Veterinary treatment of sheep and goat

VETERINARY TREATMENT
OF SHEEP AND GOATS
Graham R. Duncanson

Veterinary Treatment of Sheep and Goats
FSCww.r...1) FSC C018575
MIX
Paper from
responsible sources

I would like to dedicate this book to Gordon Duncanson, a Kentish sheep farmer.
He stimulated my interest in farm animals when I was very young, and was all
I could have wished for as a father.

Veterinary Treatment of Sheep and Goats
Dr Graham R. Duncanson BVSc, MSc (VetGP), DProf, FRCVS
Equine and Farm Animal Practitioner,
Private Veterinary Practice, UK
0 biwww.cabi.org

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library,
London, UK.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Duncanson, Graham R.
Veterinary treatment of sheep and goats / Graham R. Duncanson.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-78064-003-7 (hbk : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-78064-004-4
(pbk. : alk. paper)
I. C.A.B. International. II. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Goat Diseases--therapy. 2. Sheep Diseases--therapy.
3. Goat Diseases--diagnosis. 4. Sheep Diseases--diagnosis. SF 9681
636.3'089758--dc23
2011042625
ISBN-13: 978 1 78064 004 4 (pbk)
ISBN-13: 978 1 78064 003 7 (hbk)
Commissioning editor: Sarah Hulbert
Editorial assistant: Alexandra Lainsbury
Production editor: Fiona Chippendale
Typeset by SPi, Pondicherry, India.
Printed and bound in the UK by the MPG Books Group.

Contents
Preface vii
Foreword ix
Acknowledgements xi
Glossary xii
Abbreviations xvii
1 Breeds 1
2 Behaviour and Restraint 53
3 Vital Signs and Sample Taking 60
4 Simple Diagnostic Tests 66
5 Veterinary Equipment 71
6 Veterinary Medicines 76
7 Vaccines 94
8 Sedation, Anaesthesia, Surgical Conditions and Euthanasia 103
9 Nutrition and Metabolic Conditions 117
10 Gastroenteric System 127
11 Respiratory and Circulatory System 153
12 Urinary System 165
13 Reproductive System 170
14 Neurological System 204
15 Locomotory System 221
16 Skin Conditions 229
17 Poisons 252
v

vi Contents
18 Sudden Death and Post-mortem Techniques 266
19 Zoonotic Diseases 274
20 Herd and Flock Health Plans 286
References 291
Index 295

Preface
The author hopes this book will be useful to veterinary practitioners throughout the world
who are treating sheep and goats. Obviously there are some differences between wool sheep
and hair sheep, and between dairy goats and meat production goats. These differences will be
noted in the text. Each species will be described separately with cross-references where help-
ful. Sheep will be described first in each chapter, followed by goats. Where common names are
given for plants, these are generally the names that are used in the UK, but some relate to
plants from the USA or Australia.
Veterinary science is evolving at an ever-increasing rate and so some of this information
may be out of date before publication. The author apologizes for this and for any inaccuracies.
He hopes that these can be corrected in future editions and would be very grateful for any
contact from readers via e-mail to vetdunc@btinternet.com.
vii

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Foreword
The farming of small ruminants, mainly sheep and goats, has been a major part of global agriculture
from the beginning of recorded history. They have become interwoven into our mythologies, our
cultures and the development of our civilizations. These cloven-footed animals are classified
within the Bovidae family in the Subfamily Caprinae. Their progenitors, wild mouflon for sheep
and wild Bezoar for goats, must have roamed untamed in the ancient grasslands more than
9000 years ago. Both must have been more biddable to domestication than the larger cattle species
and would have allowed both women and children to control and nurture them. In many parts of
the world, particularly the developing world, this remains the case today. It is estimated that over
1 billion sheep and 450 million goats are presently farmed. Sheep and goats are closely related but
are separate species; although they often co-graze, they do not naturally cross mate. Over the
years in domestication, a large number of different breeds have evolved and been selected by
livestock owners; many of these reflect the major purpose or the geographical location (sub-tun-
dra to tropical) for which they are needed; these major needs have been wool, meat and milk.
There are more than 200 breeds of both sheep and goats recorded, respectively This wonderful
variation has been central to the culture and pride of many farming communities, with individual
breeds ascribed to the location of their selection, e.g. Devon Longwool sheep and Bagot goats.
However devoted the farmer's selection of individual breeds of these small ruminants has
been over the years, all breeds remain vulnerable, sometimes highly vulnerable, to infectious
and non-infectious diseases. We have come to recognize that viruses, bacteria and parasites are
capable of changing, evolving and emerging themselves and continually presenting new prob-
lems for livestock, the livestock keeper and for his veterinary adviser. The scale of such prob-
lems may be mild and restricted to a local farm or community, e.g. foot rot, while, on the other
hand, they can be of epidemic proportions and of international importance (now referred to as
transboundary diseases); a good example of this is peste des petite ruminants (PPR), a viral
disease of small ruminants that is presently sweeping across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Ted Hughes reminds us, in his splendid poem 'What is the Truth', that lambs are highly
vulnerable to all manner of problems.
The problem about lambs
Is that each lamb
Is a different jigsaw - and each piece
Is a different problem.
ix

x Foreword
Getting born - one problem
Of many little pieces. The Lamb has to solve it
In the dark, with four fingers.
Once he's born - it's a case
Of which problem comes first. His mother won't have him.
Or he's deficient and won't cooperate.
Or he gets joint-ill
Which sneaks in through the little wick of his umbilical cord before it dries up -
Arthritis for infants.
After that comes Orf - known as Lewer.
Ulcers of the nose, of the lips, of the eyes, of the toes,
All at once,
As you read about in the Bible.
Awful things waiting for lambs.
So, why a new textbook on small ruminants? This concise book places together the skills and
expertise needed by veterinarians to care for small ruminants; the conditions and diseases, both
infectious and non-infectious, that commonly affect these species and, finally, some Tables and
Lists to integrate our present-day knowledge on these matters. Is this book only for veterinar-
ians? Although primarily intended for them, it will be a treasure trove of information for the
livestock keeper.
The author, Graham Duncanson, is a farmer's son who qualified from Bristol University as
a veterinary surgeon in the mid-1960s. Let me now be honest and declare some familiarity. We
first met sitting on a hard bench outside a room waiting to be interviewed for a position on the
veterinary undergraduate course at Bristol University. To our surprise, we were both successful
and, from the first day of studies, became close friends. His recent switch to authorship, after a
lifetime in veterinary clinical work, is marvellous. He has become more eccentric as he matures
but remains widely beloved. He writes simply, clearly and with considerable authority. I am
delighted to strongly recommend this book; it will appeal greatly to the new graduate, to the
veterinarian with farming clients and to the informed stock-keeper. Graham has travelled the
world in various guises for nefarious reasons (in fact, for any excuse!) and this experience has
been woven into this book; for that reason, this book will be invaluable to global readers. If Ted
Hughes is right about sheep, as I suspect he might be, we all need the best information available
to maintain the health and welfare of our global populations of small ruminants; with this book
in our back pockets, we have a good chance!
Joe Brown lie

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all my friends and colleagues who have had to stop their mode of
travelling while I have taken the photographs for this book:
my daughter Amelia, who had to ski with me down an extremely steep Alpine ravine;
her friend George Hall, who had to walk 12 miles in the pouring rain in north Norfolk;
my great friend Ian Kennedy, who travelled with me overland to Central Asia;
his wife Judy, who accompanied us up Mount Etna;
Ann Kent, my boss and travelling companion in Sardinia and Wales;
Phil and Fearne Spark who drove me all over the Algarve;
and Professor Joe Brown lie, who took such trouble to take the picture for the back cover
of this book.
xi

Glossary
Abortion: the premature birth of young.
Annual: a plant that grows from seed, flowers and dies within 1 year.
Anthelmintics: drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body, generally by paralysing or
starving them.
Antigen: a molecule or part of a molecule that is recognized by components of the host immune
system.
Awn: a bristle or hair-like appendage to a fruit or to a glume, as in barley and some other
grasses.
Bacteraemia: bacteria in the blood.
Biennial: a plant that flowers and dies in the second year after growing from a seed.
Billy goat: a mature male goat.
Billy rag: a piece of cloth rubbed over a mature male goat, particularly its urine-covered front
legs, to stimulate a female goat to show signs of oestrus.
Bradycardia: decrease in heart rate.
Bruxism: grinding of teeth.
Buck: a mature male goat.
Calculi: stones formed in the urinary system.
Caprine: the adjective applied to goats.
Cerebral: relating to the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain.
Cestodes: parasitic flatworms, commonly called tapeworms, which usually live in the diges-
tive tract of vertebrates as adults and in the bodies of various intermediate hosts as juvenile
stages.
Codon-3: nucleotide sequences that encode a specific single amino acid.
Colitis: inflammation of the colon; often used to describe an inflammation of the large intestine.
Coma: profound unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be roused.
Congestion: the presence of an abnormal amount of blood in an organ or part.
Contusions: bruises.
Convulsion: a violent involuntary contraction of muscles.
Corm: underground bulbous root.
Cryptorchid: see rig.
Cull ewe: a ewe no longer suitable for breeding, and sold for meat.
Cystitis: inflammation of the bladder.
xii

Glossary xiii
Dogs: clumps of dung stuck to the wool of the rear and tail of a sheep, which may lead to fly
strike.
Dagging: clipping off dags, or clipping the wool to prevent them forming.
Deciduous plants: those that shed all their leaves annually.
Detoxicate: to render a poison harmless.
Distension: the filling of a hollow organ to more than its usual capacity.
Diuresis: excessive urination.
Dysentery: an illness characterized by diarrhoea with blood in the faeces.
Doe: a mature female goat.
Draft ewe: a ewe too old for rough grazing (e.g. moorland or upland), drafted on to better
grazing on another farm.
Drenching: giving an anthelmintic dose by mouth.
Dysphagia: difficulty in swallowing.
Dyspnoea: difficulty in breathing.
Dystocia: difficulty at parturition.
Egg reappearance period: the time taken (usually expressed in weeks) for eggs to reappear
in faeces after anthelmintic treatment. Usually this is described for drug-sensitive worm
populations at the time of product licensing.
Emaciation: excessive body wasting.
Emesis: vomiting.
Emetic: a substance that causes vomiting.
Emphysema: air or gas in the interstices of a tissue.
Enema: rectal injection.
Epidemiology: the study of factors affecting the health of populations and often how diseases
are transmitted.
Ewe: a female sheep that has had at least one lamb.
FECRT: a test that measures the effect on faecal egg output of anthelmintic treatment.
Generally, efficacy is assessed by comparing faecal egg count (FEC) obtained on the day of
treatment with those obtained 14 days after treatment. This is an important tool in detecting
anthelmintic resistance in the field.
Flock: the collective word for a group of sheep.
Foetid: malodorous.
Fold: a pen in which flocks are kept overnight to keep them safe from predators.
Genome: an organism's entire hereditary information, encoded either in DNA or, for some
types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes the genes that code the proteins and non-
coding sequences of the DNA.
Genotype: The inherited instructions that organisms carry in their genetic code.
Gimmer: a female sheep that is mature enough to be served by a ram for the first time; also
called a theave.
Glabrous: without hair of any kind.
Goatherd: a person who looks after a herd of goats.
Goat ling: a young goat, normally weaned.
Granules: small grains.
Gravid: the pregnant horn of a uterus.
Haematuria: blood in the urine.
Haemoglobinuria: haemoglobin in the urine.
Haemolytic: a substance that causes breakdown of red blood corpuscles.
Hefting: the instinct in some breeds of keeping to a certain heft, or local area, throughout their
lives. This allows farmers to graze sheep on different areas without fences. Lambs naturally
stay on the area where they were born.
Helminths: a group of eukaryotic parasites that live inside their host. They are worm-like and
live and feed off animals.

