Sheep breeds
It is difficult to know how many breeds of sheep there are in the world, as only developed
countries usually maintain breed registries. However, it is believed that there are more breeds of
sheep than breeds of any other livestock species, with the exception of poultry. Worldwide, it is
estimated that there are more than 1000 distinct sheep breeds. There are more than 50 breeds
in the United States alone.
Sheep come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors, and there are many ways to classify sheep:
Fine wool ewes (Rambouillet) according to their primary purpose (meat, milk, or wool), the type of coat they have or fibers
they grow (fine, medium, long or carpet wool; or hair), the color of their faces (black, white, red,
or moddled), and/or by specific physical or production characteristics.
The Rambouillet, related to the Merino, is the most common breed of sheep in the U.S., especially
the western states where the majority of sheep in the U.S. can still be found. Fine wool sheep are
best adapted to arid and semi-arid regions. Besides being known for their high quality wool, they
are known for their longevity and strong flocking instinct.
Hair Sheep
Some breeds lack wool and are covered with hair instead, like their wild ancestors. Some hair
sheep have pure hair coats, whereas others have coats that contain a mixture of hair and wool
fibers that shed naturally. Hair sheep are found mostly in Africa and the Caribbean, but are also
raised in temperate climates, such as the U.S. and Canada.
Hair sheep account for about 10 percent of the world's sheep population and are the fastest
growing segment of the American sheep industry. In fact, the Katahdin, an American breed of
hair sheep, now leads all US sheep breeds in registration numbers and transfers. Interest in hair
sheep is also developing in Australia, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
Fat-tailed sheep
Hair sheep (Pelibüey) Fat tailed or fat-rumped sheep are so-named because they can store large amounts of fat in their
tail and rump. Fat-tailed sheep are found mostly in the extreme environments in Africa, the
Middle East, and Asia. They grow wool, but are raised primarily for their meat or milk. Fat-tailed
sheep comprise 25 percent of the world's sheep population. The only fat-tailed sheep in the U.S.
is the Karakul. The fat-tail was bred out of the Tunis. The Awassi, a fat-tail sheep from the Middle
East was recently introduced to the U.S. via semen and embryos.
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Prolific breeds
Some sheep breeds are known for their prolificacy or high birth rates. Some were found to be
naturally prolific whereas selection has resulted in the high prolificacy of others. The first prolific
breed identified was the Finnish Landrace (Finn). The Romanov was the next breed identified as
being highly fertile. The Booroola Merino is the most recently discovered prolific breed. However,
it differs from the Finn and Romanov, in that its prolificacy is due to a single gene. In prolific
breeds, litter size usually exceeds 2.5 lambs per birth.
Primitive breeds
Primitive breeds have developed with minimal human selection pressure. They typically possess
considerable genetic variation between members, but share characteristics indicative of a breed.
A primitive breed will typically retain survival characteristics that favor production (and survival)
with minimal human inputs.
Fat-rumped rams (Turki) Consistency among the products produced by the breed is somewhat lacking, but they are an
Photo courtesy of Fardeen Omidwar important source of genetic variation that may not exist anywhere else. Many primitive breeds
live in isolated mountain regions or on islands. Like some species of wildlife, many are
endangered. Fortunately conservation efforts are underway to preserve these important genetic
resources. Some producers niche market the meat from primitive breeds.
Primitive breed
(Old Norwegian Sheep)
Photo courtesy of Hilde Buer
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