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** Manchega**
The Manchega sheep comes from the Entrefino breed and has a double
production use: milk and sheepmeat. Among this breed, there are
two accepted varieties: black and white. The latter one makes
up more than 90% of the animals. The average milk production is
100 liters (26.4 gallons) per animal a year, being markedly seasonal
during the months of April, May and June. Manchego cheese is the
most important and well-known sheeps milk cheese in Spain.
True Manchega cheese is made only from whole milk of the Manchega
sheep raised in the "La Mancha" region. This region
is a vast high plateau, more than 600 meters (1,969 ft) above
sea level.
Breed
categories: dual purpose (dairy and meat)
Distribution:
Spain, Europe
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** Manx Loaghtan **
The
Manx Loaghtan is found on the Isle of Man off the coast of Great
Britain. It is member of the Northern Short-tailed group, similar
to the Hebridean, but slightly
larger. It's wool is chocolate brown with paler tips. The Manx
Loaghtan is descended from the primitive sheep once found throughout
Scotland and the coastal islands of Britain. Manx Loaghtan are
horned with four horns being preferred. In England, the majority
is two-horned. Individuals are also found with six horns. The
horns are small on the ewes, but are larger and stronger on the
males. They sometimes shed their natural colored wool in the spring.
The meat is appreciated as a delicatesse and is protected by EU
law.
Breed
categories: primitive, short-tail
Distribution:
United Kingdom, Europe
Manx Loaghtan Sheep
Breeders Group
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** Masham **
Masham
sheep have been bred for over a centry on the hill farms in the
Northern Counties of England. They are produced by crossing a
Teeswater ram onto either a Dalesbred
or Swaledale ewe, both hardy
hill breeds. It is from these parent breeds that the Masham gains
its hardiness, longevity, heavy milking qualities, strong moterhing
insticts and high prolificacy. The Masham ewe is medium sized
and hornless. Her fleece is long staples, 8-10 inches on a yearling
and 6 to 7 inches on a ewe, with a good degree of lustre.
Breed
categories: half-breed, dual purpose, long wool
Distribution:
United Kingdom
Masham
Sheep Breeders Society
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Masham
Ewes
Image
source: British Sheep 8th edition
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** Meatlinc **
The
Meatlinc is a British breed, in the Terminal Sire category, developed
from a breeding program originated by Henry Fell in the early
1960s.Originally a mixture of chosen individuals from five
breeds, two British and three French, the Meatlinc evolved as
a result of many years of rigorous and disciplined selection based
on performance recording carried out under strictly commercial
conditions. The breed was closed to any further use of outside
genetic material in 1975. It is thus a genuine pure breed with
recognizable uniformity. It is amongst the biggest of the British
breeds, a mature ram weighing 140 kg (over 300 lbs).
Breed
categories: meat, terminal sire
Distribution:
United Kingdom, Europe
Meatlinc Breed Society
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** Meatmaster**
In the early 1990's, determined to utilize the advantages of the
indigenous fat-tailed hair breeds and realizing the huge gap between
the fat-tailed breeds and the well-muscled British and European
breeds and the need for a truly good pure hair breed with good
meat qualities, a group of South African farmers decided to develop
a composite breed. Various fat-tailed breeds were thus crossed
with well-muscled breeds and the dream of the Meatmaster emerged.
Meatmaster sheep are selected solely for economic factors under
natural conditions. They have been exported to Namibia, Australia,
and Canada. The Meatmaster must just have a percentage of Damara
blood in it. The rest can be that of any other sheep breed.
Breed
categories: hair (meat)
Distribution:
Africa, Australia, Canada
Meatmaster Sheep of South Africa
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** Miniature Cheviot**
(Brecknock Hill Miniature Cheviot)
Cheviot
sheep originated in the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland.
They were introduced to the U.S. in 1838. Border
Cheviots are small, hardy sheep that spend their lives on
the moors. In the U.S., they have become larger than their ancestors
from the UK, so the Brecknock Hill Miniature Cheviot registry
was formed to preserve the original size. The registry recently
dropped "Brecknock Hill" from its name to differentiate
American Miniature Cheviots from the Brecknock Hill Cheviots that
originated in Wales and are slightly different. Miniature Cheviots
are usually white, with small heads and erect little pointed ears.
Their fleeces provide a medium wool with a distinctive helical
crimp and a long staple, perfect for handspinning. Maximum height
at two years of age is 23 inches at the top of the shoulder when
sheared. Mature ewes weigh 45 lbs to 85 lbs; mature rams 55 lbs
to 100 lbs.