xiv Glossary
Hepatitis: inflammation of the liver.
Herbaceous perennials: plants in which the greater part dies after flowering, leaving only the
rootstock to produce next year's growth.
Herd: the collective word for a group of goats.
Heterozygous: a genotype consisting of two different alleles at a given locus.
Hogget: a 1-year-old female sheep.
Hogget: a yearling sheep normally destined for meat (also hogg, hog or hoggat).
Homozygous: a genotype consisting of two identical alleles at a given locus.
Iatrogenic: resulting from treatment.
Ileus: failure of peristalsis.
Indigenous: native of the country in which it was produced.
In kid: pregnant goat.
In lamb: pregnant sheep.
In vitro: in the test tube.
In vivo: in the living body.
Jaundice: a disease in which bile pigments stain the mucous membranes.
Kid: a goat in its first year.
Lamb: a sheep in its first year.
Lambing: the process of giving birth in sheep.
Larvae: juvenile forms that many animals undergo before the mature adult stage. Larvae are
frequently adapted to environments different from those in which the adult stages live.
Leucocytosis: increase in white blood cells in the blood.
Leucopenia: decrease in white blood cells in the blood.
Linear leaves: those that are long and narrow.
Lumen: the inner space of a tubular structure, such as the intestine.
Mediastinum: space in the chest between the lungs.
Melaena: dark, tarry faeces indicating bleeding high in the intestinal tract.
Metritis: inflammation of the uterus.
Micturition: the passing of urine.
Monoecious: when male and female flowers are separate, but on the same plant.
Mutations: alterations in DNA sequence in a genome that occur spontaneously during
meiosis or DNA replication, or are caused by factors such as radiation, viruses or
chemicals. Mutations may have no effect, or may alter the product of a gene from
functioning properly if at all.
Mutton: the meat of an older sheep.
Myiasis: fly strike.
Nanny goat: a mature female goat.
Narcosis: sleep induced by a drug or poison.
Nematodes: roundworms, one of the most diverse phyla of all animals.
Nodule: a small, round lump.
Non-gravid: the non-pregnant horn of a uterus.
Old-season lamb: a lamb that is 1 year old or more.
Orchitis: inflammation of the testicle.
Ovine: adjective applied to sheep.
Ovoid: egg shaped.
Panacea: a cure-all.
Paracentesis: the technique of puncturing a body cavity.
Pathogenicity: the ability of a pathogen to produce signs of disease in an organism.
Pathognomic: a single specific single sign of a disease.
Pediculosis: lice infestation.
Phenotype: any observable characteristic or trait of an organism such as its morphology, devel-
opment, biochemical or physiological properties, or behaviour. Phenotypes result from the

Glossary xv
expression of an organism's genes as well as the influence of environmental factors and
possible interactions between the two.
Polled: inherited hornlessness.
Polydactyly: having an extra limb.
Polymerase chain reaction: a technique to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA
by several orders of magnitude generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular
sequence. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) relies on cycles of repeated heating and cooling
of DNA, melting and enzymatic replication of DNA. Primers (short DNA fragments) contain-
ing sequences complementary to the target region along with a DNA polymerase (after
which the method is named) are key components to enable selective and repeated amplifica-
tion. As PCR progresses, the DNA generated is used as a template for replication, setting in
motion a chain reaction in which the template is exponentially amplified.
Premix: medicine available in a concentrated form to be added to food.
Proctitis: inflammation of the rectum.
Ptyalism: excess saliva production.
Purgative: a strong laxative.
Pyrexia: raised rectal temperature.
Raddle: a colour marker strapped to the chest of a ram, to mark the backs of ewes he has mated.
Ram: an uncastrated adult male sheep.
Recumbency: inability to get up.
Rhinitis: inflammation of the nose.
Rig: a male in which one or both testicles have not descended into the scrotum.
Ringwomb: failure of the cervix to dilate.
Rostral: towards the nose.
Ryegrass: a commonly grown grass, Lolium perenne.
Schistosomus reflexus: a deformity of a fetus in which the spine is bent backwards.
Sclerosis: hardening of a tissue.
Septicaemia: pathogenic bacteria in the blood.
Shear ling: a yearling sheep of either sex, also called a teg.
Shepherd: a person who looks after a flock of sheep.
Slough: the dropping away of dead tissue from living tissue.
Spasm: involuntary contraction of a muscle.
Staggers: an erratic gait.
Stomatitis: inflammation of the mouth and gums.
Stricture: a narrowing of a tubular organ.
Subclinical: when the symptoms are not evident.
Syncope: fainting.
Syndrome: a group of symptoms.
Tachycardia: increased heart rate.
Tachypnoea: increased respiratory rate.
Teaser: a vasectomized ram.
Tenesmus: straining to pass urine or faeces.
Teratoma: a developmental embryological deformity.
Torpid: sluggish.
Tourniquet: an appliance for temporary stoppage of the circulation in a limb.
Trismus: locking of the jaw.
Tup: a ram.
Tupping: sheep mating.
Twin lamb disease: pregnancy toxaemia.
Tympanic: distended with gas.
Typhilitis: inflammation of the caecum.
Ubiquitous: occurring everywhere.

xvi Glossary
Udder: mammary gland.
Ureter: the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder.
Urethra: the tube leading from the bladder to the outside.
Urethritis: inflammation of the urethra.
Urine scald: inflammation of the skin caused by persistent wetting with urine.
Urolithiasis: the formation of stones in the urinary system.
Urticaria: an acute inflammatory reaction of the skin.
Vaginitis: inflammation of the vagina.
Vagus: tenth cranial nerve.
Venereal disease: a disease spread by coitus.
Vesicle: a collection of fluid in the surface layers of the skin or of a mucous membrane.
Viraemia: virus particles in the blood.
Volatile: a substance that evaporates rapidly.
Wether: a castrated sheep or goat.
Zoonoses: diseases communicable between animals and man.

Abbreviations
ACP Acetylpromazine
ad lib. As much as desired
AGID Agar gel immunodiffusion
AI Artificial insemination
AST Aspartate aminotransferase
BCS Body condition score
BDV Border disease virus
BHB Beta-hydroxybutyrate
BHC Benzene hexachloride
BHV Bovine herpes virus
Bid Twice daily
BSE Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
BTV Blue tongue virus
BUN Blood urea nitrogen
BVD Bovine virus diarrhoea
Cal Calorie
CBPP Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
CAE Caprine arthritis and encephalitis
CCN Cerebrocortical necrosis
CCPP Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia
CFT Complement fixation test
CJD Creutzfeld-Jakob disease
CK Creatinekinase
CL Corpus luteum
CLA Caseous lymphadenitis
CNS Central nervous system
C-NS Coagulase-negative staphylococci
CODD Contagious ovine digital dermatitis
CPD Contagious pustular dermatitis
CRT Coproantigen reduction test
CSF Cerebrospinal fluid
CT Controlled test
xvii

xviii Abbreviations
cu Cubic
Cu Copper
DEET Diethyl toluamide
DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
DIC Disseminated intravascular coagulation
DM Dry matter
DMSO Dimethylsulphoxide
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid
EAE Enzootic abortion of ewes
ECG Electrocardiogram
EDTA Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid
EHA Egg hatch assay
EHV Equine herpes virus
ELISA Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
epg eggs/g
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization (of the UN)
FAT Fluorescent antibody test
FCE Feed conversion efficiency
FCR Feed conversion ratio
FEC Faecal (worm) egg count
FECRT Faecal egg count reduction test
FMD Foot and mouth disease
FPT Failure of passive transfer
G Gauge
GA General anaesthetic
GGT Gamma glutamyltransferase
GI Gastrointestinal
GLDH Glutamate dehydrogenase
GM Genetically modified
GnRH Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
GVS Goat Veterinary Society (UK)
Hb Haemoglobin
HCN Hydrogen cyanide
HMD High mountain disease
IBR Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis
IgE Immunoglobulin
IgG Immunoglobulin
i/m Intramuscularly
i/p Intraperitoneally
IU International units
i/v Intravenously
LAT Latex agglutination test
LCV Large cell variant
LDT Larval development test
LN Lymph node
MAP Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis
MCF Malignant catarrhal fever
MCH Mean corpuscular haemoglobin
MCHC Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration
MCV Mean corpuscular volume
ME Metabolizable energy

Abbreviations xix
MOET Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer
MRI Magnetic resonance imaging
MV Maedi-Visna
NSAID Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug(s)
NSD Nairobi sheep disease
OEA Ovine enzootic abortion
OIE Office International des Epizooties (World Organisation for Animal Health)
OMAGOD Ovine mucosal and gum obscure disease
Ov-VH2 Ovine herpes type 2 virus
OxF Oxalate fluoride
PCR Polymerase chain reaction
PCV Packed cell volume
PHV Porcine herpes virus
PI3 Parainfluenza III
PLR Papillary light reflex
PMD Phosphorus magnesium dextrose
pme Post-mortem examination
PMN Polymorphic nuclear cell
PMSG Pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin
PO Per os, orally
ppm Part(s) per million
PPR Peste des petits ruminants
PRA Progressive retinal atrophy
PrP Prion protein
PUPD Polyuria-polydipsia
qid Four times daily
RBC Red blood cell
RFI Residual feed intake
RNA Ribonucleic acid
RPM Revolutions per minute
RSV Respiratory syncytial virus
RT-PCR Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
RVF Rift Valley fever
SCOPS Sustainable control of parasites in sheep
SCV Small cell variant
SG Specific gravity
sid Once a day
SMCO S-methylcysteine sulfoxide
SNT Serum neutralization test
SOP Standard operating procedure
sub/cut Subcutaneously
TAT Tetanus anti-toxin
TB Tuberculosis
TBF Tick-borne fever
TCBZ Triclabendazole
TDN Total digestible nutrients
tid Three times daily
TMS Trimethoprim-sulfadoxine
TP Total protein
TPR Temperature, pulse and respiration
TSE Transmissable spongiform encephalopathy
VDS Veterinary Defence Society

xx Abbreviations
VLA Veterinary Laboratory Agency
VTEC Verocytotoxigenic
WBC White blood cell
WCC White cell count
ZN Ziehl-Neelsen

1
Breeds
Introduction
Historically, sheep and goats were at the centre
of pastoral life throughout the world. They
were important in Roman times (Fig. 1.1), and
still are today in Europe; they are even more
important with pastoral tribes in Africa and
nomads in the Middle East and Asia (Fig. 1.2).
Evolution of the Domestic Sheep
Ovis aries is the domestic sheep. Evidence of its
domestication dates back 11,000 years to the
'Fertile Crescent'. The middle of the 'Fertile
Crescent' lies over the 'twin rivers', the Tigris
and the Euphrates, which run through modern-
day Iraq (Fig. 1.3). DNA analysis has shown that
domestic sheep are descended from two ances-
tor species, one of which is Ovis musimon, the
mouflon (which can still be seen in Corsica and
Sardinia), or the ancestral mouflon, Ovis orienta-
lis (Fig. 1.4). The second ancestor has yet to be
identified. The urial, Ovis vignei (a later synonym
for Ovis orientalis and now called Ovis orientalis
musimon), which is found in north-eastern Iran,
has been ruled out as it has 58 chromosomes
whereas the domestic sheep has only 54. The
former will actually interbreed with the mou-
flon. Ovis ammon, the argali sheep found in the
eastern parts of Central Asia north of the
Himalayas, is also ruled out as it has 56 chromo-
somes. Ovis nivicola, the Siberian snow
sheep, has 52 chromosomes and so is also
excluded.
Structure of the Sheep Industry
in the UK
There are many areas in the UK that are
really only suitable for sheep farming. These
areas are home to a large number of hardy
breeds of sheep, which are loosely termed
'hill sheep', although they may not actually
have been bred for or live in upland areas. These
sheep are kept as purebred flocks. Farmers
breed pedigree ewe lambs and ram lambs,
the best of which are either kept as replace-
ments or sold. The poor quality ram lambs
are castrated and sold for meat. Farmers
with better land then buy the pedigree ewe
lambs or shearlings. The term 'pedigree' is
used loosely, meaning bred to breed rather
than actually graded pedigree animals. These
are then mated to specific breeds of ram
in order to breed crossbreds. These cross
breeds, often termed 'halfbreds', are shown
in Table 1.1.
The males of these halfbreds are castrated
and sold for meat. The females, which are
highly prized, are sold to lowland farms. The
lowland farms will have these halfbreds as
their ewe flock and put them to a terminal
© G. Duncanson 2012. Veterinary Treatment of Sheep and Goats (G. Duncanson) 1

2 Chapter 1
Fig. 1.1. Roman mosaic.
Fig. 1.2. Bronze goat.
sire to produce fat lamb for meat. Tradition- Sheep Breeds of the UK
ally the terminal sire was a Southdown or
another downland breed. Nowadays the Badger Face Welsh Mountain
main terminal sire is still a downland ram
but is restricted to the Suffolk (Fig. 1.5), though These are Welsh Mountain sheep with special
the Texel and the Charollais are nearly as colour markings, black with a white belly and
popular. a white stripe on their faces.

