Docile in nature, most Merino are polled no horns , make good mothers, and are fairly hardy and adaptable animals. They're bred for wool production and don't reach market weight as quickly as sheep that are bred for meat. This author happens to think they have one of the cutest faces of any sheep, but that's beside the point.
Merino sheep are also a popular breed to use in competition sheep showing, and a specific breed standard can be located through a simple Google search. For the small farmer or homesteader, Merino sheep would be a good choice for home meat production because they are easy keepers.
Although the lambs won't reach standard market rate as quickly as those of other breeds, small-scale operations can certainly afford to forgive this tidbit. Aside from needing to be shorn as almost all wool sheep do, no matter the grade , they don't require much special care or considerations. And if you can find a vendor to sell the wool to, or process the wool yourself into marketable products, I'd wager you can produce enough income from wool alone to at least have the Merinos paying their own keep.
The Polypay isn't so much a "breed" of sheep as it is a hybrid type. That seems kind of confusing, but basically the story behind the Polypay is that some producers got together in the s and decided they wanted to create a new type of sheep that would meet specific demands. These included two lamb crops per year, one good wool crop per year, hardiness, good mothering skills, and a heavy carcass weight. The participating in the experiment found these various traits in the four breeds of sheep mentioned above and set about combining different variations and crosses of these animals to create the "perfect" sheep.
I'm in favor of the Polypay in fact, I own three of them because they represent a wonderful phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. Hybrid vigor occurs when different, specialized breeds with different, specialized traits are bred with one another.
Oftentimes, the best and most desirable traits of each breed involved in the cross will show up in the offspring. The interesting thing is that it's often the case that when breeding hybrids to hybrids, they don't "breed true"—that is, the traits that were present in the parents stop showing up in the offspring, or show up to a lesser degree, at a certain point.
This is a result of less dominant traits that may have been "hidden" in the DNA beginning to show through as more dominant traits are bred out. Cool stuff, wouldn't you say? You've probably noted that I value genetic diversity in livestock animals, even over production efficiency, so I'm a proud owner of the large-sized, hardy, highly prolific Polypay. And I can't wait to see what kind of interesting crosses and genetic throw-backs I get out of my girls.
For the small farmer, Polypays are an excellent choice of sheep. They can breed year-round, throw two lamb crops per year, their wool is good enough to sell, and yearling ewes are able to breed and successfully produce twins or more. They're easy to obtain, easy to keep healthy, easy to breed, and easy to sell. The Suffolk is easily one of the most popular breeds of sheep for meat production. Created prior to the 19th century by crossing the meaty and muscular Southdown with the hardy and semi-wild Norfolk Horned sheep, the Suffolk developed qualities taken from both its parent breeds and combined them well.
Suffolks are easily distinguishable from other breeds of sheep by their white wool, black faces, and long, black legs. They are almost always polled, and mature ewes can weigh up to pounds. Large and hearty, good mothers, and prolific to boot, it's no wonder the Suffolk is many a farmer's breed of choice for meat sheep. Like the Merino, the Suffolk is also a popular sheep for showing in competition. Whether for home-use lamb or mutton or for producing lambs to sell to customers or to market, the Suffolk sheep would be a good addition to a small farmer's or homesteader's flock.
Producers of Suffolk must remember to use a de-wormer for their sheep on a regular schedule, as these animals don't perform well with a high worm load. Another consideration is that, while adult Suffolks generally do very well on pasture and forage, the lambs may need supplemental grain in order to reach ideal market weight quickly. This problem can be sidestepped by lambing earlier in the season, or can simply be ignored.
Additionally, though it has been said that Suffolk are easy-lambers, I have it on good authority that this is not always the case; therefore, you should monitor your Suffolk ewes carefully as lambing approaches to avoid losses. The lamb in the foreground and ewe in the background are both Hog Islands. The Hog Island Sheep takes its name from a small island off the coast of Virginia. The ancestors of the Hog Island Sheep were brought to the island in the 18th century, and abandoned sometime in the early twentieth century.
