V. Breeds_Sheep Flashcards
are even-toed, hoofed animals
They are cud-chewing animals with the upper incisor teeth missing and with a four-compartmented stomach.
Sheep
A. Fine Wool Breeds
American Merino
Debouillet
Delaine merino
B. Long Wool Breeds
Cotswold
Lincoln
Romney
C. Carpet Wool Breeds
Black-faced Highland
Drysdale
D. Fur-Sheep Breed (Central Asia)
Karakul (for Pelt)
E. Local/Meat— Type Breeds
Barbados Blackbelly
Philippine Sheep
F. Medium Wool/Meat Breeds
Cheviot
Columbia
Dorset
Hampshire
Suffolk
Sheep bred for their fine wool account for nearly half the world sheep population. They are adapted to semiarid conditions and are characterized as medium in size, with the ability to produce large amounts of wool fibers 20 micrometers or less in diameter.
Found extensively in Australia, New Zealand, South America, and the western United States, most sheep of this type belong to the merino breed, which originated in the Mediterranean area and became concentrated in Spain. The breed, however, has
been modified and adapted to the conditions prevalent in various countries, and the different subtypes are usually called merinos combined with the name of their adopted country-for example, the Australian merino. The Rambouillet, similar to the
merino, is the other major breed of fine-wool sheep.
Fine-Wool Breeds
Mutton-type sheep, which consist of medium-and long-woaol breeds, have been bred primarily for the meat. They account for about 15 percent of the world sheep population. Among the medium-wool breeds are the Suffolk, Hampshire, Shropshire,
Southdown, Dorset, Isle-de-France,Cheviot, and Oxford; and long-wool breeds, the largest of all breeds, include the Leicester, Lincoln, Cotswold, and Romney Marsh. In the United States, long wool breeds are used extensively as sires with fine-wool and
crossbred females for the production of market lambs.
Mutton-Type Sheep
These sheep are so named because they can store large amounts of fat in the tail and the region of the rump. They are kept primarily for their milk-producing ability, which is higher than that of other types, their wool, however, is coarse and long and is
used primarily for making carpets.
Fat-tailed Sheep
Domesticated sheep on the whole are much more wholly than their wild allies, but some breeds lack wool and are covered with hair. They are found primarily in tropical regions and are primarily for meat. Among the breeds of this type are the Black-bellied Barbados, Blackhead Persian, and the Peliquey.
Haired Sheep