Breeds 3
Fig. 1.3. Sheep on the Tigris.
Fig. 1.4. Sardinia.
Balwen Welsh Mountain Beulah Speckled Face
These are Welsh Mountain sheep with special These are white sheep with a distinctly pat-
colour markings, white with a dark face and terned black and white face clear of wool. The
belly females are free of horns. This breed originated

4 Chapter 1
Table 1.1. The breeding of well-known halfbreds in the UK.
Breed of ram Breed of ewe Name of halfbred produced
Border Leicester
Border Leicester
Border Leicester
Teeswater
Bluefaced Leicester
Bluefaced Leicester
Bluefaced Leicester
Bluefaced Leicester
Cheviot
Welsh Mountain
Clun Forest
Dalesbred or Swaledale
Swaledale
Scottish Blackface
Clun Forest
Welsh Mountain or Beulah Speckled Face
Scottish halfbred
Welsh halfbred
English halfbred
Masham
North of England Mule
Greyface
English Mule
Welsh Mule
Fig. 1.5. Suffolk.
in Wales over 100 years ago. It is an excellent
crossing sheep to breed lowland ewes (see
Table 1.1). It is medium sized and hardy, with
carpet-quality wool.
Black Welsh Mountain
These are all-black wool sheep that had
almost died out by 1975, but since then the
breed has made a partial resurgence not
only in the Welsh hills but also around the
Norfolk Broads. It is a small hardy sheep
with a lambing percentage of 150% if care-
fully managed. A useful but slightly fat
lamb is produced if top crossed with a ter-
minal sire, but this is not eagerly sought by
butchers. Ideally, Black Welsh Mountain
ewes should be crossed with a Border
Leicester or a Bluefaced Leicester ram to
produce crossbred ewes, which are then
served by a terminal sire.
Bluefaced Leicester
These are very similar to the more well-
known Border Leicester. However, as the
name suggests, they have blue/grey faces.
Their wool is not so bright white or quite as
good in quality, although breeders may dis-
pute this. The breeders also maintain that
they are hardier. The breed is used to sire
some excellent halfbreds (see Table 1.1).
Border Leicester
These large white sheep with good wool and
conformation make excellent sires to breed low-
land ewes (see Table 1.1). The pure-breds have
clean white heads and legs and a Roman nose.
They have been used throughout the world to
breed good crossbred and hybrid sheep.
Boreray
These Scottish meat sheep, also known as the
Boreray Blackface or the Hebridean Blackface,
have very poor wool, which is brown with
flecks of white hair. Both sexes have large
horns that curl back.
British Charollais
This breed was developed in the 19th century
by crossing the Dish ley Leicester with the local
breed in central France. It has had a breed soci-
ety since 1974. It has a very good meat-to-bone

Breeds 5
ratio and is popular with butchers. It is the
third most popular terminal sire. See also
under Charollais.
British Friesland
These milk sheep originated in Holland and
are common in Germany. Individuals will
produce over 500 1 of milk a year with a but-
ter fat of over 6.7%. The breed is very prolific
with a lambing percentage in excess of 250%.
They are large sheep with a distinctive long
bald tail and a silky, soft face with pink lips
and nostrils.
British Milk
These prolific hybrid milk sheep were first
released in 1980. The breed contains East
Friesian, Bluefaced Leicester, Polled Dorset
and Lleyn. It is extremely fecund, with lamb-
ing percentages of over 200% easily obtainable
with correct management, and the lambs fat-
ten quickly. However, this was bred as a milk-
ing sheep and individuals can produce 900 1
in a 300-day lactation. The main numbers of
the breed are in Canada.
Cheviot
These bright white hill sheep are very popu-
lar for breeding lowland ewes (see Table 1.1),
very fecund under the right conditions and
also very hardy. They are medium-sized
sheep with small clean white heads and legs,
and have been used throughout the world to
form new breeds and hybrids.
Clun Forest
These medium-sized, polled sheep are excep-
tionally fecund. Lambing percentages of 180%
are easily attainable under the right manage-
ment. They are ideal sheep to live under rough
conditions to cross with a terminal sire, or per-
haps better with a Border Leicester, to produce
ewes that can then be tupped by a terminal
sire. They have a white to grey body with a
small black head and black legs.
Cotswold
This long-woolled white sheep breed from
the southern Midlands of England dates
back to the 1600s. It has been kept and
improved in the USA where it is a breed of
some importance.
Dalesbred
This breed from the central Pennines has
Swaledale and Blackface blood. It is a medium
to large hardy sheep, excellent for producing
crossbred ewes (see Table 1.1). It is white,
with a clean black and white face and carpet-
quality wool. Both sexes have horns.
Derbyshire Gritstone
These hardy hill sheep date back to 1770 in
the Peak District of England. They are white
with black and white faces and good wool.
Both sexes are polled. Lambing percentages
of 145% are possible with good management.
The lambs are quick maturing.
Devon Closewool
This Exmoor meat sheep breed is over 100
years old. It is totally white with a medium-
length fleece. Both sexes are polled, of a
medium size, very hardy and ideal for open
heathland.
Devon Longwool
This breed, recognized for well over 100 years,
used to be widespread in the south-west of
England. The animals are large and all white
with wool on face and legs, and both sexes are
polled. The wool has lustrous curls.

6 Chapter 1
Dorset Down
This breed was fixed some 200 years ago by
crossing the Southdown with the Dorset Horn.
It is polled with a light brown face and legs. It
is considerably larger than the Southdown,
with a longer body and longer legs. It is more
in keeping with modern fat lamb requirements
and is therefore an excellent terminal sire.
Although it has Dorset Horn blood it does not
readily breed out of season. The wool is good
quality (Fig. 1.6).
Dorset Horn
The Dorset Horn is a very old breed from
southern England, famous for its ability to
breed out of season. However in practice the
sheep are not bred all the year round and nor-
mally farmers are happy to get three lamb
crops in two years. As the name suggests, this
breed has large curled horns, and it is a white
wool sheep with white legs. It has been used
to breed many other breeds but is not renowned
for its wool quality or fecundity. However,
these traits have been added from other breeds
to make several excellent breeds such as the
Dorset Down and the Dorper.
Easycare
This is a polled white sheep breed which is a
true hybrid using mainly Wiltshire Horn and
Fig. 1.6. Dorset Down.
Welsh Mountain blood, and was first bred in
North Wales in 1965. It has a good lambing
percentage of 180% and produces quick-matur-
ing fat lambs.
Exmoor Horn
This very old breed has been kept on Exmoor for
2000-3000 years. It is a small, hardy, white sheep
and both sexes have horns. The face is white
with black nostrils and free of wool. It has a
medium fleece with the wool coming down the
legs, which is sought after by felters.
Faroes
This breed of short-tailed small, hardy sheep,
mainly white with a dark face, dates back to the
9th century and is related to Old Norwegian
and Icelandic stock. Although the islands are
famous for knitwear, the wool is not of high
quality and the sheep are now a meat breed.
The rams have large curling horns but the ewes
are polled.
Greyface Dartmoor
This is a large, long-woolled sheep breed of
old lineage. Both sexes are polled and the face
is covered in wool. The nose is normally
black.
Hampshire Down
This breed was produced by crossing the
Southdown and the local Berkshire sheep
about 200 years ago. They are polled chunky
white sheep with a distinctive black nose in a
white wool face and black legs. It has short
legs, although not as short as those of the
Southdown. The breed is now relatively rare
as its progeny are too fat for modern taste.
Lambing percentages of 130% are readily attain-
able and lambs fatten quickly off good grass
(Fig. 1.7).

Breeds 7
Hebridean
These are very small, exceptionally hardy,
black-horned sheep. The wool is very coarse
but liked by felters. Twins are rare when
kept under rough conditions. They are not
wild sheep and are good as crofters' stock
(Fig. 1.8).
Fig. 1.7. Hampshire Down.
Herdwick
The main base of this extremely hardy breed is
in the Lake District. Its lamerotype hairs sug-
gest a Scandinavian origin, as these were only
to be found in Scandinavian sheep. Herdwicks
will spend their entire lives near the spot where
they were born; if they are taken away they
will invariably return, a behaviour known as
'hefting'. In consequence Herdwicks are not
sold off a farm but are always sold with it.
There was considerable concern in the foot
and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in 2001 as
the breed was decimated and there was fear
that the hefting instinct would be lost. This has
not happened, and Herdwicks have been
brought back and readily stay on the killed-out
farms. Lambing percentages are under 100%.
The lambs are born with almost black wool
that turns lighter with age (Fig. 1.9), and the
breed is noted for its longevity. The rams have
white horns. The wool is coarse and full of
kemp, a short, hard fibre that sheds regularly
and is rarely bought on account of its poor
quality (Fig. 1.10).
Fig. 1.8. Hebridean.

