the
Charollais, the Suffolk, or the Texel. Pedigree Swifters produce 2.5 lambs per
lambing on average. 80% of ewes give birth to two or more lambs in their first
year. Births are almost always without problems.
Swiss Black-Brown Mountain
Swiss Black-Brown Mountain sheep originate from the ancient
Swiss Jura, Simmentaler, Saanen, Frutiger, Roux de Bagnes,and Freiburger sheep.
They are polled, medium-sized sheep. Their coat is either black, chestnut
colored, or light brown. Their heads and legs are clear of wool, covered with
short black or brown hairs. Their fleece is of single-color, thick, and
close-cropped.
Due to their Merino ancestry, their wool is fine and strong
and is remarkable for its strength and elasticity. No kemp or white fibers are
allowed. The ewes lamb quite often twice a year and have 1.7 lambs on average,
thus making them an ideal mother race for crossings with meat producing rams.
Swiss Black-Brown Mountain lambs, both purebr
...
Swiss White Alpine
Swiss White Alpine sheep are a short-wooled breed kept
primarily for meat. They originated in Switzerland in 1936 from a cross between
the Swiss White Mountain and 50 to 75% Ile-de-France
Tacola Sheep are white sheep raised for meat. They are Indigenous breed, descended from Biellese (Alpine group) sheep. Is bred in the provinces of Cuneo, Biella and Vercelli (Piedmont Region).
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Taleshi
Taleshi sheep are from Iran, numbering some 400,000 animals
in the north of the country, and distributed in the northern and western parts
of Gilan Province in the mountains between Assalem, Khalkhal, Oshkourat, and
Deilaman. They can can also be found in some areas of the Guilan-Zanjan border.
Their mean adult live weight ed is 35 kg (77 lbs) for rams
and 31 kg (67 lbs) for ewes. Their coat is yellowish-white to pure white, but
brown patches are found on their head, face and at the bottom of the legs. They
are valued mainly due to their small size, meat, and ability to live in
mountainous areas with rain-fed foothills and foothill steppes with 1300 mm (51
inches) rain.
Hamed Kioumarsi and others ha
...
Tan
Tan sheep are famous for their fur with long curled hair.
Their wool is soft, light and puffy, with long and even fiber, suitable for
making high-grade blankets, shawls, and scarves. Tan sheep are raised in the
desert and semi-desert regions of China.
Targhee
Targhee sheep are one of America's newest breeds. They were
developed in 1926 at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, from
Rambouillet, Columbia, and Corriedale crosses. Targhee sheep derive their name
from the Targhee National Forest on which the experiment station's flock grazes
in the summer. The forest was named for a chief of the Bannock Indians who had
lived in the area in the 1860's.
Targhee are a dual-purpose sheep with good meat type and a
heavy fleece of high quality wool. They are especially popular in Montana,
Wyoming and South Dakota, where their ¾ fine wool and ¼ long wool breeding is
favored by western ranchers.
Tautersheep
Tautersheep, also known as Tautra sheep, are an extinct
breed of sheep from Tautra island in Frosta, Norway. They were a sheep with
fine wool resembling the Spanish merino. The origin of this breed is disputed,
but could possibly be a merino sheep brought to Tautra several hundred years
ago, and afterwards mixed with old Norse sheep, others have claimed that the
origin is from the English Ryeland sheep, which suggest that the Tautersheep
was a far younger race.
The fine wool of the Tautersheep became very popular at the
end of the 19th century, increasing the demand for the growth of the wool,
which caused problems because the wool had a tendency to grow over the eyes of
the animal. As early as 1805, 70 Tautersheep were exported
...
Teeswater
Teeswater are large hornless longwool sheep from Teesdale in
the County of Durham, located in Northern England. For almost 200 years they
have been bred by farmers in that area. Until the 1920's, the breed was comparatively
rare, but now they are to be found in almost every part of the U.K.
Their wool has fine long-stapled lustrous wool with each
lock hanging free with no tendency to matiness. There should be no dark fibers
in the fleece, which should be uniform in texture over the whole body. The
Teeswater produces a kemp free fleece, a characteristic it passes on.
