Unlike goats or horses, or any other livestock, sheep’s wool is like human hair: it never stops growing. Sheep shearing is not only an aesthetic problem – an unshorn sheep faces life-threatening health problems. We present to you several breeds that have self-regulation of the amount of hair.
In sheep that are not shorn regularly, the wool eventually grows over the eyes, inhibiting various bodily functions and becoming a nest that is prone to infection.
The case of the ram that got lost in the forest in Australia is well known. It turns out that he lived alone for about 5 years, and after such a long period without shearing, his fleece weighed about 35 kg! With such a heavy fleece, there is also a great danger of heatstroke, and in such a condition even movement was difficult.
Many farmers raise sheep specifically for their wool. But for those who want to raise sheep for meat, the annual shearing is a big job, usually requiring the hiring of a professional shearer or sheep groomer.
However, there are several breeds of sheep that do not require shearing.
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The hair of wild sheep, like most animals, does not grow continuously. It is shed every spring as the weather warms. The fibers from the outer hair of wild sheep are not suitable for spinning into wool, which is why ancient shepherds bred their animals to produce longer and longer fibers of the undercoat: wool, which is increasingly luxurious in most modern breeds.
But some sheep, which are traditionally kept for meat, have hair that is similar to wild sheep.
Essentially, sheep with this coat type are an adaptable breed that thrives on open trails with little human intervention. They tend to be more disease resistant than standard sheep, and the meat is generally considered superior, as is the salable hide. These sheep are increasingly popular on small farms, where the cost of shearing often exceeds the value of the wool.
The Dorper and Katahdin coat breeds, both developed in modern times, are now among the most common sheep of the type. There are also a handful of breeds that are still bred in various parts of the world – including some that look more like wild mountain goats than domesticated sheep.
Katahdin’s sheep
The Katahdin is a modern American breed of sheep. The sheep is easy to care for: it grows hair with a little wool that is shed naturally in the spring, so it does not need to be cut. It is grown only for meat.
It was developed by a breeder named Michael Peel in Maine, and named after Mount Katahdin in that state. In the 1960s, Peel crossed a small number of African sheep from the Virgin Islands with various meat breeds, mainly Suffolk.
Villager
This modern South African breed thrives in arid regions and is known for its exceptionally large, fleshy body. Most ewes can only mate in the fall, but the Dorper mates year-round, making it a popular choice for producing sheep in the food industry.
Romanovsky sheep
This ancient Russian sheep has wool, although it naturally sheds in summer. The Romanov sheep is an amazingly fertile breed. Individuals start mating when they are only a few months old, and quadruplets are not uncommon.
The world record for the number of litters is held by the Romanov ewe, which gave birth to nine lambs (most ewes have one or two). They are considered “rat-tailed” sheep, meaning they have a skinny tail that does not need to be bathed for hygiene purposes, as is common practice with many breeds.
Black-headed Persian sheep
The black-headed sheep belongs to the fat-tailed breed and has a black, rarely brown head, with long hanging ears and a white body. This type of sheep has short hair that covers its body instead of wool. Despite the name, Persian black-headed sheep originated in Somalia, and are now common in Latin America.
Fat-tailed sheep were bred specifically to accumulate fat in the hindquarters, which was a good source of cooking oil in ancient times.
West African dwarf
This breed originates from the tropical forests of West and Central Africa, although with its shaggy mane and curved horns it looks more like a mountain goat. Still commonly bred in the region, West African dwarf sheep typically produce only one lamb per year and have an extremely slow growth rate – definitely not a breed suitable for industrial production.
An ancient breed favored by the nomadic Maasai tribes of East Africa, this fattail variety is extremely disease resistant. According to legend, it was the first animal kept by the Maasai, although as the tribe abandoned its nomadic ways, the breed became increasingly rare.
Source: Modern Farmer
Source: www.agromedia.rs