8 Chapter 1
Fig. 1.9. Herdwick with Iamb.
Fig. 1.10. Newly shorn Herdwick.
Hill Radnor
These are hardy hill sheep from Wales, cream
in colour with a light brown face and legs.
They are medium-sized with coarse wool and
relatively low fecundity when kept on the
hill. It is a good breed for top crossing to pro-
duce ewes for lowland use.
Jacob
These piebald sheep are popular with hobby
farmers on account of their colour. They are
medium-sized sheep and very fecund in a
hobby situation. Both sexes normally have
two curled horns, however an inherited gene
can give them four spiky horns. This gene has
now largely been bred out as it was linked
with some detrimental genes such as those
producing eyelid defects. The colour is inter-
esting, as when a Jacob is bred to a down ram
such as a Suffolk (which is white with a black
face and legs), the progeny are all black. If a
Jacob is bred to an all-white sheep such as a

Breeds 9
Texel, the progeny are either all white or all
black. Twins and triplets are common and so
single-coloured, mixed litters are seen. The
breed will breed out of season. The progeny
are too fat for modern tastes.
Kerry Hill
These white sheep with very characteristic
black muzzle, ears and eyes originated in
Powys in Wales. The breed is hardy and makes
a good crossing sheep. Equally, in a lowland
situation it can produce a high lambing percen-
tage. Both sexes are polled.
Lincoln Longwool
This is the largest British sheep breed. It has
been exported all over the world to increase
the size of local sheep. It has long lustrous
white wool, and the lambs have good meat
but are slow to mature.
Llanwenog
This is a remarkably docile sheep from West
Wales. It has medium-length wool that is
normally grey or light brown. The faces are
usually black. It is very fecund and produces
good saleable fat lambs.
Lleyn
As the name suggests, this breed originates
from the Lleyn Peninsular in North Wales. It is
a very prolific breed producing multiple
lambs - often up to five - and milks very well.
It will also breed out of season. Traditionally,
over 100 years ago, lambs were produced to
be fat by Easter. After weaning the ewes
were milked for cheesemaking. They are
small, white, hardy sheep, once again gaining
in popularity.
Lonk
These sheep from Lancashire live up to their
name, which means long and lanky. They are
white with carpet-quality white wool. Both
sexes are polled and have black and white
faces. The breed was developed by monks.
Manx Loaghtan
These dark brown sheep are native to the Isle
of Man. There is no wool on the face. Normally
they have four long horns but some individu-
als have only two horns and others have six,
the horns on the ewes tending to be smaller.
The wool is prized by weavers and the meat
is a delicacy (Fig. 1.11).
Norfolk Horn
This very old horned breed has been kept for
wool in Norfolk for many hundreds of years.
They are medium to large white sheep with
black head and legs. They can be bred early in
the season to produce fat lambs for Easter. They
are moderately fecund and with good manage-
ment can have a lambing percentage in excess
of 150%. The breed was the foundation of the
Suffolk breed, which was created by crossing a
Norfolk Horn with a Southdown (Fig. 1.12).
North Ronaldsay
These remarkable sheep live on the northern-
most island of the Orkneys, where they are
confined by stone walls to the shoreline. Their
main diet is seaweed. They are a small short-
tailed sheep with coarse wool.
Oxford Down
This is another down breed created by cross-
ing local Oxfordshire stock with Southdowns.
It has good white wool and very light brown
face and legs. It is a much bigger sheep than
the Southdown, and has considerably longer
legs. Lambs can be finished easily in 4 months,

10 Chapter 1
Fig. 1.11. Manx Loaghtan.
Fig. 1.12. Norfolk Horn.

Breeds 11
but it not adapted to breed out of season. It is
relatively fecund, with lambing percentages of
130% being the norm. It is polled in both sexes.
Portland
This is a very old white breed of sheep with
coarse wool, which was bred on the Isle of
Portland off Dorset. The sheep have white
faces and both sexes have horns. In the rams
these are very large and curled. The wool is
long but coarse and is prized by spinners.
They are short, stout sheep and do not pro-
duce lambs acceptable to modern butchers.
They are moderately fecund, and lambing
percentages of 120% are attainable.
Radnor Forest
This is a relatively rare breed from a small
area on the Welsh borders. It is best described
as a cross between a Clun Forest and a
Kerry Hill.
Romney Marsh
As the name suggests, these are natives of
Romney Marsh in Kent, a low-lying, bleak,
exposed area. They are often called 'Kents'.
This breed can be traced back to the 13th cen-
tury and has spread all over the world, being
very common in the Antipodes. There are
some large flocks in China.
Its importance in large commercial
stocks stems from the fact that it can be relied
upon to survive and produce lambs under
virtually any conditions, whether on bleak
marshes or sheltered orchards. It has an
unusual habit of spreading out evenly over
the available grazing area, thus making the
best possible use of the existing pasture
(Fig. 1.13).
The lambing percentage is low, rarely
over 120%. The wool is of medium quality but
yields are over 4 kg and it is all white. Both
sexes are polled. On account of the low lamb-
ing percentage the ewes can be left to look
after their lambs at lambing time with little
supervision.
Fig. 1.13. Romney Marsh sheep spread out.

12 Chapter 1
Rough Fell
These very hardy, small- to medium-sized
sheep come from south Cumbria. The face is a
mixture of black and white and both sexes
have horns. The wool is coarse and white.
Ryeland
These are excellent compact smallholder
sheep. The wool is normally white but some
shades of brown are found. There is tight
curly wool on the face, and the muzzle is
black. Both sexes are polled.
Scottish Blackface
This Scottish breed was established in 1500.
They are very hardy medium-sized sheep
with a short tail and long white wool, the
face being mainly black with some white
areas. As hill sheep they make ideal mothers
to breed crossbreds, which can then breed
fat lambs on lowland areas. Both sexes are
horned.
Scottish Dunface
These medium-sized sheep date back to the
Iron Age. They are of variable colours and
have short wool. Both sexes have small horns.
By the 19th century they had largely been
replaced by the Blackface.
Shetland
These small, white sheep, originating from
the Shetland Islands to the north of Scotland,
have black faces and legs. Many colours are
recognized including white, grey, fawn and
black, and also colours with Gaelic names
such as Shaela, Emsket, Mioget and Moorit. The
wool is very fine. They are slow-growing
sheep that lamb easily and are often used for
conservation grazing.
Shropshire Down
These large downland sheep were bred from
old Shropshire breeds and the Southdown.
They are white with fawn face and legs, and
both sexes are polled. The wool is of moder-
ate length and good quality. They breed good
fat lambs.
Soay
These small, brown sheep take their name
from the Isle of Soay in the Outer Hebrides
where they have lived from time immemo-
rial. They are the only living representa-
tive of the small primitive sheep that
were common in Britain before the Roman
occupation. The fleece of about 1 kg is shed
naturally in early summer. The lambing
percentage is below 100%. They are quite
wild, even when kept in domestic situa-
tions. They do not flock but disperse in
every direction when approached by dogs
or strangers. They can leap high, so gather-
ing is a nightmare.
They do not eat clover and so are used in
Cornwall to help restore the china clay heaps
covered with grass/clover mixture. The clo-
ver within the area is never over-grazed. They
are also used around the Norfolk Broads as
they will eat the young rush shoots and
improve the grazing.
Southdown
This breed is thought to have been on the
southern downs before Roman times. It was
improved by John Ellman of Glynde near
Lewes. It was the foundation stock for all
the 'down' breeds and 40 years ago was the
most chosen terminal sire. It produces one
of the finest wools of all the British breeds.
The sheep are white with a fawn face, and
both the rams and ewes are polled. It is a
stocky yet deceptively heavy breed. However
it is not in favour with butchers today and is
almost a rare breed in the UK, but much
more common in New Zealand, the USA and
France.

Breeds 13
Suffolk
This breed, which is still the most popular ter-
minal sire in the UK, was produced by acci-
dent almost 300 years ago by crossing a
Southdown ram with a Norfolk Horn ewe.
The first cross was so good that the breed was
fixed. It is a white sheep with a black head,
which is free from wool, and black legs. It
produces very quick-maturing fat lambs and
is capable of very early out-of-season lambs
in January. A lambing percentage of 180% can
be achieved.
Swaledale
This hill sheep breed was established in
Yorkshire by 1800. It has rough, long wool but
a clean neck and head. It is mainly white with
a black and white face and legs. Both sexes
are horned. It is a hardy, medium-sized ani-
mal ideal for breeding crossbred ewes for
further top crossing to breed fat lambs (see
Table 1.1).
Teeswater
This 200-year-old sheep breed has long, high-
lustre, kemp-free white wool that will not felt.
The wool is not as long as the Lincoln. The
Teeswater is a good meat sheep.
Welsh Mountain
These long-tailed mountain sheep breed
excellent crosses (see Table 1.1). They are
medium sized, and white with a white, wool-
free face.
Wensleydale
These 19th-century hill sheep were bred in
North Yorkshire by crossing Leicester and
Teeswater sheep. They are good crossing
sheep with a blue-grey face and white wool
with ringlet-like locks (Fig. 1.14).
Fig. 1.14. Wensleydale.
Whitefaced Dartmoor
These are all-white hill sheep. Both sexes have
horns. The wool is long and the lambs have
good meat.
Whitefaced Woodland
This breed is also called the Penistone
after the Yorkshire town where it was first
bred and sold. It is an all-white large
hill sheep with short, fine wool, and pro-
duces good meat lambs. Both sexes are
horned (Fig. 1.15).
Wiltshire Horn
These white-horned sheep are ideal for
smallholders as shearing is not required.
They are almost hair sheep. Fly strike is
rare. They will breed at any time of the year
(Fig. 1.16).
Sheep Breeds of the World
Aclpayam (Acpayam)
This large, white sheep breed has long, coarse
wool. It originates from Turkey.

14 Chapter 1
Adal Afghan Arabi
This breed of small, dark-brown hair sheep This hair sheep breed is kept for meat in
Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. It is black with a
white face and long pendulous ears. It is a
polled sheep with a fat tail.
with a fat tail originates from Ethiopia.
Fig. 1.15. Whiteface Woodland.
Africana
This red-haired sheep breed originally came
from West Africa but was developed in
Colombia.
Alai
This white wool sheep breed with a fat tail
was developed in Kyrgyzstan. Only the rams
have horns.
Fig. 1.16. Wiltshire Horn.

Breeds 15
Alcarrefia with a grey body and black head. The breed
has been known since the Middle Ages.
This white-haired, polled sheep breed origi-
nates from Spain.
Algarve Churro
This wool sheep breed originates from
Southern Portugal. It is white but has black
spots on its face and lower legs (Fig. 1.17).
Algerian Arab
This mainly meat sheep breed of various col-
ours has rough wool that is only suitable for
carpets. Only the males are horned.
Alpines Steinschaf
Altay
This rough-woolled sheep breed originates
from mountainous regions in China. Animals
are polled, with fat tails.
Ancon
This white wool sheep breed, which comes
from the USA, is sometimes called the Otter
sheep. Only the rams have horns. It is actu-
ally an inherited freak with short legs, which
has been very closely inbred.
Apennine
This hair sheep breed originated in Germany This white sheep breed has long rough wool.
and is used to improve pastures in the higher It is mainly kept for meat in the mountains in
alpine regions. They are large, polled sheep Northern Italy.
Fig. 1.17. Algarve Churro.

16 Chapter 1
Arapawa Island
This very light brown wool sheep breed has a
darker brown face with a wide white blaze
and large curling horns. It was bred in New
Zealand.
Armenia Semi-coarse wool
This big, white sheep is a dairy breed from
Armenia. Its Russian name is Armyanskaya.
Askanian
This white-woolled sheep breed comes from
the Ukraine. Its Russian name is Askaniysky.
Assaf
This white-horned, black-faced milking sheep
breed is from Israel. It was bred by crossing
the Awassi with the Friesian.
Aussiedown
This is a hybrid sheep breed based on the
Southdown and the Texel, which was stand-
ardized in Australia. It is a very large, meat-
producing sheep.
Awassi
These sheep are white with a brown face, and
have long wool and strong curved horns.
They are milked in Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Badger Face Welsh Mountain
See Sheep Breeds of the UK.
Balbas
This white, milk sheep breed has a black
muzzle and spectacles. It produces large
amounts of semi-coarse wool. It has a fat tail
and is a good meat producer. It is kept in
Azerbaijan.
Balkhi
This is a small black-polled sheep breed with
coarse wool and a fat tail. It originated in
Pakistan and is very commonly seen in the
Khyber Pass.
Baluchi
This medium-sized black and white sheep
breed has a fat tail and coarse wool. It is very
common in the arid areas of Iran.
Balwen Welsh Mountain
Barbados Blackbelly
This very large meat-producing sheep breed
is white with a black belly, and is found
throughout the Caribbean. Both sexes are
polled.
Bardoka
This medium-sized, white sheep breed has a
pink skin. Both sexes have horns. It has fine
wool and although it is primarily a meat-
producing sheep, in certain areas it is milked.
It is found throughout the Balkans and was
originally bred in Serbia.
Basco-bearnaise
This white dairy sheep breed with a wool-free
face is milked in Spain. It is also known as
Vasca Carranzana. The nose is slightly Roman
and the horns are large in both sexes.