The thousands of sheep went "feral," and were later removed from the island in the mid-twentieth century when conservation groups deemed that their presence on the island was destructive to the native habitat.
Because of the nearly-two centuries of isolation, the Hog Island Sheep is genetically unique, especially among American sheep breeds. In fact, this is one of the few if not the only breed of sheep that prefers to browse rather than graze, much like a goat. What makes this breed of sheep so interesting to me is its ability to forage, and thrive on very little when compared to more commercial and modern breeds of sheep. The value in these breeds, is in their carcass. The Katahdin , St.
Croix , Barbados and Dorper are the most popular breeds of hair sheep raised for meat. The Katahdin is a hardy, easy-lambing animal that produces a quality carcass. The Dorper , though a bit fattier if not processed early, is also a good meat breed choice. The Barbados Blackbelly , however, are thinner and not nearly as docile. Breeds raised for their dense, fine-crimp wool such as the Merino , Rambouillet , and Debouillet are renowned for their ability to produce high quality wool which is sought after for the construction of high-end clothing.
This is in large part due to the softness of the fibers thanks to a tight, high crimp waviness fleece. These sheep tend to look dirty on the farm because their superior wool is packed with lanolin the natural grease in wool which attracts dirt and dust like a magnet. Sheep breeds like the Columbia , Corriedale or the Polypay offer sheep breeders the opportunity to raise sheep with valuable wool and valuable meat production abilities.
Leatherwood Creek Farm. Tunis is thought to have originated nearly years ago in Tunisia. These are one of those fat-tailed sheep that are loved by the regular lamb eaters.
Tunis are excellent foragers and grazers. They usually do not need additional supplementation and are quite profitable. Although Tunis is a dual-purpose breed, nowadays they are being raised for market meat production. The sheep are quite hardy and able to thrive in a hot and dry climate. The Barbados Blackbelly is a dark-haired sheep breed that originated from Barbados in the West Indies.
American Blackbellly on the other hand was derived by crossing the naturally polled Barbados with mouflon sheep, Dorsets and Merinos. Both breeds are pretty similar and both have small carcasses.
What they lack in size, they make up in quality and taste of meat. Unlike the other sheep breeds in this list, Blackbelly sheep are not usually common among farmers who market sheep meat. Blackbellies exhibit great resistant to internal parasites and heat stress. These sheep are also quite easy-going about pasture and feed needs. The ewes give birth twice a year and have between 1. The exact origins of Shropshire Down are unknown but believed to be a result of improvement of indigenous sheep of Staffordshire and Shropshire border areas in England.
It is a medium-sized, long-lived sheep typically popular for meat and wool. Meat from Shropshire is succulent, tender and full of flavour. Shropshire sheep need abundant feed which is a common complaint sheep raisers have about Shropshire.
Dorset Horn is a British breed that is currently at risk in many countries. Although its origins are unknown, it is thought that the Dorset Horn was developed by crossbreeding Merinos with native, horned Welsh sheep. The spiral horns of the rams make the breed straight away recognizable.
The meat is consistent, succulent, very mild and tender tasting. It is succulent and has a muttony sheep taste. The sheep do well on good pasture and often do not need extra supplementation. The Dorset ewes give birth to three lambs a year, which is appealing for the farmers who are interested in marketing lambs for meat.
They make excellent foragers and would rarely need supplementation. The Montadale sheep breed is one of the youngest breeds of sheep in existence, originating in the United States as a cross between the large. The North Country Cheviot sheep originated in the north of Scotland and was first brought over to the U. They are known as. The Oxford sheep breed was developed in Oxford County in England. A mix between Hampshires and Cotwolds, it has also been suggested that in the.
The Shropshire sheep breed originated in England. Farmers developed the breed by crossbreeding Leicester, Southdown, Cotswold and native sheep.
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