Breed
categories: dual-purpose, miniature
Distribution:
United States
Miniature Cheviot Sheep
Breeders Cooperative
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American Miniature Cheviot
Photo
courtesy of The Shepherd's
Croft,
(Photo by Toni Kellers)
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** Mirror Sheep **
(Spiegelschaf)
The
Mirror Sheep has a characteristic head design. Besides its otherwise
white color, it has black eye marks, black ear points, and a black
nostril. A medium-sized sheep, Mirror Sheep are undemanding compared
to other sheep. They descend from old Bündner sheep races
like the Prättigauer sheep and probably have influences of
the silk sheep and the Luzeiner sheep. Austrian races might have
participated like the Montafoner and the eyeglass sheep in the
emergence of the Mirror Sheep.
Breed
categories: meat
Distribution:
Europe
Mirror Sheep Breed Association
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** Montadale **
The
Montadale was developed in the United States from Cheviot
and Columbia crosses. E.H.
Mattingly, a well-known commercial lamb buyer is given credit
for developing the breed. His idea was to bring together the qualities
of big western-white faced sheep and the popular mutton characteristics
of Midwestern sheep. His result was a good meat type, dual- purpose
animal with the head and legs free of wool and with the stylish
appearance and agile body of the Cheviot.
For fifteen years, many of these Montadale lambs were carcass
tested for characteristics which are now the standard in the industry,
but which at that time were yet to become widely accepted as the
ideal. The Montadale breed is considered a dual-purpose breed
noted for producing both high-quality carcasses as well excellent
wool.
Breed
categories: dual-purpose, medium wool
Distribution:
North America
Montadale Sheep Breeders Association, Inc.
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** Morada Nova**
The
Morada Nova comes from northeast Brazil and is probably of African
origin. It may also be related to a Portugal breed called Bordaleiro.
The breed originated from selection of individuals of the Brazilian
Woolless. Both sexes are polled. The rams do not have a throat
ruff. It has been reported that they have a litter size of 1.32
to 1.76. The predominant color is red to cream, but white animals
are also found. The breed is small with mature lamb and ewe weights
of about 40 (88 lbs) and 30 kg (66 lbs), respectively.
Breed
categories: hair (meat)
Distribution:
South America
Associação
Brasileira de Criadores de Ovinos
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** Mouflon**
(Ovis musimon)
The
Mouflon is thought to be one of the two ancestors for all modern
sheep breeds. It is red-brown with a dark back-stripe, light colored
saddle patch and underparts. The males are horned and the females
are horned or polled. It is now rare, but has been successfully
introduced into central Europe, including Germany, Austria, Czech
Republic, Slovak Republics, and Romania.
Breed
categories: native (wild)
Distribution:
Europe, North America
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** Navajo Churro **
The
Navajo-Churro was the first domesticated sheep introduced into
North America. Brought from Southern Spain in 1514, Churro sheep
became the mainstay of Spanish ranches and villages along the
Rio Grande. Native Indians acquired flocks of Churro for food
and clothing through raids and trading and eventually incorporated
them into their lifestyle. After nearly becoming extinct through
a government sheep "improvement" program in the mid-1900's,
the breed is now recovering and becoming more popular, though
still considered a "rare" breed. They are a small breed,
hardy, and disease resistant. Rams may carry four horns. The Churro
fleece is long, fine, and coarse. It has two layers and is low
in oil. Native Navajo tribes still use the Churro fleece to weave
their famous rugs and blankets. The Navajo Churro is classified
as a "rare" breed by the American
Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Breed
categories: double-coated, rare
Distribution:
North America, Europe
Navajo Churro Sheep Association
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** New Mexico Dahl **
New
Mexico Dahl Sheep are an almost extinct Spanish Colonial heritage
hair sheep breed under development at Terra Patre Wildlife Preserve
& Teaching Farm in Colorado and New Mexico. The goal in developing
these unique sheep is to produce a truly multi-marketable, low-maintenance
product. These hardy, no-shear sheep are beautiful and majestic
with the rams supporting magnificent horns. They are also very
excellent sources of lean, less muttony tasting meat. The NM Dahl
is taking this one step further and wanting to increase the meat
marketability along with increasing the growth of the horns not
only on rams but also on the ewes for even better future horn
genetics. With this in mind, New Mexico Dahl Sheep are hybrids
of the best horned and meat hair sheep. Beginning with the descendents
of hair sheep brought to the USA in 1598 by the Onate Spanish
Colonists, and not being limited to breeding within the Corsican
Sheep family (Texas Dall,
Black Hawaiian, and Painted
Desert Mouflon crosses),
breeding is based solely on a focus of easy care, big horns and
heavy meat carcasses, as well as maintaining the shedding ability
in these wonderful hybrids.
Text
provided by Terra
Patre Wildlife Preserve and Rescue
Breed
categories: hair, exotic, heritage
Distribution:
United States
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** New Zealand Halfbred **
The
New Zealand Halfbred is a registered breed of sheep, originally
developed in the 19th century by crossing one of the English longwool
breeds such as Lincoln,
English Leicester, or Romney,
with the Merino. New Zealand Halfbreds are mainly farmed in the
foothills of the South Island high country. Their wool has a fiber
diameter of 25-31 microns, intermediate between Corriedale
and Polwarth. Staple length
is 3 to 4 inches.