Breeds 17
Bellclaire
This is a large, polled, white hybrid sheep
developed in Ireland for fat lamb production.
Beltex
This is a very large, polled, white hybrid
sheep breed based on the Texel, and was
developed in Belgium.
Bentheimer Landschaf
This medium-sized sheep breed has white
wool and a wool-free face. It is polled and
was specifically bred in Germany to tidy up
pastures.
Bergamasca
This large white sheep breed originated in
northern Italy but now is found in Brazil. It is
a true triple-purpose sheep breed, and is
milked, has good wool and produces fine
lambs for meat.
Berichon du Cher
This large, white,
primarily kept for
France.
Biellese
This coarse-woolled sheep breed is kept for
meat in the Piedmont area of Italy. It is white
and polled, with lop ears.
Bizet
This is a large white French sheep breed. The
rams have horns. The fleece is not too coarse
but the wool is not of top quality. It can be
bred 'out of season'.
Black Hawaiian
This is a large all-black sheep breed with
rough wool. The rams have enormous horns
but the ewes are polled. It is only found in the
state of Hawaii in the USA.
Black Welsh Mountain
Blackhead Persian
Although this hair sheep breed originated
polled sheep breed is in Central Asia, it was radically improved
meat and originated in in South Africa, where its Afrikaans name
is Swartkoppersie. As the name suggests,
it is a white sheep with a black head. It is
polled and has a fat tail and is an excel-
lent breed for producing meat in an arid
area.Beulah Speckled Face
Bibrik
This horned sheep breed has coarse wool and
is white with a black head and fat tail. It
comes from Pakistan and is primarily kept for
meat.
Bleu du Maine
This excellent meat-producing French
sheep breed has good long, thick wool. It is
white with blue-coloured head and legs. It
is a very good terminal sire, whose prog-
eny are much favoured by today's butchers
(Fig. 1.18).

18 Chapter 1
Fig. 1.18. Bleu du Maine.
Bluefaced Leicester
Bond
This is a very large hybrid sheep breed
produced in Australia from Merino and
Lincoln Longwool stock. It is mainly for wool
production, but the lambs make good meat
carcasses. It is very popular in Russia and
China.
Booroola Merino
These extremely fecund sheep were bred in
New Zealand using gene-mapping techniques.
Border Leicester
Boreray
Bovec
These dairy sheep were bred in Slovenia but
are now rare. Most are pure white but some
have black marks. Both sexes are polled with
small ears, thin legs, and a belly free of wool.
Bovska
This extremely rare short-legged sheep breed
is used as a milk sheep in Slovenia. It has very
small ears and is either white or black and
white.
Bozakh
This dairy sheep breed has coarse wool. It
can be white, golden or brown but always

Breeds 19
has a black head and legs. It is found in
Azerbaijan.
Braunes Bergschaf
This breed, known in English as the Brown
Mountain sheep, is descended from the
Tyrolean Stone Sheep. It is used in Germany
not only for meat but for managing high,
steep, rough pastures. It is brown with long
downward-hanging ears.
Brillenschaf
This is a meat-producing sheep breed with
saleable wool. It is white with distinctive
black ears and black spectacles, and is rare
but found in Austria and Slovenia.
British Charollais
British Friesland
British Milk
Bundner Oberlanderschaf
This grey sheep breed has a slender wool-free
head. The rams are horned but the ewes are
normally polled. It is a medium-sized primi-
tive sheep used to manage the vegetation on
steep rough pastures in Switzerland.
California Red
This sheep breed was produced on the Pacific
seaboard of the USA during the 1970s. The
lambs, which make excellent meat, are red.
The adults are whiter with red legs and both
sexes are polled. The sheep perform well in
hot climates and will breed out of season.
Cameroon
A large hair-coated sheep breed from West Africa,
producing useful meat. It is fawn with a white
rump and thin tail, and has a black underbelly,
legs, mandibles, ears and spectacles.
Campanian Barbary
A medium, white, polled wool sheep breed
with a clean face and lop ears. It is used for
meat and milking. Originally from Tunisia
but now found in southern Italy.
Campbell Island
This was a feral breed originating from
roughly 5000 sheep left on an island after the
farmers had left. Ten of the best specimens
were retained in New Zealand in 2005. The
blood is mainly Merino.
Canadian Arcott
This all-white wool sheep breed is a hybrid
bred from the Ile -de -France and the Suffolk. It
was standardized in Canada and is primarily
a meat-producing sheep, suitable as a termi-
nal sire.
Charmoise
This large, white, polled wool sheep breed
was developed in France for meat. It is popu-
lar in Ireland.
Charollais
This large, polled, cream sheep breed with a brown
face was developed in mid-France several centu-
ries ago. It is an excellent meat-producing sheep.

20 Chapter 1
It is popular in many countries, particularly in the
UK, where it is the third most popular terminal
sire. Its progeny are sought after by butchers
on account of their high killing-out percentage
and low fat content.
Cheviot
Chios
This white dairy sheep breed with a semi-fat
tail has a black face with a wide white blaze.
It was originally from the island of Chios in
Greece, hence its name. It is widely found in
southern and eastern Europe.
Cholistani
This is a small white-bodied sheep breed with
a brown head. It has short ears and a thin tail.
It has wool but is primarily bred in Pakistan
for meat.
Churra
This dual-purpose sheep breed is often called
the Spanish Churro. It is milked in Spain and
produces useful fat lambs. It is white with
black feet, nose, ears and spectacles, and has
soft wool.
Cikta
This small, white mountain sheep was bred in
Germany for its wool but the breed is now
kept in Hungary as a fat lamb producer. The
ewes are polled; the rams have small, white,
knob-like horns.
Cine Capari
This small white fat-tailed sheep breed comes
from Turkey and is kept for meat; the wool is
very coarse.
Clun Forest
Coburger Fuchsschaf
This large, polled sheep breed is often called
the Coburg Fox Sheep. It is white with brown
legs and a slightly Roman nose. It is used in
Germany for pasture management.
Columbia
This is a white sheep breed with good wool
properties; both sexes are polled. It was bred
in the USA.
Comeback
This is a hybrid sheep breed using Merino
and Lincoln Longwool blood, and was devel-
oped in Australia for both meat and milk. It is
a big, polled sheep very suitable for climates
with high rainfall.
Comisana
This is a medium-sized white dairy sheep
breed with a red head, and so is often called
the Red Head. In its native Italy, it is known
as Testa Rossa or Farcia Rossa. Both sexes are
polled.
Coolalee
This is a white, hybrid sheep breed bred in
Australia for fat lamb production. However,
it has quite good wool and a clean face. Both
sexes are polled.
Coopworth
This is a white, hybrid sheep breed contain-
ing merino blood, from New Zealand. It has

Breeds 21
excellent wool quality and makes good fat Anatolia but is found throughout Turkey,
lambs. Both sexes are polled. Syria and Lebanon.
Cormo
This white, hybrid wool sheep breed was
developed in Australia. It has a large amount
of Merino blood. The head is woolly and both
sexes are polled.
Corriedale
This famous white wool sheep breed was
bred in Australia, not only for its fine wool
but also for its excellent fat lamb production.
It is now found in hot climates throughout
the world. Both sexes are polled.
Cotentin
This hardy longwool sheep breed comes from
Normandy in France. It is pure white with a
clean head and has excellent meat.
Cotswold
Criollo
This small meat sheep breed with carpet-
quality wool is found in highland areas
throughout central and south America. It can
be black, white or pied.
Dag lic
This white, short fat-tailed sheep breed has
black spots on its head and legs. The ewes are
polled but the rams have horns. The wool is
coarse and only suitable for carpets. It is pri-
marily a dairy sheep but the progeny make
good fat lambs. It originated from western
Da la Fur
This is a small, white hardy wool sheep breed
from Sweden, kept for wool and meat. It has
no wool on its tail. The ewes are polled but
the rams have horns.
Dalesbred
Damani
This small, white sheep breed has a white
body and black head. It is polled and has
small ears. It originates from the north-west
frontier area of Pakistan and is kept for meat
and wool.
Damara
This red- to brown-haired sheep breed was
originally from Egypt and is now found
throughout Namibia and southern Angola.
The rams have large curled horns. It can cope
with extremes of climate and still produce and
rear twins. It is also content to browse.
Danish Landrace
This medium-sized white wool sheep breed
comes from Denmark, as the name suggests.
It is also called the Landfar or the Klitfar. It
has wool on its face and right down its rela-
tively short legs.
Debouillet
This is a white crossbred sheep breed from
New Mexico in the USA. It is a medium-sized
sheep containing Merino and Rambouillet

22 Chapter 1
blood. The ewes are polled, as are some of the Dorset Down
rams.
Delaine Merino
This hardy, white wool sheep breed was bred
in the USA. It has a very fine-woolled, oily
fleece.
Derbyshire Gritstone
Deutsches Bergschaf
This polled, white, medium-woolled sheep
breed has a clean head. Its English name is the
White Mountain sheep. It was bred in
Germany for wool and meat.
Devon Closewool
Devon Longwool
Dohne Merino
This very large wool sheep breed produces
useful fat lambs. It was bred in South Africa
but now is common in Australia.
Dorper
Dorset Horn
Drysdale
These are small hybrid sheep bred in New
Zealand for wool production. Both sexes are
horned.
Est a Laine
This French sheep breed is one of the many
variations of the Merino, the most predomi-
nant breed in the southern hemisphere.
Merinos are primarily fine wool producers.
However the heritability of wool quality is
high, and therefore their crosses will retain
this characteristic although obviously the fur-
ther away from the true Merino, the coarser
the wool becomes. It should not be forgotten
that although genetics are paramount in pro-
ducing fine wool, nutrition and housing do
play a part.
East Friesian
This excellent milking sheep breed can pro-
duce 900 1 of milk in a 300-day lactation. It
flourishes on the heathland of Northern
Germany where it is known as the Ostfries-
isches Milchschaf. It is a large, polled, white
sheep with a pink nose.
Easycare
This famous white-haired sheep breed is ide-
ally suited to the arid climate of South Africa
where it was bred. It produces excellent fat Elliottdale
lambs. Both sexes are polled. It was bred from
Black-headed Persian sheep crossed with This large white sheep breed is a mutation of
Dorset Horn sheep. a Romney Marsh. It produces large amounts

Breeds 23
of carpet-quality wool. Both sexes are
polled.
Estonian Ruhnu
This is a small, rare white sheep breed with
a badger face. Most are polled except a few
rams. It is also known as the Eesti maalam-
mas and lives on a single island off
Estonia.
Exmoor Horn
Fabrianese
This large, white dairy sheep breed produces
good fat lambs. Both sexes are polled. It has
coarse wool and a Roman nose and originates
from Italy.
Faroes
Finnish Landrace
This is a very prolific breed having litters of
between five and seven lambs per lambing.
It has been crossed with the Dorset Horn to
breed a ewe which is not only prolific but
will also breed lambs out of season. It is
sometimes called the Finnsheep.
Fuglestad
This polled, white sheep breed has black
spots on its face and legs. It has a long
tail and is kept in Norway for wool and
meat.
Gala
This white wool sheep breed has a black head
and legs, and both sexes are polled. It has a fat
tail and is a good meat producer. It is kept in
Azerbaijan.
Galway
This large, white, polled sheep breed has
wool on its face and legs. It is mainly kept in
Ireland for meat.
Garadolaq
This is a large, white sheep breed with long
legs and a fat tail. It is a good meat producer
and can be shorn twice a year. It is bred in
Azerbaijan.
Gedebey Merino
This large white sheep breed has a consider-
able amount of wool and is also is a good
meat producer. The rams have large curly
horns. It is kept in Azerbaijan.
Godek
This is a small white wool sheep breed with a
fat tail. It is a good meat producer and is
found in Azerbaijan.
Gotland
This is a very old Northern European short-
tailed sheep breed from Sweden. It is grey/
brown with a black head, and both sexes are
polled. It has good meat. The pelts are often
sold and the fleece is sought after by hand-
spinners.