TEFRom
TEFRom are A Composite sheep developed from Texel, East
Friesian, and Romney sheep to achieve fast lamb growth in an efficient ewe. The
initial TEFRom cross was based on:
25% Texel muscling, parasite resistance and clear under the
tail.
25% East Friesian high fertility (230% base) and milking
ability.
50% Romney for stability. strong constitution, fleece weight
together with growth rate, fertility and muscling.
Texas Dall have no relation to Alaskan Dall sheep. They are
a cross between Rambouillet, Barbados Blackbelly, and European Mouflon sheep.
Although most Texas Dall are white, they can range in color
from white to blond or pale champagne. Some even have spotted markings, usually
fawn. Their horns are large and spectacular. They are raised primarily for
trophy hunting.
Texel
Texel, also known as Blue Texel, Sheep are quickly gaining
popularity with commercial sheep farmers as terminal sires for prime lamb
production.
There are
many kinds of Texel sheep, including Dutch, English, and French. The English
Texel sheep tend to be taller animals while the Dutch Texel sheep have very
short legs and heavy muscling. All of the Texel sheep remarkable muscle development
and leanness.
Tiroler Steinschaf
Tiroler
Steinschaf, also known as Tyrolean rock sheep or Pecora della Roccia Tirolese,
sheep is found in Tyrol,
Austria and Bolzano, Italy. They are a coarse-wooled breed, belonging to the
Lop-eared Alpine group, which is kept mainly for meat production.
The Tiroler
Steinschaf is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited
distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della
Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. In 2013 no
total number for the breed was recorded in the herdbook; total numbers are
about 60 head.
Content and
photo sources: Wikipedia and Agraria.org.
Tong
Tong sheep originate from Mongolian sheep. They are able to
withstand unfavorable environmental conditions and are found in the high plains
of the northern Shaaxi Province of China, where the average temperature is 13°C
and annual precipitation is 520 to 600 mm (20-24 in). Their wool is carpet
wool. Wool production is low.
Tong sheep have the ability to deposit fat in their tail.
Tong lambs have beautiful curls that look like pearls. Coats made from the
pelts provide warmth with light weight.
Trimeticcia di Segezia
Trimeticcia di Segezia sheep are
a new breedfrom Segezia. They are considered a synthetic breed developed by
crossbreeding with three different breeds: Italian Gentile di Puglia, French
Ile de France, and German Wurttemberg sheep. They were developed at the
Experimental Institute for Zootechny of Segezia, province of Foggia, Italy.
They are raised in Puglia and Molise. They have a white coat, no horns in both
sexes, and are raised for meat, milk and wool.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Tsigai
Tsigai sheep originated in Southeast Europe, where they are
raised for meat and milk. There are many variations of the breed.
Some Tisigai populations have been improved by Merino and
British meat breeds. Tsigai sheep have long tails. They are good meat and milk
producers.
Tukidale
Technically, the Tukidale is a not a new breed of sheep, but
rather a Romney sheep carrying the T gene for hair. They originated on M.W.
Coop's property in New Zealand from a ram born November 26, 1966. The ram possessed
the T gene, which is dominant. The T gene is responsible not only for producing
the specialty carpet-type fleece, but also the formation of horns in the in the
male and, to a lesser extent in females.
Tukidale sheep are easy care sheep of good conformation and
high fertility, with carcass acceptability. High fleece weight with a diameter
in the range of 35-45 microns, with a high percentage of medulated fibers. They
have an extremely fast rate of wool growth, resulting in two wool clips per
year at a premium
...
Tunis
Tunis sheep are one of the oldest sheep breeds. It is believed
that they roamed the hills of Tunis and parts of Algeria in North Africa prior
to the Christian era. American Tunis sheep evolved from a number of
importations of fat-tailed sheep from Africa and the Middle East that were
crossed with established European breeds to improve the breed's meat
characteristics.
