sheep breeds

Sheep were first domesticated from wild species by at least 5000 bce and are raised for their fleece (wool), milk, and meat. The flesh of mature sheep is called mutton while that of immature animals is called lamb. Of more than 200 breeds of sheep in existence in the world, the majority are of limited interest except in the localities where they are raised. Sheep breeds are generally classified as medium wool, long wool, or fine wool.

Of the medium wool breeds the Hampshire, Shropshire, Southdown, and Suffolk all originated in England. The Cheviot and Black Faced Highland originated in Scotland. The Panama, Columbia, and Targhee were developed in the United States and the Corriedale in New Zealand. After World War II, such larger breeds as the Suffolk and Hampshire increased in popularity at the expense of the smaller breeds.

The long wool breeds, including the Cotswold, Lincoln, Leicester, and Romney, were all developed in England and, in addition to mutton, produce wool of unusually long fiber length that is suitable for rugs and coarse fabrics.

The original fine-wool breed was the Merino, developed in Spain from stock native to that country since antiquity, and it has since become a popular breed around the world. The Merino was the main ancestor of the French Rambouillet, somewhat larger and less wrinkled than the Merino. This breed prospers in the western ranges of the United States, where two-thirds of that country’s sheep are raised. The Corriedale breed, adapted to both farms and ranges, is especially valued in New Zealand and Australia.

The table provides a comparison of selected breeds of sheep.

Selected breeds of sheep

	name	type of wool	distribution	characteristics	comments
	Black-Faced Highland, also called Scottish Blackface	carpet	originally Scotland, now also U.S., Italy, Argentina	black or mottled, horned	stylish appearance
	Columbia	medium	developed in U.S. since 1912	large, white-faced, hornless	high wool yield; mutton acceptable
	Corriedale	medium	developed in N.Z., now also in U.S., Australia	white-faced, hornless	bright, soft fleece; good quality lambs
	Cotswold	long	originally England, now also U.S.	large, white-faced, hornless	coarse, curly fleece; acceptable mutton
	Dorset	medium	developed in England, now in U.K., U.S., Australia	medium-sized, white-faced	small wool yield; out-of-season lambs; horned and hornless varieties
	Hampshire	medium	developed in England, now also widespread in U.S.	large, hornless; dark face and legs	superior mutton breed; limited wool
	Karakul	fur	originally Central Asia, now also Africa, Europe, U.S.	medium-sized, fat-tailed	coats of very young lambs called Persian lamb
	Leicester	long	originally England, now U.K., North America	massive body, white-faced, broad-backed	heavy fleece
	Lincoln	long	originally England, now also Australia, N.Z., North and South America	world's largest sheep, hornless	coarse, long wool is used chiefly for carpets
	Merino	fine	originally Spain, now also Australia, North America, South Africa	horned or hornless, heavily-wooled head	excellent, fine, soft fleeces
	North Country Cheviot	medium	originally Scotland, now widespread	white chalk; large, deep-bodied	hardy; produces superior fleece
	Rambouillet	fine	developed in France from the 18th century, now also in U.S.	smooth-bodied, horned or hornless	lambs mature rapidly; bred from Merino
	Romney	long	originally England, now also N.Z., North America, Australia	hornless with white face and legs	mostly raised for mutton; wool used for variety of products
	Southdown	medium	originally England, now also N.Z., Australia, North America	hornless with small, rounded body	raised for mutton; fleece is short
	Suffolk	medium	developed in England, now also in U.S.	black face and legs, large, hornless	fine mutton breed; acceptable wool