24 Chapter 1
Grey Troender
This is a very rare and fecund grey sheep
breed from Norway, with distinctive white
markings below the eyes. Both sexes are
polled. The wool is sought after for handi-
crafts and the pelts are often sold.
Greyface Dartmoor
Gromark
This dual-purpose, white, clean-headed, lean
sheep breed was bred in New South Wales in
Australia using half Corriedale and half Border
Leicester blood. Both sexes are polled.
Gute
This very primitive Northern European
short-tailed sheep breed comes from Sweden.
It is grey with large curling horns in both
sexes.
Hampshire Down
Hebridean
Heidschnucke
This ancient German horned breed has been
changed in recent years by breeding in white
polled stock. However, the real breed is a grey
animal with a black head and both sexes are
horned. It has coarse wool but produces rea-
sonable meat, and is mainly kept nowadays
to control and improve pastures.
Herdwick
Hill Radnor
Hog Island
This is a heavy, white-woolled sheep breed
with a black head and legs. Both sexes are
polled. It is still kept in parts of the USA.
Hu
This is a small, white sheep breed with long
wavy wool. It has a clean face and both sexes
are polled. It comes from Mongolia where it
can breed all year round.
Icelandic
This, as the name implies, was bred and is
still found in Iceland. It is a big, white dairy
sheep breed with good wool. The lambs are
good meat. Both sexes are horned.
Ile-de-France
This is really a French Merino breed. It is
white with excellent wool and also produces
good fat lambs. The breed is very fecund:
triplets and quads are common. It has a clean
face and both sexes are polled.
Iranian Long-woolled
This wool sheep breed comes from Iran
(Fig. 1.19) and is also commonly found in
Turkey and Syria (Fig. 1.20). It has a black
head with a white forelock. The body is white,
as are the legs, except below the fetlocks. It is
fecund and produces good mutton.

Breeds 25
Fig. 1.19. Iranian Long-woolled.
4_
r!"
Fig. 1.20. Sheep and goats at Palmyra.

26 Chapter 1
Iranian Red
As the name implies, this sheep breed comes
from Iran. The lambs are all red; the adults are
cream with red legs and heads. It is really a
hair sheep producing good meat. The tail is
thin, and both sexes have horns, with the
rams having very long spiral horns.
Istrian Milk
This dairy sheep breed of various colours was
bred in Italy but is now found in the Balkans.
The rams have small curly horns and the ewes
are polled. The wool is very coarse.
Jacob
Jaro
This white sheep breed has brown spots on its
clean head, brown legs and a fat tail. The wool
is coarse. It is kept in Azerbaijan for meat
production.
Jezersko-Solcayska
This is a white, mountain sheep breed with
long pendulous ears and coarse wool; both
sexes are polled. It is found in Slovenia.
Juraschaf
This is a small black or brown mountain sheep
breed found in Switzerland. Both sexes are
polled. It is a non-seasonal breeder and very
fecund. It produces good meat but has coarse
wool.
Kachhi
This is a medium-sized sheep breed of vari-
ously coloured coarse wool. Both sexes are
polled. It has a black head, long floppy ears
and a Roman nose. It comes from the Sind
area of Pakistan and breeds good fat lambs.
Kajli
This breed from the Punjab area of both
Pakistan and India is a big polled sheep of vari-
ous colours. It has enormous lop ears and a
Roman nose. It is a wool sheep, producing good
meat.
Kamakuyruk
This is a Turkish white fat-tailed hair sheep
breed that produces good fat lambs.
Karabagh
This is an old milk sheep breed that has coarse,
light brown wool. It has a fat tail and is a good
meat producer. It is found in Azerbaijan.
Karagouniko
This is a dairy sheep breed from central
mainland Greece. It is white or black with a
thin tail. The wool is coarse but the meat is
excellent.
Karakul
This is a medium-sized all-black sheep breed
found throughout Central Asia. It is milked
and eaten. It produces fine wool and its hide
is sought after for leather goods. It is also kept
in the arid areas of South Africa. Both sexes
are polled.
Karayaka
This is primarily a milk-producing sheep
breed found throughout Turkey. It is white
with a black head and legs. It has long wool
suitable for making carpets and it also pro-
duces good meat. Both sexes are polled.

Breeds 27
Katandin
This is a polled, white hair sheep breed bred
for rough arid areas in the USA. It is kept for
fat lamb production.
Kempen Heath
This is a white, clean-headed, polled sheep
breed kept in Holland for meat and wool.
Kerry Hill
Kivircik
This is a white dairy sheep breed with
medium-quality wool, kept in Western
Turkey. The females are polled but the rams
have horns. It produces good fat lambs.
Kooka
This is a white, milk, haired sheep breed from
Pakistan. It has a thin tail and long floppy
ears. Both sexes are polled.
Krainer Steinschaf
This is a small white, mountain sheep breed
from Bavaria in Germany. Both sexes have
horns. The wool is coarse so this is primarily
a meat sheep.
Lacaune
This is a large, white dairy breed from France.
It is renowned for its high milk yield and
fecundity.
Landais
rams have curled horns but the ewes are
polled. It was bred in Gascony in France for
meat production.
Lange
This small, white dairy sheep breed has coarse
wool. It has a clean face with semi-lop ears
and both sexes are polled. It produces good
fat lambs and is milked in Italy.
Lati
This is a white sheep breed with a clean face
but wool down its legs. It has lop ears and a
fat tail. It is seen in the Punjab area of India
and Pakistan where it is mainly kept for meat
production.
Latxa
This breed has cream wool and a fawn face,
and is kept for milk production in Spain. Both
sexes have small horns.
Leineschaf
This large, white, meat-producing sheep
breed is kept in the Hanoverian area of
Germany. Both sexes have horns and long
ears. The wool is long.
Lezgi
This Russian sheep breed spends the sum-
mers high up in the Caucasus Mountains and
is moved lower in the winter. It is a white
wool sheep with a fat tail and both sexes have
curved-back horns.
Lincoln Longwool
This is a medium-sized white sheep breed
with black spots, producing coarse wool. The See Sheep Breeds of the UK.

28 Chapter 1
Lithuanian Black-headed
This, as the name implies, is a white breed
with a black head and comes from Lithuania.
The wool is semi-fine and the lambs are good
quality. Both sexes are polled.
Llanwenog
Lleyn
Lohi
This is a wool sheep breed from Pakistan.
Lonk
Luzein
This breed is found in the Alpine areas of
Germany and Switzerland. It is a white sheep
with good wool. Both sexes are polled, and it
produces good fat lambs.
Maltese
These red-headed sheep, now found in
Malta, were actually from Sicily. They are
dairy sheep with silky white wool and
produce good fat lambs. Both sexes are
polled.
Manchega
This big white dairy sheep breed has a clean
face with pink lips and muzzle. It comes from
Spain.
Manech
This white sheep breed with long coarse wool
and a black head comes from both sides of the
Pyrenees. Both sexes have tall curly horns. It
is a meat-producing sheep.
Manx Loaghtan
Marco Polo
This famous mountain sheep breed, whose
rams have massive curling horns, is not really
a domestic sheep. It is found high up in the
Pamir Mountains on the Chinese border. It is
dark brown with white underparts. It is actu-
ally Ovis ammon polii.
Masai
This is a medium-sized hair sheep breed found
in the Masai areas of Kenya and Tanzania. It has
a white body with a red head and neck. The
rams have horns but the ewes are polled. It has a
fat tail and produces good meat.
Massese
This is a white dairy sheep breed from Italy
with good wool that produces good fat lambs.
Meatmaster
This hybrid polled sheep breed has a semi-fat
tail. It is of varying colour but produces excel-
lent fat lambs off arid pastures. It was stand-
ardized in South Africa.
Mehraban
This light-brown meat sheep breed produc-
ing carpet wool comes from Iran.

Breeds 29
Merinizzata Italiana
This is a white wool dairy sheep breed from
central and southern Italy.
Merino
This breed of world-wide renown is the foun-
dation of a very large number of breeds. It
comes from Spain and was developed in the
12th century. It is a good forager with excellent
wool with a staple length of 65-100 mm. The
wool is always less than 24 pm and from the
ultra-fine animals is less than 15 p.m. Animals
fed solely on 'salt-bush' in Western Australia
regularly produce wool of less than 11 p.m.
Fleeces weigh between 3 and 6 kg. The carcass
size is relatively small but in several countries
the breed has been perfected to increase this,
and excellent fat lambs are produced. It is a
white sheep with an almost clean face. Both
sexes naturally have long spiral horns close to
the head. However, polled animals have been
bred and are now much more common. Only
in UK is the breed rare.
Moghani
Also known as the Mughan, this is a white
sheep breed with good wool. It has a fat tail
and produces good fat lambs. Both sexes are
polled. It is found in Iran and Azerbaijan.
Montadale
This is a large white hybrid sheep breed from
the USA, bred for both meat and milk. Both
sexes are polled.
Morada Nova
This is a medium-sized sheep breed from
Brazil, bred for meat. It is a red-haired sheep
and both sexes are polled.
Najdi
This is a large black sheep breed with a white
head and white underside of neck and belly.
It has coarse wool and in Saudi Arabia is kept
for meat.
Navajo-Churro
This is a white hybrid sheep breed from the
USA, bred for wool production. Both sexes
are polled.
Newfoundland
This is a medium-sized white sheep breed,
mainly polled, bred for meat and wool in
Canada.
Nel lore
This is a small, hair sheep breed and is mainly
white with a black underbelly and legs. The
rams have broad horns but the ewes are
polled. It comes from the Andhra Pradesh
area of India.
Nolana
This is a white hair sheep hybrid breed
from the USA for out-of-season fat lamb
production.
Norfolk Horn
North Ronaldsay
Northern European Short-tailed
This is really a group of breeds of various col-
ours found in Northern Europe, mainly in
Scandinavia, Germany and Russia. They are

30 Chapter 1
all meat animals as well as milking animals,
with fat tails and coarse wool.
Norwegian Fur
This is a medium-sized, meat-producing,
grey sheep breed with a black head and white
face, found in Scandinavia. Both sexes are
polled.
Ossimi
This is a big white sheep breed with a clean
brown head and lop ears. It comes from
lower Egypt. The male has horns but the
female is polled. It has carpet-quality wool
and a fat tail and is mainly kept for meat.
Ouessant
This is a small brown sheep breed with large
horns, also called the Breton Island Dwarf. It
is largely kept in France as a pet. The wool is
used by home spinners.
Ou la
This is a native Tibetan meat sheep breed with
a fat tail. It comes in a variety of colours.
Oxford Down
Pag Island
This white wool sheep breed comes from
Croatia. The rams have horns but the ewes
are polled.
Pagliarola
This is a small coarse-woolled sheep breed
kept in Italy for meat. It is either red or black,
and both sexes are polled.
Panama
This large, white, polled sheep breed is kept
in the north-west of the USA for meat.
Pedi
This fat-tailed, polled, meat sheep breed is
brown with a white saddle. It is found in
South Africa.
Pelibuey
This large red or red and white, long-legged
sheep breed is also called Cubano Rojo. It
produces good meat but no wool. It is found
in the Caribbean, Mexico and South America,
and performs well in arid climates.
Perendale
This crossbred sheep breed was standard-
ized in New Zealand to produce fat lambs. It
is a white, polled sheep with Romney Marsh
and Cheviot blood.
Pinzirita
This white dairy sheep breed has black spots
on its head and legs, and coarse wool. It is still
milked in Sicily and it also produces fat
lambs.
Pitt Island
This very rare black sheep breed with very
large horns has thick wool, which is loved by
spinners. It is found mainly on the Chatham
Islands of New Zealand.
Polish Heath
This is a large, white, short-tailed, meat-
producing sheep breed still seen in Poland.