The earliest documented importation occurred in 1799, a gift
to the U.S. from the ruler of Tunisia and entrusted to the care of Judge
Richard Peters of Pennsylvania. One of the largest advocates of the Tunis breed
was Thomas Jefferson, who owned a fairly large flock. The breed could have been
a major breed in this country if most of the southern flock
...
Turchessa
Turchessa sheep
are a medium-sized autochthonous breed belonging "soft wool" group from
Campania, Italy. They may have been developed by the crossbreeding with
Mediterranean sheep "with a fat tail". The have a white coat and the males have
spiral-shaped horns. They are raised for meat and milk.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Turki
Afghanistan is home to many of Central Asia's most unique
breeds of sheep that are particularly well-adapted to the local conditions and
highly valuable commercially. The most notable is the largest breed of
fat-rumped sheep, the Turki.
Turki sheep have two distinct camel humps of fat on their
behinds. They have a high growth rate and are a good producer of mutton, but
are not a good wool producer. They are raised mostly in the northeastern parts
of Afghanistan. Turki sheep accompany refugees to neighboring Pakistan where
the breed is recognized as Afghani sheep.
Tyrol Mountain
Tyrol Moutain Sheep are found in Tyrol of Austria and
Bolzano of Italy. They are a coarse wooled breed, belonging to the Lop-eared
Alpine group, which is kept for meat production.
Tyrol Mountain sheep are similar to Carinthian sheep but they
have better wool, a white face and longer ears. They are also occasionally pied
or black. Both sexes are polled. Tyrol Mountain sheep originated from the Bergamasca,
Steinschaf, and Spiegel variety of Carinthian sheep.
Uda sheep are from Africa. They are common in Chand,
Northern Cameroon, Northern Nigeria, and Niger. There are many varieties of Uda
sheep; but usually their back half is white and their front half is brown or
black. They are also known as Pied, Ouda, North Nigerian Fulani, Louda, Houda,
Foulbe, Fellata, Bororo, Bali-Bali, and Oudah bicolore sheep.
They are Sahel-type hair sheep and they are raised mainly
for meat production.
They are small to medium sized animal. The ewes are polled
and the rams have spiral horn that project horizontally from the head.
Their ears are long and dropped, and they can either be
white or the same color as their head. Both rams and ewes are about of same
size, and they s
...
Ujumqin
Ujumqin sheep are a larger version of the Mongolian breed, are
found in Inner Mongolia, China. They have a fat tail 28 cm (11.2 in) long by 36
cm (14.4 in) wide in the male, and 22 cm long by 28 cm (8.8 in) wide in the
female. When dressed, the tail fat weighs 2 kg (4.4 lbs) or more. Ujumqin sheep
were developed due to the sharp seasonal contrast in plant growth in the
pastoral areas.
The sheep tend to deposit a large amount of fat in the body
in order to meet nutritional demands during winter and spring. They are adapted
to the unfavorable local environmental conditions of the North and Northwest Pastoral
Grasslands. Their Wool is coarse and production is low, with an annual grease
fleece weight of only about
...
Valachian sheep are a highly endangered variety of landrace.
Presently, their only breeding is done in Germany and strictly for preservation.
Valachian sheep are dual-coated with coarse, mostly white wool that reaches the
ground; gray and black are rare.
Valachian rams often have Roman noses and look imposing with
spiraling horns of up to one meter, that stick out sideways. The ewes sometimes
have corkscrew-like, fine horns. They are extremely shy, high-spirited, alert,
and loyal to its territory, nearly exhibiting the character of a wild animal. They
are remarkably hardy and frugal and can withstand extreme cold, high
precipitation, as well as drought.
Valais Blacknose
Valais Blacknose
sheep come from the Valais region of southern Switzerland. They are a rare dual-purpose breed that is raised both for
meat and for wool. Both rams and ewes are horned and they have a very distinct
“black-hole face” – their faces, eyes, and noses are all black surrounded by
long white wool.
Valais Blacknose
sheep are well adapted life
in the high mountains and they graze even on the steepest, stoniest slopes.
