Identify These Sheep Breeds Flashcards

The Hampshire is a large, open faced and active sheep with a mild disposition. Mature rams should weigh 275 pounds or more and mature ewes should weigh 200 pounds or more in breeding condition. The ears should be moderate in length, thick, covered with a coarse dark brown or black hair and free from wool. The face should be of good length, dark in color and practically free of wool from the eyes down. An unbroken woolcap should extend from the neck over the forehead. Any wool interfering with vision should be considered serious. Legs below the knee and hock should be relatively free of wool. The Hampshire should show quality without weakness and size without coarseness.

The exact history of the Dorset sheep is found wanting for some positive record of origin. History does tell us that centuries ago, Spain wished to conquer England, and possibly during this time, the Merino sheep were brought into Southwest England and were crossed with the Horned Sheep of Wales, which produced a desirable all-purpose sheep which met the needs of that time. Thus began a breed of sheep which spread over Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and most of Wales and were called Horned Dorsets. In the USA they are called Dorset.

The Balwen has a base color of black/brown or dark gray, with a white blaze on the face, four white feet and a half white tail. The name Balwen is derived from the Welsh phrase Bal meaning white blaze.en

The Ryeland is a Downs type sheep originating from Herefordshire in England and was introduced into Australia in 1919. It was one of the breeds used to introduce the poll gene to the Dorset breed in the development of the Poll Dorset.

Teeswater Found in Northern England, especially Teesdale, County Durham.

The Cotswold breed originated in the Cotswold Hills of Gloucester, a south midland county of England touching the Bristol Channel. The Cotswold Hills cover an area of about 280,000 acres, have an average elevation of between 500 and 600 feet and are not particularly fertile. The soils do contain considerable lime, and the area raises fair crops of small grains and roots. Because of its mild, temperate climate, the area is well suited to sheep raising. The name "Cotswold" was given the breed because in the early days they were folded or housed in shelters known locally as "cots" or "cotes" and they were pastured on the wild, treeless hills of the area, called "wolds".

The original Suffolks were the result of crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk Horned ewes. Apparently the product of this cross was a great improvement over either one of the parents. Although the Suffolk was a recognized breed as early as 1810, the flock book was not closed until much later.

The Cheviot is a distinctive white-faced sheep, with wool-free head and legs, pricked ears, black muzzle and black feet. It is a very alert, active sheep, with a stylish, lively carriage.

The Corriedale is a dual-purpose sheep. It is large-framed, polled with good carcass quality. Although its role has traditionally been to produce premium lambs when mated to sires of meat breeds, the Corriedale is now achieving comparative performance rates with purebred lambs.

The Southdown is best suited for farm flock production. It is a medium to small sized breed with a gray to mouse-brown face and lower legs and is polled (hornless). Southdown are an early maturing breed with good lambing ability and average milk production. They excel in a cross breeding program in their ability to produce meaty lamb carcasses at light weights and hot-house lambs. The Soutdown is adaptable to varied and wet climates.

Badger Face Welsh

The Manx Loaghtan is found on the Isle of Man off the coast of Great Britain. It is of the Northern Short-tailed type, similar to the Hebridean. The Manx Loaghtan is descended from the primitive sheep once found throughout Scotland and the coastal islands of Britain. The word Loaghtan comes from lugh dhoan which means mouse-brown. This has become the established color in the Isle of Man although they were formerly found in white and black also. The breed is rare. It is small, with no wool on the face or legs. The face and the legs are a dark brown color. Manx Loaghtan are horned with four horns being preferred but individuals are also found with two or six horns.

AcipayamThis breed originated from Assaf crossed with Awassi/Dagliç ewes. They are used for meat, milk and wool production and are found in the Ege region of Turkey.

Adal Also Known By: Adali, AfarThe Adal is found in the region surrounding Dancalia in northeastern Ethiopia. They are a meat breed and blond in color (white to light brown). Occasionally they are also pied or dark brown. They are one of the hair sheep breeds, are polled and often earless.

The Africana is found in Colombia and Venezuela. They are usually brown, ranging in shade from tan to brown and cherry-red to dark red. They are very similar to the Pelibüey in size and confirmation. The breed is polled and the male is sometimes maned.