1. Intro to Animal Science Animal Science Spring 2005
Breeds of Sheep
Intro to Animal Science
Animal Science
Spring 2005

2. Classes of Sheep Fine Wool Medium Wool Long Wool Crossbred Wool
Carpet Wool
Fur

3. Fine Wool Breeds
Merino
Rambouillet

4. Merino Ancient breed, Spanish Fine quality wool Base of many breeds
Contributed more than any other breed
Dates clear back to Roman times.
Spain's conquering armies took Merino sheep with them to the new world for food and clothing.
Pure Merino is still the most luxurious wool on the market today, the result of more then twelve hundred years of unbroken breeding.
Merinos are hardy, gregarious and long-lived, traits favored by sheep producers worldwide.
The American sheep industry is rediscovering the Merino, for its fine fleece as well as its ability to breed out of season and produce under harsh conditions.
Three types of merinos: A, B, and C.
A and B have wrinkled skin and are called American Merinos
C has very little wrinkled skin and are called Delaine Merions
Delaine Merino popular in the United States: white and grows 2.5-3” per year More uniform than the fleece of American Merincos Largest of marinos

5. Rambouillet Big, hearty Prolific breeders Good mothers Fine-wool
Good carcass
Dual purpose
Easy to handle
"backbone" of the American Sheep Industry, forming the foundation of most western range flocks and raised throughout the United States.
The Rambouillet descends entirely from the Spanish Merino.
dual purpose sheep, producing a desirable carcass and good fine wool.
large sized, rugged and long-lived with a strong flocking instinct.
ewes possess many desirable traits which have resulted in their inclusion in crossbreeding programs to improve lamb production.
Breed category: fine wool, dual-purpose

6. Medium Wool Breeds Cheviot Dorset Finn Hampshire Shropshire Southdown
Suffolk
Oxford

7. Cheviot Small, white with black nostrils Medium-wool Meat
Hardy, bred to look after themselves
Northern England, Southern Scotland
Small and blocky body type
White face and legs with black nostrils
Polled
4-5” fleece
Bad flocking instincts

8. Dorset All white Horned or polled Medium size Medium wool
Good mothers, good milkers multiple births
Produce lambs anytime
2nd most popular breed in US
known for their ability to produce a lamb crop any time during the year. H
Medium size
Blocky body type
Ears, noce face and legs are white
Polled and horned
Dorset ewes are prolific, heavy milkers that produce lambs with moderate growth and maturity that yield heavy muscled carcasses.

9. Finn Sheep Small Wool Prolific-good mothers active Finland
considered to be several hundred years old,
First imported to the United States in 1968,
Finn ewes are hardy, will lamb on an accelerated lambing program, have strong maternal instincts and are highly prolific.
Lambs are noted for their high livability.
have been valued for their soft fleeces of medium wool.
Breed category: medium wool, short-tailed, prolific

10. Hampshire Large, open faced Medium-wool docile Polled Rapid growth
southern England
were first brought to the United States in 1860, but all of the flocks were either destroyed or scattered during the Civil War. Importations in large numbers did not resume until the 1880's.
large breed, with black faces and legs and wool on the legs and head.
fast growth rate and superior carcass merit
Breed category: medium wool, meat

11. Oxford Largest of the medium wool breeds Dual purpose Blocky body
Face ears and legs are gray to brown
Polled
Wool extends over poll to eyes
Prolific, good milkers, efficient rates of gain

12. Suffolk Most common breed in the US (40%) Medium-wool Polled
Black face, no wool on legs
Meat breed
In US accounting for more than fifty percent of purebred sheep registrations.
first Suffolk's were brought to the United States in 1888, but it wasn't until after the second World War when the sheep industry moved towards a larger, meatier, open faced sheep that Suffolk's gained in prominence.
large breed with a distinctive all-black head and legs that are free of wool.
Suffolk lambs grow faster than any other breed and yield heavy, high cutability carcasses of the type demanded by today's health conscience consumers.
reed category: medium wool, meat

13. Shropshire Dual-Purpose Breed Medium sized
Medium wool: heaviest producers
Wool on face, dark legs
Hearty, vigorous, meaty
Docile
Extremely feed efficient
 Prolific mothers
 Easy lambers
Multiple births
 Longevity  
good, middle-of-the-road sheep,
medium to large in size, with dark faces and wool on the legs.
First imported into the United States in 1855, until the 1930's,
Called the "Ideal Farm Sheep,"
Shropshires were boasted to have "wool from the tip of the nose to the tip of the toes."
evolved into a very modern and productive breed, perfect for families with youth projects.
Breed category: medium wool, meat

14. Southdowns Medium to small sized Polled Medium-wool Meat breed
Early maturing
Good lambing and average milk
Feed conversion
one of the oldest sheep breeds,
it is known that they were introduced very early in the history of the country.
adapt well to intensive management, pass their superb conformation onto their offspring, and can thrive and maintain flesh where many other breeds would virtually starve.B
reed category: medium wool, meat

15. Crossbred Wool
Columbia

16. Columbia developed in the US Produce more wool and lambs Wool breed
Large breed
Good mothers
Fast growing
Gentle
All-American breed, the first to originate in the United States.
Lincoln (Long wool breed) and Rambouillet crosses.
breed that produced more pounds of wool and lamb and could replace crossbreeding on the range.
found widespread acceptance throughout the United States and is used increasingly to sire crossbred market lambs.
Columbias are one of the larger-sized breeds.
They produce a heavy, medium-wool fleece with good staple length and hardy, fast-growing lambs.
Breed category: medium wool, dual purpose

17. Other Breeds Crossbred Wool Medium Wool Long Wool Carpet Wool
Corriedale
Panama
Romeldale
Targhee
Tailless
Carpet Wool
Black-faced Highland
Fur Sheep
Karakul (Asia)
Medium Wool
Montedale
Tunis (N. Africa)
Long Wool
Cotswold
Leicester
Lincoln
Romney