Other than Switzerland Valais Blacknose sheep can be found
in Germany and recently 10 ewes and one ram where imported into Scotland by a
rancher named Raymond Irvine.
Valle del Belice
Valle del Belice
sheep have a white coat and a white head. The males sometimes have horns but
the females do not. They are an autochthonous breed from Valle del Belice
(Provinces of Agrigento, Trapani and Palermo, in Sicily). They were developed
from crosses with Pinzirita and Comisana e Sarda sheep. They are raised for
milk.
Content and photo source: Agraria.org.
Van Rooy
In 1906, Senator J. C. van Rooy, of the farm Koppieskraal in
the Bethulie district of South Africa, started his experiments to propagate a
breed of sheep for slaughter lamb production: The requirements he set for this
breed, were threefold: 1. The breed had to be strong and hardy to cope with
regular droughts; 2. It had to be fertile in order to maintain a high
percentage of production; 3. It had to have an excellent conformation.
With these aims in mind he made use of a white "Blinkhaar
Afrikaner" ram and eighty Rambouillet ewes. With the progeny of these the
principle of inbreeding, coupled with severe selection, was applied. Later on,
a polled Wensleydale ram was introduced in an effort to improve conformation.
...
Varesina
Varesina sheep
are a Lop-eared Alpine breed found in the area near Biandronno, Italy. Originally
they were transhumant (migratory), and until the mid-1960's some Varesa sheep
were in flocks that summered in the Alps. All that remain today are sedentary
and are kept in small family flocks of mixed breeds. They are one of the
largest breeds of sheep in Italy, and only slightly smaller than Biella sheep.
The are white
sheep with a slightly convex hornless head. Their tail is long and thin.
They are raised mainly
for meat and their lambs are of good conformation for butchering.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Vendeen
Vendeen
Sheep's head and legs are pale to dark brown and are lightly fleeced. The body
is long with a broad back, well sprung ribs, strong loin and well developed
gigot. The breed has a noble head and broad muzzle. It is hornless and the poll
not too wide. The ears are large. It has an excellent quality close fleece
which sheds water easily. Average mature ewe weighs 65-80kg, rams 95-120kg.
Content
and Photo source: national Sheep association.
Vicentina
Vicentina sheep
are white and raised for meat. They are a variety of Lamon Sheep. They are found
on the Asiago Plateau (Vicenza Province, Lombardy Region, northern Italy).
Formerly, they were also in the Chiampo Valley. Most sheep in the area are in
family holdings of only three to four head. In the winter they are stall-fed,
but during the summer are put into bands of 700-1.000 sheep to graze in the
mountains above the plateau.
Vicentina sheep
are similar to the Lamon, except that dark colouration on their face and legs
is more extensive, and the convex profile of the head is less pronounced than
that of the Lamon.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Villnoesser
Villnosser sheep
(also known as Karntner Brillenschaf, Jesersko- Solcavska, or Brillenschaf)
were developed in the 18th century, from crossbreeding Carinthian Landrace,
Bergamask, and Paduan silk sheep. In Southern Carinthia, the Friaul, and in
Slovenia, Villnosser sheep were very common.
Villnosser sheep
are a strong and medium-sized sheep with a roman and a bare head with lop ears
of medium length. They have black spots around the eyes (glasses) contributed
to the German name of the sheep ( "Brillensheep"). Pigments may, however,
also occur at their ears and sometimes on their body or lips. Their meat is
especially aromatic. Villnosser sheep are especially characterized by
out-of-season oestrus behavior, hard hooves,
...
Vissana
Vissanna sheep
are an Italian autochthonous sheep breed from Visso in the province of
Macerata. They belong to the Apennine group and are reared in high hills but
they are able to make the most of poor pastures.
They are
medium-small sheep (males: 70 cm, females: 60 cm at the withers) with white
wool. They are raised for meat, milk, and wool.
Content and photo
source: Agraria.org.
Vlaams schaap
Vlaams Schaap are a rare multi-purpose sheep that originated
in Belgium during the late middle ages. They are sometimes confused with the
Belgium Milk Sheep.