Breeds 31
Poll Dorset
This breed was developed in Australia by
breeding Dorset Horn ewes with either
Rye land or Corriedale.
Polwarth
This hybrid breed for producing fat lambs and
wool was standardized in Australia. It has
roughly 75% Merino blood and 25% Lincoln
Longwool blood.
Polypay
This hybrid breed was produced in the USA
to provide meat and wool. It is a medium-
sized white polled animal comprising a large
number of breeds.
Pomeranian Coarsewool
This is a large brown wool sheep breed with a
clean brown head. In Germany it provides
good fat lambs from rough pastures and helps
to control the vegetation.
Portland
Priangan
This sheep breed, also called the Garut, comes
from Java in Indonesia. It is black or pied and
the ewes are polled but the rams have large
horns. It is now used for meat but at one time
it was used for ram fighting.
Qashqai
This is a brown spotted sheep breed with a fat
tail and carpet-quality wool, found in Iran.
Qiaoke
This is a small, black, meat sheep breed found
in China.
Qinghai Black Tibetan
This is a large, polled, black sheep breed from
Tibet. It has carpet-quality wool and is also
used for meat.
Qinghai Semifinewool
This is a hybrid breed standardized in China
from crossing Romney Marsh and the local
Xinjian breed. The rams have horns but the
ewes are polled.
Quadrella
This Italian dairy sheep breed produces some
useful meat. Some animals of both sexes have
horns.
Quanglin Large-tail
This breed is from the Shanxi region of China.
It is a medium-sized brown sheep with a
white belly. As the name suggests, it has a fat
tail, and is a good meat producer. The rams
have large horns but the ewes are polled. The
wool is only carpet quality.
Rabo Largo
This pied, fat-tailed, horned, hair sheep
breed comes from Northern Brazil. It is a
meat sheep.
Racka
This is a very large long-woolled light brown
sheep breed. It has amazingly long straight-
out horns. It is still milked in Hungary and is
a good meat producer.

32 Chapter 1
Radnor Forest Red Karaman
Rambouillet
This breed is the French Merino. It has excel-
lent wool and is pure white with large horns.
It also produces good fat lambs.
Rasa Aragonesa
This is a medium-sized white sheep with a
clean head. It is a good meat producer. Both
sexes are polled. It comes from the Aragon
area of Spain.
Red Engadine
This is a dark red Swiss sheep breed with lop
ears. It is both a meat and a wool producer.
This red sheep breed has a fat tail and produces
good fat lambs. It originated in Turkey but is
also found in the Middle East (Fig. 121).
Rhoen
This is a brown, meat-producing sheep breed
from Bavaria in Germany. It has coarse wool.
Rideau Arcott
This is a hybrid meat-producing sheep breed
standardized in Canada. It is a large, white,
polled sheep.
Romanov
This grey sheep breed has a distinctive black
head with a white blaze. It is a meat-producing
sheep from the Volga valley in Russia.
Fig. 1.21. Red Karaman.

Breeds 33
Romney Marsh
Roslag
This is a rare sheep breed from Sweden. It
produces meat and wool for smallholders.
Most are white but about 10% are black. All of
the sheep have short tails but only the rams
have horns.
Rouge de l'Ouest
This premium sheep breed is cream with a red
head, hence its name. It has a very well-muscled
rump and is a good terminal sire. The fat lambs
are sought after by butchers. It originated in
central France but is popular in the UK.
Ryeland
Sahel
This hair sheep breed has a red fore-end with
a white rump and thin tail. It has small ears,
and both sexes have horns that project
straight out sideways from the head. It is kept
for meat in Chad, Mali, Mauritania and
Niger.
Sakiz
This wool sheep breed is kept for milk around
Izmir in Turkey. The rams have horns.
Rouge de Roussillon Santa Cruz
This white sheep breed with a red head is
kept on the French side of the Pyrenees. It is a
good wool and meat producer.
Rough Fell
Royal White
This hybrid, meat-producing sheep breed
was standardized in the USA.
Ruda
This rare white sheep breed with pink skin is
a good wool producer. It is a small sheep and
is found in Albania and Croatia.
Rya
This sheep breed, found in Sweden and
Norway, has very short legs. It produces wool
for carpets.
This white wool sheep breed has long
clean legs. It is kept in the USA for wool
production.
Sardinian
This white milk sheep breed is found on the
Italian mainland as well as in Sardinia. It has
coarse wool. Both sexes are polled.
Scottish Blackface
Scottish Dunface
Shetland

34 Chapter 1
Shirvan Spa lsau
This all-white sheep with a clean head has This all-white sheep breed with long coarse
coarse wool but is a good meat producer in wool is kept for meat in Norway.
arid climates. Both sexes are polled. It is bred
in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Shropshire Down
Sicilian Barbary
This white milk sheep breed has a speckled
face and legs. Both sexes are polled. The wool
is of medium quality.
Skudde
This small, white, meat sheep breed has a
short tail and the rams have curly horns. The
wool is of poor quality and is used for felting.
It is found in East Prussia and is used for
landscape management.
Soay
Spiegel
This medium-sized, white sheep breed has
brown areas around the eyes and ears, hence
the name. It is kept for meat in Austria.
St. Croix
This tall white sheep breed with very long
legs has coarse wool and is kept for meat in
the Virgin Islands.
Steigar
This Norwegian wool sheep breed has a clean
face. Both sexes are polled.
Steinschaf
This rare, medium-sized sheep breed is grey
with a black head. It is kept for meat in the
Alpine areas of Austria and Germany.
Somali Suffolk Down
This white hair sheep breed has a black head See Sheep Breeds of the UK.
and neck. It is kept for meat in Somalia.
Sopravissana
This milk sheep breed has fine wool and is kept
in central Italy. Only the rams have horns.
Southdown
Swaledale
Swedish Fur
This dark grey wool sheep breed has a black
head. Both sexes are polled. It is also kept in
Sweden for meat.

Breeds 35
Swifter Texel
This new hybrid sheep breed, based on the This large, all-white sheep breed with good
Texel, was developed in Holland for meat wool was developed for meat production in
and wool. the Netherlands, and originally came from
Texel Island in the north-west of that country.
Taleshi The breed was started in 1911. It was used in
France in 1933, came to the UK in 1970 and is
This hair sheep breed of varying colours is now used in Australia, Africa and South
for meat.kept in Iran America. It has an excellent conformation
with a large rump and with muscle right
down to the hocks, and is much sought after
Tan by butchers. It is the second most popular
terminal sire in the UK (Fig. 1.22). A black
This white wool sheep breed has a speckled animal was bred from two white Texel par-
nose. It is mainly kept for meat in China. ents, resulting in the breeding of Blue Texels
(Fig. 1.23).
Targhee
This hybrid sheep breed was developed in
Idaho in the USA for wool production. It is a
white, polled sheep with a clean face.
Teeswater
Thal li
This is a very distinctive sheep breed with a
large amount of white wool. It is black-headed
with a wide white blaze, is polled and has
long pendulous ears. It is found in the Punjab
in Pakistan.
Fig. 1.22. Texels.

36 Chapter 1
Fig. 1.23. Blue Texel.
Tong Tukidale
This large, white, polled, hair sheep breed has This hybrid sheep breed was developed for
a very fat tail. It is kept in Mongolia. wool production in New Zealand. It is white and
grows so much wool that it can be shorn twice a
year. The main forebear was the Romney.
Touabire
This is a long-legged sheep breed of various
colours with a thin tail. It originated in the
Middle East but is now found in Mali.
Tsurcana
This white sheep breed has very long wool.
The rams have horns but the ewes are polled.
It is found in Romania.
Tuj
The rams of this white hair sheep breed have
big horns but the ewes are polled. It has a fat
tail and is kept in the Kurdish areas of Turkey,
Iran and Iraq for meat.
Tunis
This is a white, meat-producing sheep breed
from Tunisia. The ewes are polled.
Turkgeldi
This dairy sheep breed is white with a clean
head. It comes from Thrace in Turkey. Both
sexes are polled.
Turki
This large, brown, hair sheep breed has a fat
tail. It is kept for meat in Afghanistan.

Breeds 37
Tush Waziri
This all-white sheep breed has long coarse This white sheep breed with a black head has
wool. The rams have curly horns but the ewes coarse wool and a fat tail. It is kept in Pakistan
are polled. It is a good meat producer and for meat.
kept in Georgia.
Ujuingin
This white sheep breed has a speckled face,
coarse wool and a fat tail. It is kept in China
for meat.
Welsh Mountain
Wensleydale
Valais Blacknose See Sheep Breeds of the UK.
This white sheep breed with a black face has
thick long wool, but in Switzerland is now
kept for meat.
Van Rooy
This all-white hair sheep breed has a clean
head. It has a fat tail and is kept in South
Africa for meat.
Vendeen
White Suffolk
This breed was developed in Australia from the
Suffolk. All the black colouring was bred out.
Whitefaced Dartmoor
Whitefaced Woodland
This is a large white wool sheep breed with a See Sheep Breeds of the UK.
brown face, kept in France for meat.
Walachenschaf
This rare white wool sheep breed has spots
on its head and long corkscrew horns. It is
kept in Slovakia for meat.
Wiltipoll
This hybrid, meat-producing sheep breed
was produced in Australia. As the name
implies, it is polled. It is a hair sheep with a
large amount of Wiltshire Horn blood in it.
Waldschaf Wiltshire Horn
These small Bavarian sheep will breed out of See Sheep Breeds of the UK.
season.
Xalda
Wallis County
This rare black sheep breed has large curled
This big white sheep breed with large curly horns and coarse wool. It is kept in Northern
horns is kept in the USA for wool. Spain for meat.

