A Survey Of Some Rare Breeds Of Sheep

 

A look into some of the rare breeds of sheep is both a joy and a learning experience. There are many organizations dedicated to the care and raising of sheep, and many of there organizations devote a part of their energy and efforts towards the preservation of one of more of the rare breeds of sheep.

Of course sheep are raised throughout much of the world. You don't have to go far to find a national sheep raising organization, one which could provide you with information on whatever rare breeds of sheep may be native to or simply raised in that particular country. There are also farms which specialize in rare breeds of many different types of livestock, from sheep and cattle, to goats, pigs and chickens. It’s fortunate indeed that there are people who are willing to take the time and energy to help on preserving some of these breeds and at the same time provide the rest of us with some information on the breed's history.

The British Isles are fertile ground for researching many rare breeds of sheep (over 70) and we'll devote much of this article to some of the unusual and interest breeds you can find there. But we'll start with a few breeds in the United States. According to the American Sheep Industry Association, there are 47 recognized breeds of sheep in the United States, most of which are common but a few of which are rather rare. Many of the breeds we have, originated in the British Isles and have been  introduced into this country, starting in colonial times. Some breeds are grown for their wool, both fine wool and long wool breeds, others for meat, and still others for both.

Colonial Sheep Preserved - Colonial Williamsburg is famed for preserving the way of life our colonial ancestors experienced over 200 years ago. Not only has elements of colonial architecture, lifestyle, tools and trades, and agriculture been carefully preserved, but breeds of the livestock used in those times has been preserved as well. The Leicester Longwool Sheep is one of these breeds. The Leicester Longwool is considered to be one of the rare breeds of sheep in that there are less than one thousand of the breed registered in the United States.  Leicester Longwools originated in England and were introduced a number of other British colonies, including Australia and New Zealand in the 18th century. The sheep introduced to America came not from England but from Tasmania, now a part of Australia. The breed is now rare in both England and the United States, but the wool from the Williamsburg sheep is still sold to hand weavers and spinners.

Another English breed currently raised in the United States is the Lincoln Longwool sheep. While sometimes bred for meat, the Lincoln Longwool is normally raised for its luxurious long wool, which grows nearly a foot in a year's time. The Longwool is a fairly large animal with the males weighing up to 300 pounds. Once a mainstay in the sheep breeding business, the Lincoln Longwool is now properly classified as one of our rare breeds of sheep, grown only on a handful of farms around the country. Another rare breed, the Katahdin, is a hair sheep, much preferred by people raising sheep for other than wool as shearing is not required for this breed. The Katahdin, which originated in hot climates, is an easy keeper as they say, and an ideal breed for a small farmer. The breed is becoming more and more popular not only in the United States, but through the Western Hemisphere. Quite possibly it will someday no longer be considered a rare breed.

Sheep That Look Like Badgers, How Rare Is That?  - Onward to the British Isles. Since a number of rare breeds of sheep originated or still reside in places like Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man the names of the some breeds are distinctly non-English. We'll even include a breed from Brittany, since in times past, Brittany had much in common with Britain. Nearly every one of the rare breeds seems to have its own society or association, such as the Badger Face Welsh Mountain Sheep Society. Among the rare breeds of sheep there is actually one called the Badger Face Welsh Mountain Sheep, and if you look at a picture of one, its head looks amazingly like that of a badger's, certainly as far as the markings are concerned. Badgers of course don't have large curved horns, but this breed is not only unusual but attractive.