After the Second World War all native milk sheep
were amalgamated to the Belgian milk sheep and the Flemish sheep almost
entirely disappeared. In the Netherlands, the Flemish sheep was used in the
development of the Swifter. They are a large breed, milky and fertile. They can
easily raise three lambs. Their white wool is long and curly at the ends.
Voskop
Voskop (or Fox Head) sheep are related to Ardense sheep
which were brought to the better Flemish meadows for fattening. They are average
size. Rams weigh between 70 and 80 kg (154-176 lbs.); ewes between 55 and 70 kg
(121-154 lbs.).
Ewes wean on average 1.7 lambs. Their wool is pale brown
without spotting. They are a hardy sheep, able to withstand both dryness and
dampness and cold. They produce meat of excellent quality and taste.
Wallis Country Sheep (Roux du Valais) are from Upper Wallis,
where they were once as widespread as the Valais Blacknosed Sheep. It is believed
that they are related to the now extinct Copper Sheep, Pilot Sheep, Roux de
Bagnes.
They are reddish-brown color ("roux") and are horned. They have course wool and are used for a
lean meat production. They are noted for their extreme trust in humans and a
particularly strong herd instinct. They are well suited for management of
borderline production areas and landscape care.
They nearly died out in Switzlerland in the 1980s. However,
they experienced a renaissance through the promotion of Pro Specie Rara and the
expansion of the breeding area into Romandie and German-sp
...
Waziri
Waziri sheep are from the Waziristan region of Pakistan.
They are also found in the Bannu District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
They are medium-sized, and have a white, muscular body and a
black head with small ears. They have a large tail. They are considered to be a
microsheep, as females weigh less than 25kg at maturity.
Welsh Halfbred
Welsh Halfbred, also known as Welsh Mules, are the progeny
of registered Bluefaced Leicester rams crossed with ewes of one of three hardy
hill breeds from Mid and North Wales -- the Welsh Mountain, Welsh Hill Speckled
Face and Bealah -- all having the reputation for being healthy, hardy, good
foragers with exceptional mothering qualities.
The Welsh Halfbred was developed in the 1970's to satisfy
the demand from prime lamb producers for a prolific ewe with good growth
potential, good milking capacity, and when crossed with modern breeds of meat
sires, the ability to produce prime quality, long lean-finished lambs. Facial
coloration varies from white to a dark mottled or speckele
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Welsh Hill Speckled Face
Welsh Hill
Speckled Face Sheep are a very attractive breed with black markings on
nose, eyes, ears, knees and feet on an otherwise white body. Ewes are polled,
but both horned and polled rams are acceptable. Average mature ewe weighs 50-55kg,
rams 60-70kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association.
Welsh Mountain
Welsh Mountain ewes have a white or tan face, they have a
strong close textured fleece and a typical ewe clip weighs up to 2kg. The ram
is usually, but not always, horned. Average mature ewe weighs 35-40kg on the
hill or mountain but can add a further 10kg when drafted onto lowland.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association.
Wensleydale
Wensleydale are very large longwool sheep. They have a bold
and alert carriage which is accentuated by their broad, level backs on wide
quarters and strong thighs. They have a distinctive deep blue head and ears,
which should be clean except for a well-developed forelock of wool, usually
referred to as the 'topping'. Both genders are polled. Average mature ewe
weighs 113kg, rams 136kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
West African
West African Sheep are
not found in west Africa, they are found in Colombia, Venezuela, and the
Caribbean. They are usually brown, ranging in shade from tan to brown and
cherry-red to dark red. They are very similar to Pelibuey sheep in size and
confirmation. They are polled and the male is sometimes maned.
West African Dwarf
West African Dwarfs (also known as Djallonkes) are the
dominant sheep breed from southwest to central Africa. They are found from
Senegal to Chad, Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo. They are well
adapted to life in humid forested area, sub-humid areas and savannahs. They are
primarily raised for meat.
West African Dwarfs are generally white or piebald (their
front half is black and their back half is white). However, skewbald (tan on
white) and blackbelly patterns are found, and the Kirdi type are specially
selected to be entirely black.
