Breed Display

Gotland

Posted: April 11, 2021

Breed Type: Dual-Purpose Breed
Country of Origin: Sweden
Breed Association Websites:
gsbana.org
americangotlandsheep.org

Gotland sheep are a dual purpose breed that is renowned worldwide for their clear grey, lusciously soft, curly pelts. Arising from the “Gute” landrace breed on Gotland Island, their ancestors were carried on Viking ships for food and the wool to make clothing and sails. Although some historians believe that the modern Gotland was created by crossing the Gute with imported Romanov and/or British longwool breeds, others, including long term breeders on Gotland island believe that the modern Gotland was created strictly by selection of the best sheep on the island. This controversy will likely only be resolved once we have the genetic ability to discriminate the genetics of different breeds.

Gotland sheep are beautiful, friendly, medium sized sheep. They have no horns (though occasionally small scurs appear), have clean heads and legs and, like many of the northern breeds, have short, clean pointy tails. They are fine boned, with slender legs and necks, alert faces and ears, and well defined belly for rumen space. They do well on grass and are perfect sheep for small holdings and grass-fed lamb.

Their crowning feature, however, is their wool, …

Jacob

Posted: April 11, 2021

Breed Type: Minor Breed
Country of Origin: England
Breed Association Websites:
jsba.org
jacobsheepconservancy.com

Jacob sheep are a primitive (unimproved), multi-horned, spotted sheep. Jacobs are small in stature, with mature ewes weighing 80-120 pounds, and rams weighing 120-180 pounds. The Jacob breed was developed about 400 years ago in England, where the sheep were kept at just a few large estates. The name Jacob was applied only in the last century (probably because of the reference to spotted sheep in the Biblical story of Jacob). Before that, they were known as piebald (spotted or patched) sheep.

Horns: Both males and females are horned, generally one or two pairs, with some rams and ewes having up to six horns. The ram has larger and more striking horns. The two-horned ram has the classic horizontal double curled horn. The four-horned ram has two vertical center horns, which may be up to two feet or more in length, and two smaller side horns, which grow down along the sides of the ram’s head. The horns on the ewe are smaller in diameter, shorter in length and appear more delicate than those of the ram.

Markings: The Jacob is a white sheep with black spots. …

Black Leicester Longwool

Posted: April 10, 2021

Breed Type: Wool Breed
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Breed Association Website: leicesterlongwool.org

The Leicester Longwool is one of the “luster longwool” breeds, so designated for the sheen and brilliance of their wool. The sheep appear to shine just after shearing, when the clean wool next to their skin catches the sunlight and makes them glisten for a few days before the dust and dirt of their environment catches up to them and the glow is hidden for another year.

The Leicester Longwool breed is also known as the English Leicester (pronounced lester). The breed was developed in England in the mid 1700s by innovative breeder Robert Bakewell, the first to use modern selection techniques to improve livestock breeds. Bakewell transformed a coarse, large boned, slow growing animal into one that grew rapidly for market and produced a higher quality fleece.

News of Bakewell’s ideas reached the colonies before the American Revolution and so intrigued George Washington that he made reference to them in several letters. Washington was particularly interested in Bakewell’s sheep, writing that he made the “choice of good rams from the English Leicester breed” for his own flock. In 1837, the agriculturist Youatt wrote that, “within little …

Barbados Blackbelly

Posted: April 10, 2021

Breed Type: Hair Breed
Country of Origin: Barbados
Breed Association Website: blackbellysheep.org

HEAD
Ideal: The shape of the head is oval to triangular with a typical “roman” nose. The head of the ram is distinctly masculine, and that of the ewe is feminine. The muzzle is wide and strong with firm lips. Incisor teeth must meet the dental pad.
Acceptable: A ewe’s head may exhibit some less feminine coarseness, but it must still be decidedly distinct from the ram’s head.
Discouraged: Muzzle more narrow than ideal.
Not to Standard: Overshot or undershot jaw

EARS
Ideal: The ears are pointed and when alert stick out from the side of the head parallel to the ground. The ear length should be approximately one-half the width of the animal’s skull at the widest point of the skull. Some variation in the size of the ears is permitted.
Acceptable: Ears pointing forward, ears not parallel to the ground.
Discouraged: Floppy adult ears, half ears or less ( “elf” ears).

EYES
Ideal: The eyes are almond shaped. The irises of the eyes can be any shade of brown or golden brown.
Discouraged: Eyes of a color other than brown or golden brown.
Not to Standard: …

Wensleydale

Posted: April 10, 2021

Breed Type: Wool Breed
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Breed Association Website: wensleydalesheep.org

The Wensleydale breed from the United Kingdom has recently been established in the United States, with its development to date based on imported semen. It is a very large, prolific longwool sheep which has been used in Britain as a ewe-sire breed, mated to hill-breed ewes to produce prolific crossbred females.

This breed presented by

Crimson Shamrock
David Moran
893 Eglon Road
Eglon, WV 26716
(304) 288-9533
moc.l1781681894oa@na1781681894romdd1781681894D1781681894…

Perendale

Posted: April 8, 2021

Breed Type: Dual Purpose
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Breed Association Website: perendale.org

Rare in the US, but common in NZ, where they originated, Perendales are perfect “starter sheep”. A dual-purpose breed, they provide both meat and abundant high-quality wool that appeals to handspinners. They share the better attributes of both parent breeds (Cheviots and Romney’s): easy lambers, excellent mothers, good parasite resistance, feet that rarely need trimming, and intelligent, sensible dispositions. They are “thrifty” sheep thriving on marginal forage.