Breed
categories: half-bred, medium-wool, dual-purpose
Distribution:
New Zealand
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** Nolana **
(Nolana-Fleischschafe, Nolana-Landschafe)
The
breeding aim of the Nolana sheep is to combine the advantages
of hair sheep with the advantages of native wool sheep. Nolana
sheep are hair sheep. They dont produce wool, but carry
a smooth coat during summer and a 4-5 cm (1.6-1.8 in) thick pelt
during winter which they shed naturally in spring. Therefore,
they dont need to be shorn. Two types of sheep have evolved
during the development of the Nolana sheep: a meat-type (fleischscafe)
and a landrace-type (landscafe) for more extensive settings and
landscape management. The meat-type is mostly white, while the
landrace-type is more variable in color and type.
Breed
categories: hair (meat)
Distribution:
Europe
Nolana-Network Germany
Nolana Network
Wooless and Hair Sheep Breeders in Europe
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Nolana-Fleischschafe (meat-type)

Nolana-Landschafe (landrace-type)
Images
from Nolana-Network Germany
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** Norfolk Horn **
The
Norfolk Horn originated in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge, England.
It is one of the ancient "Heath" breeds now being revived
in small numbers. The Norfolk Horn was used along with Southdown
in the development of the Suffolk
breed. It is a medium-sized breed with a long body and legs. The
face and legs are black or dark brown and free of wool. The fleece
is white with new born lambs being mottled. Both sexes are horned
and the horn pattern is an open spiral. The feet are black.
Breed
categories: landrace, rare, medium-wool
Distribution:
United Kingdom
Norfolk Horn Breeders
Group
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** North Country Cheviot **
North
Country Cheviots are a "hill breed" of sheep. They evolved
on the rugged Scotch highlands and of necessity had to thrive
unattended by man and search for food on wild unimproved land.
In these conditions the ewes usually lambed alone, and the newborn
lambs survived by their near-miraculous ability to get-up, nurse,
and run just minutes after their birth. North Country Cheviot
sheep are intelligent, self-reliant, resourceful, and among the
healthiest and most long-lived breeds. The North Country is an
tough sheep that produces both a superior lamb crop and a fleece
that delights handspinners. It has outstanding crossbreeding ability
and can be used as either the sire or the dam breed.
Breed
categories: dual-purpose, hill
Distribution:
United Kingdom, North America
American North Country
Cheviot Sheep Association
North
Country Cheviot Sheep Society
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** North of England Mule **
This
medium- sized crossbred sheep, sired by the Bluefaced
Leicester, has a Swaledale
or Northumberland type Blackface dam. The latter two breeds are
born and reared on the Northern fells and moors and noted for
their qualities of hardiness, thriftiness, and longevity. The
Mule ewe has the ability to produce and rear prolific crops of
lambs under any system. Lambs from the Mule by a Down or continental
type breed of sire give a first class carcass, at 17 to 22 kg
(37-48 lbs), ideal for both the UK and continental markets. The
fleece of the Mule has a staple length of 10-25 cm (4-10 in) and
a Bradford Count of 46's-54's. It is mainly used for the manufacture
of knitwear and carpets. The Mule is hornless with a brown/black
face, clera of wool, with a tendency towards a "Roman"
nose. Ears and legs are white with brown markings. It is the most
popular crossbred ewe in the UK.
Breed
categories: half-breed, meat
Distribution:
United Kingdom
North of England Mule Sheep Association
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** North Ronaldsay **
(Orkney Sheep)
The
North Ronaldsay is a small rare breed of sheep of the Northern
short-tailed group of breeds. They have remained virtually unchanged.
Their most unique feature is their diet, which consists mostly
of seaweed. Mature ewes rarely exceed 25 kg (55 lbs); rams about
30 to 35 kg (66-77 lbs.). The animals are primitive and fine-boned
and have evolved in a specialized seashore environment on their
native island. They adapt well to mainland management including
conservation grazing. Rams are horned, but ewes can be horned,
polled, or scurred. Virtually any color of wool is possible. Wool
is fairy fine, with some kemp. Rams develop a mane and beard of
coarse hair. There are about 3,700 of these sheep still on the
island of North Ronaldsay.
Breed
categories: rare, primitive, short-tailed
Distribution:
United Kingdom
North
Ronaldsay Sheep Fellowship
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References:
Oklahoma
State University Breeds of Livestock
EAAP-Animal
Genetic Bank
British
Sheep 8th Edition
Sheep Breeds in Poland
FAO Breeds Database
Breed Association
Web Sites
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