The rams weigh approximately 37 kg (82 lb), have a
well-developed thro
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White Headed Marsh
White Headed Marsh Sheep originated in the north sea marshes
of West Germany. Its beginnings can be traced back to the mid-1800s when North
German Marsh sheep, the local milk sheep, were crossed with imported British
longwool breeds, including the Cotswold.
In Denmark and North Germany the White Headed Marsh live
outside in very wet and cold conditions. They are known for their hardiness,
natural immunity, easy-care and excellent meat. They lamb at 180% in Denmark.
White Headed Marsh are similar-looking to Romneys or
Coopworths, but are much larger with meaty hindquarters and wide deep loin and
rack meat (the most valuable cuts).
Content and Photo Source:
New Zealand Rare Breeds (www.rarebreeds.c
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White Horned Heath
White Horned Heath sheep originated from the Grey Horned
Heath Sheep and was first developed as a separate breed at the beginning of the
20th century. The original herds consisted of both horned and polled animals. A
few years later they were divided into two breeds, the polled called White
Polled Heath or Moorschnucke.
Since 1949, the White Horned Heath has been recognized as a
new race. They are a small landrace breed which can be used to preserve heath
and moor areas. They are always pure white, both sexes are horned, the meat is
of very high quality and tastes like venison.
White Mountain
White Mountain (also known as Deutsches Bergschaf) sheep are found in the Bavarian Alps and
Pre-alps of southern Germany. They were developed by grading local breeds to
Bergamasca and Tyrol Mountain sheep. They are a coarse to medium wooled breed
and are polled.
White Polled Heath
White Polled Heath are hardy and frugal sheep from the northern
German counties of Diepholz, Nienburg, and Rotenburg. They are white,
dual-coated, graceful landrace with a small frame. They have a slender head with
small ears that stick out to the side. Both sexes are hornless and have
light-colored, hard hoofs. They mature slowly.
Their numbers have dwindled. Their decline started when ranchers
no longer paid shepherds to take their flocks grazing on the moors. It took the
involvement of nature protectors and breeders to save them from extinction.
White Suffolk
Beginning in 1977, Dr. Ewan Roberts of the University of New
South Wales in Australia started a breeding program to develop a terminal sire
breed of sheep. His goals were to have a breed with the confirmation,
structure, and growth of the Suffolk, but with a white head and legs. The
initial cross was between Suffolk and Polled Dorset and separately Suffolk
crossed with Border Leicester. The F2 and subsequent generations were selected
against black points and for increased gain.
White Suffolk sheep have similar features to Suffolk sheep,
however, instead of dark points the White Suffolk has a white face and legs.
Whiteface Dartmoor
Whiteface Dartmoor Sheep have a white head and face, the
face of the ewe being free of wool, the ears are short and thick with
occasional black spots on them. They were always horned but this feature has
tended to disappear over the years, particularly amongst the ewes. The body is
deep, broad and of medium length. The wool is white, of good staple and with a
fairly strong crimp. Average mature ewe weighs 54kg, rams 74kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep Association
Whitefaced Woodland
Whiteface Woodland Sheep are a large-framed hill breed has a
broad face which should be white with a pink nose. The legs are white and free
from wool. The fleece is white and of a very fine quality. They are horned in
both sexes, the males having heavy spiraling horns. The sheep are strong boned
and long in the body. Their tails have a distinct muscular appearance. Average
mature ewe weighs 63kg, rams 130kg.
Wiltshire Polled, also known as Wiltipoll, Sheep are polled
sheep that were developed in Australia. Development was started with Wiltshire
Horned ewes and expanded with Border Leicester, Perendale, Poll Dorset, and
Poll Merino genetics.
Wiltshire Polled Sheep are large (they weigh up to 125 kg -276
lb), are very hardy, and can survive on rough, scrubby feed. They are primarily
raised for meat.