38 Chapter 1
Xaxi Ardia
This white sheep breed with coarse wool and
curled horns is kept in the Basque region for
meat.
Xinjiang Finewool
This large white sheep breed has a black
underbelly and long legs, and a fat rump.
Both sexes have curled horns. It was stand-
ardized in China for wool production.
Zackel
This white dairy sheep breed has a thin tail
and carpet-quality wool. The rams have long
spiral horns and the ewes are polled. It is kept
in Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Zaghawa
This black hair sheep breed is kept in the
Sudan and Chad for meat. Only the rams
have horns.
Zaian
This hair sheep breed of various colours is
kept for meat in Morocco.
Zaire Long-legged
This white hair sheep breed has lop ears. The
rams have horns. It is kept in the Congo for
meat.
Zakynthos
This milk-sheep breed of various colours
comes from the Greek Island of Zakynthos.
Zeeland Milk
Zel
This white sheep breed with a thin tail has
carpet-quality wool. The rams have horns. It
is found in Northern Iran.
Zelazna
This wool sheep breed has good meat poten-
tial. It is kept in Poland.
Zemmour
This white sheep breed has a brown face.
The rams are horned. The wool is carpet
quality. It is found on the Atlantic coast of
Morocco.
Zeta Yellow
This is a dairy sheep breed with coarse wool
that produces good fat lambs. It is white
with a brownish-yellow head and feet. It is
kept in Montenegro.
Zlatusha
This is a white sheep breed with medium-
quality wool. It is bred in Bulgaria.
Zoulay
This sheep breed, of various colours, comes
from the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
Zwartbles
This brown wool sheep breed has a white
blaze, a white muzzle and four white feet.
Both sexes are polled. It is kept in the
Netherlands for meat.
General Evolution of Goats
As the name implies, this is a dairy sheep breed Goats are among the earliest animals domes-
from the Netherlands. It is white and polled. ticated by humans, probably 10,000 years ago.

Breeds 39
The most recent genetic analysis confirms the
archaeological evidence that the most likely
area was north-western Iran. Unlike sheep,
goats easily revert to feral or wild conditions
given a chance. There are many recognized
breeds of domestic goat, Capra aegagrus
hircus. Goat breeds, especially dairy goats,
are some of the oldest defined animal breeds
for which breed standards and production
records have been kept. Selective breeding
of goats generally focuses on improving pro-
duction of milk, meat or fibre. In a few cases
goats have been bred for their hides. Certain
goats have been selected for traits that
improve them as pets. One of the main cen-
tres for goat breeding in Europe was in the
Alps, mainly in Switzerland. Another key
area elsewhere in the world was South
Africa.
In 2008 there were 13.4 million goats
in the European Union (EU), the majority
being in Greece, Spain and France. Obvi-
ously this number will increase rapidly
when other countries further east are inclu-
ded in the EU. The number in the whole of
Europe is only 2.2% of the whole world's
population of goats. Only estimates can be
made, but there are at least 200 million goats
in Africa.
Goat Breeds of the UK
Anglo-Nubian
This large goat breed has been developed
in the UK from the Nubian goat. It is a dual-
purpose animal with Roman nose and long
hanging ears, and is mainly used for milk
production. It is usually mahogany with
black and white markings, but the colour is
extremely variable; spots or marbling are often
seen (Fig. 1.24).
Angora
This goat breed produces a fibre known as
mohair. It should be noted that the fibre
described as angora comes from rabbits.
Angora goats originated in Turkey about
200 years ago and were exported to South
Africa and the USA, where they were further
Fig. 1.24. Anglo-Nubian kids.

40 Chapter 1
developed. Only white animals are kept
for breeding but coloured 'throw-backs'
do occur. In the USA they are mainly
found in Texas. They spread to New
Zealand and to Australia, particularly to
Tasmania, and were imported into the UK
from these last two areas in 1981. They
have also been imported into Canada and
Holland.
Mohair is a long lustrous fibre, which
on the animal forms characteristic ringlets
or curled staples. In their first year kids
produce 1-1.5 kg of fibre, rising to 2.5-3.5 kg
in adults. Males, whether entire or cas-
trated, produce more fibre than females.
However the fibre quality of the males is
not as good, being about 35 Jim in diameter
whereas in females it is 30 Jim. Super-fine kid
fibre may be as low as 25 Jim. The mohair
grows rapidly and so the goats can be
shorn twice yearly, with a fleece length of
120-150 mm. The quality of the fibre is also
influenced by the quantity of poor fibres.
These are either medullated with a hollow
core, or kemps, which are more hair-like
(Fig. 1.25).
British Alpine
These goats have been bred from the British
Toggenburg. They are of similar conforma-
tion but are black and white rather than dark
fawn and white.
British Saanen
This all-white goat has been bred in the UK
from the alpine Saanen but the British breed
is larger (Fig. 1.26).
British Toggenburg
This breed has been produced from the
Toggenburg, originating in Switzerland. This
is a small, pale fawn-coloured goat with a
longish coat. Toggenburgs normally have a
white stripe on their faces. They have white
legs and rumps and are frequently polled.
British Toggenburgs are larger and darker
than the Swiss Toggenburgs but generally
Fig. 1.25. Angora.

Breeds 41
Fig. 1.26. Saanen.
have the same white markings. The British
have shorter hair than the Swiss Toggenburgs
and nearly always have tassels.
Cashmere
This is a fibre-producing goat that has a double
coat. The fleece is made up of a coarse hairy
outer coat, which has no commercial value, and
a fine undercoat or 'down', which is cashmere,
the marketable fibre. This soft undercoat grows
seasonally from mid-summer to mid-winter
and is shed naturally in late winter or early
spring. The original cashmere goats came to
the UK from Tibet 300 years ago. However
there is actually no specific breed, and cash-
mere goats have been bred in many coun-
tries from feral goats. The main countries
where cashmere animals can be found are
Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, China, Iran,
Afganistan and Russia. The Icelanders have
bred a polled cashmere goat.
The cashmere fibre is non-medullated and
normally white. The best fibre is under 15 Jim.
However any fibre below 20 um is good quality.
The goats are only shorn once a year, and the
fibre weight of cashmere is 350-400 g.
Golden Guernsey
This breed nearly was lost and is still consid-
ered a 'rare breed'. As the name suggests,
it originated in the Channel Islands. It is
a small, docile breed that can only be golden
in colour (Fig. 1.27).
Goat Breeds of the World
African Pygmy
This pet goat breed is black with white patches
(Fig. 1.28).
Alpine
This black and white dairy goat breed was
developed in Switzerland.

42 Chapter 1
Fig. 1.27. Golden Guernsey.
Fig. 1.28. African Pygmy.

Breeds 43
Altai Mountain Australian Cashmere
This dark grey meat goat breed was devel- This wool-producing goat breed is used
oped in Russia. It has useable wool. worldwide to produce cashmere.
American Lamancha
This dairy goat breed may be of any colour. It
may have originated in Persia and was bred
up in Spain for over 2000 years in the La
Mancha area. Latterly it has been standard-
ized in Oregon, USA. Its distinctive feature is
either the lack of ears or very small ears
known as 'elf ears'.
Anatolian Black
This totally black dairy goat breed has long
hair, which is shorn. It was developed in
Central Turkey, hence the name.
Anglo-Nubian
See Goat Breeds of the UK.
Angora
Appenzell
This pure white Swiss dairy goat breed has
mid-length hair. It is smaller but stockier than
the Saanen, and is hornless.
Arapawa
This rare goat breed is kept in sanctuaries and
for showing. It has an elaborate patchwork
colour.
Barbari
This small creamy or golden goat breed orig-
inated in India, where it is still kept for
meat.
Beetal
This goat breed, which is dual purpose, comes
from the Indian sub-continent. It is red, black
or pied, with pendulous ears.
Belgian Fawn
This goat breed from France and Belgium, also
called the Hertkleurig, is descended from the
chamois. It can actually be black or brown. It
has lop ears and is mainly a milk goat.
Benadir
This dual-purpose goat breed comes from
southern Somalia. It is a red goat with black
spots and has lop ears. It is also called the
Deguen or Digwain.
Bhuj
This dual-purpose goat breed has been bred
in north-eastern Brazil. It is descended from
the Kutchi goat of the Sindhi area of India,
which has been allowed to die out. It is black
with white spots and has lop ears.
Argentata of Etna Bionda Dell'admello
This Italian dairy goat breed originated from This light-brown dairy goat breed with white
Sicily. It is silver in colour, hence its name. patches was developed in Italy from the

44 Chapter 1
Adany, which used to be milked in Iran, but Republic. It is also called the Hneda
has now died out. Kratkosrsta Koza.
Black Bengal
This is a small, dual-purpose goat breed from
the Bengal area of the Indian subcontinent. It
can also be brown or grey.
Boer
This excellent meat-producing goat breed was
developed in South Africa and was first
imported into the UK in 1987. It is mainly white
with a distinctive chestnut/chocolate head and
neck. It is naturally horned and has lop ears.
Mature does weigh 80-100 kg with bucks being
even heavier. It is stocky with shorter legs than
dairy goats. It is very fast growing, producing
low-cholesterol, lean meat.
Booted
This is a triple-purpose goat breed producing
milk, meat and fibre, and was developed in
Switzerland. It is mainly brown. It is often
called a Suregleiss.
British Alpine
British Saanen
British Toggenburg
Brown Shorthair
Camosciata Alpina
This dual-purpose goat breed was bred in the
Italian-speaking area of the Swiss Alps. It is
brown with black stripes.
Canary Island
This dairy goat breed, which can be of any
colour, is also called the Giiera. The horns can
be either sabre shaped or twisted. It was bred
in the Canary Islands.
Caninde
This meat-producing goat breed comes from
Brazil. It is black with white face stripes and a
white belly.
Carpathian
This dual-purpose goat breed is often called a
Carpatina or Karpacka. It is white and was
developed in south-eastern Europe.
Cashmere
Changthangi
This meat goat breed also produces fibre. It was
bred in the Kashmir area of the Indian subconti-
nent and is often called the Kashmiri or Pashmina
goat. It is normally black but other colours are
seen. It has large twisting horns and is some-
times used as a pack animal.
Chappar
This cinnamon or brown-coloured dairy This small black meat goat breed was bred in
goat breed was developed in the Czech Pakistan.

Breeds 45
Charnequeira Chue
This dual-purpose goat breed is normally This is a long-haired dairy goat breed, often
pied but can be red. It has twisted, lyre- called the Sem Raca Definida. It was devel-
shaped horns. It was bred in Portugal. oped in Corsica.
Chengde Polled
As the name suggests, this is a polled goat
breed. It was bred primarily to produce fibre
but it is suitable for meat. It is white in colour
and comes from China.
Chengdu
This is a brown, dual-purpose goat breed,
with a dark face and back stripes. It was bred
in China and is also known as the Mah.
Chigu
This is a long-haired, white goat breed with
long twisted horns. It was bred in India for
fibre and meat. It is also called the Kangra
Valley Goat.
Daera Din Panah
This is a black dairy goat breed with long,
hanging, twisted ears. It has spiral horns and
was developed in Pakistan.
Damani
This is a black and tan dairy goat breed devel-
oped in Pakistan.
Damascus
This goat breed is often called the Aleppo or
Shami. It is usually brown or grey, although
there are also red and pied types. It is a dairy
goat found throughout Syria and Lebanon
(Fig. 1.29).
Fig. 1.29. Damascus.

46 Chapter 1
Danish Landrace Dutch Toggenburg
This black or blue dual-purpose goat breed is This dairy goat breed from the Netherlands is
found throughout Scandinavia. The animals normally fawn in colour (Fig. 1.30).
make good pets.
Erzgebirge
Don Goat
This polled milk goat breed comes from
This is mainly a fibre goat breed, but can be Germany. It is red-brown in colour with black
milked. It is either black or white and has stripes on its face.
large horns. As the name suggests, it is found
beside the Don River in Russia.
Duan
This is a meat goat breed kept in China. It can
be various colours: black, pied or white.
Dutch Landrace
Finnish Landrace
As the name implies, this dairy goat breed
comes from Finland. It is also called the
Suomenvuohi. It is normally grey in colour,
but pied or white animals are found.
French Alpine
As the name suggests, this goat breed comes
from the Netherlands. It can be various col- This dairy goat breed is found in the French
ours and is normally kept as a pet. Alps. No particular colour has been fixed.
Fig. 1.30. Dutch Toggenburg.

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