Wiltshire Polled Sheep shed their wool annually. Due to this
process, the energy of the sheep is directed into meat and milk, not wool. They
are therefore very low maintenance as there is no need for shearing, crutching,
jetting, dipping and docking of tails. They are grass seed resistant and fly
and lice resistant,
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Wiltshire Horn
Wiltshire Horn Sheep have no wool. They are an old
established lowland breed that is large and white faced. Both sexes are horned
and wool-less. Average mature ewe weighs 72kg, rams 126kg.
Content and Photo Source: National Sheep association.
Woodstock
One of New Zealand's lesser known flocks of feral sheep has
been found on Woodstock Station, lying on the middle reaches of the Waimakariri
River valley west of Oxford in Canterbury. The Station is immediately adjacent
to the Oxford State Forest, New Zealand.
During initial surveys of feral sheep in the 1970s they were
considered to be of little significance and were among those tagged for
eradication by the Department of Conservation. However, a more recent awareness
of the potential genetic importance of feral flocks of early origin has
resulted in a renewed interest in the Woodstock sheep.
The flock is believed to have originated from an
introduction of Merinos to the Station in the 1890s, a time when there
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Wrzosowka
Wrzosowka sheep belong to the Northern type of short-tailed
sheep which have been kept for centuries in different regions of Europe,
including Northeastern parts of Poland. They are unique among Polish sheep
breeds, since they are extremely adaptable to difficult conditions,
disease-resistant, and prolific. They are able to reproduce all year round.
They are rather thin and small, proportionally built. Their
fleece is usually consists of two layers: down and medulated hair. Their skins
are used for fur coat production. Ewes are usually polled, while rams have
widely set black horns. Wrzosowka sheep are the only surviving primitive sheep
breed in Poland. A conservation program was started in 1981.
Xinjiang Finewool sheep were among the first of the Chinese
breeds and they played a part in the establishment of other breeds. The
original crosses were between Russian Merino rams, probably of the Caucasian,
Precoce, and Stravrapol types, with local breeds of ewe. The most important of
these breeds was the Kazakh, but some Mongolian ewes were also used.
There followed a program of backcrossing to the Merino
parent, with some interbreeding and selection. Australian rams were used to a
limited extend during the 1970s in the development of the Xinjiang breed. The
Xinjiang Finewool is a dual-purpose sheep with emphasis placed on wool
production and body weight.
There are no Sheep breeds that start with the letter Y.
Zerasca are
medium-sized white sheep from Zeri (Lunigiana, Tuscany), Italy.
Among the local
Tuscan ovine breeds that survived the extinction process linked to the changes
in farming systems and market demands, the Zerasca breed is very appreciated
from farmer for its rusticity and for the capacity to produce heavy lamb,
reared with its mother at pasture until the slaughtering age of 60 days that
furnish meat very appreciated by consumer.
Content and
Photo Source: Agraria.org.
Zulu
Zulu sheep are native to South Africa and are
predominantly raised by rural farmers in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. They
are raised primarily for meat. They belong to the Nguni type of sheep.
Zulu sheep are small, multicolored sheep that
are well suited to the harsh conditions and very tolerate to diseases. In
addition they can walk long distances and have good foraging ability.
Nevertheless, their existence is
threatened. Their place is being taken up by less adapted exotic breeds, either
by replacement or crossbreeding. This change is being driven by the perception,
held by most farmers, that indigenous livestock show poorer performance
compared to their exotic counterparts. This line of thinking has b
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Zwartbles
Zwartbles sheep are from the Friesland region of the north
Netherlands. They are primarily used for the production of sheep milk as well
as lamb and mutton. They are known for being docile and friendly, and they are
also prolific milkers and are excellent mothers.
Zwartble sheep have a distinct appearance; they have a black/brown fleece,
a white blaze on the face, 2 - 4 white socks, and a white tail tip (which is
traditionally left undocked). Both rams and ewes are polled. They are
relatively large sheep: ewes weigh an average of 85 kg (187lb), and rams 100 kg
(220 lb).
They have dense fleece that ranges from black to brown with sun bleached
tips, some silvering maybe present in older animals. Their wool is
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