Sheep

V

Short-Tailed Sheep

The northern short-tailed sheep, similar to the medium-wool type, are found primarily in Scandinavia. They account for about 3 percent of the world sheep population and are characterized by high reproduction rates. At present they are used experimentally to a limited extent in the United States for crossbreeding, primarily to increase the number of lambs born to each breeding female.

VI

Fat-Tailed Sheep

These sheep are so named because they can store large amounts of fat in the tail and the region of the rump. They are kept primarily for their milk-producing ability, which is higher than that of other types; their wool, however, is coarse and long and is used primarily for making carpets. Fat-tailed sheep are found mainly in the extremely arid regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and they represent about 25 percent of the world sheep population. The major breeds are the Awassi, Bakhtiari, Karakul, and Karamon. The pelts of the newborn Karakul lambs are used for the manufacture of the so-called Persian fur coats.

VII

Haired Sheep

Domesticated sheep on the whole are much more woolly than their wild allies, but some breeds lack wool and are covered with hair. They are found primarily in tropical regions and are used primarily for meat. Among the breeds of this type are the Black-bellied Barbados, Blackhead Persian, and the Peliquey.

VIII

Distribution

In 2003 the world sheep population was estimated at 1.03 billion head. Based on numbers, the leading sheep countries, in descending order, were China (173,899,000), Australia (100,100,000), India (62,500,000), Iran (54,000,000), Sudan (48,000,000), New Zealand (39,928,000), United Kingdom (35,253,000), South Africa (25,316,000), Turkey (25,201,000), and Pakistan (24,900,000). The United States had 6,135,000 sheep, less than 1 percent of the world total.

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In the United States, the sheep industry is centered in the semiarid western half of the country. In 2003 the leading sheep states were Texas (1,040,000), California (730,000), Wyoming (460,000), Colorado (380,000), and South Dakota (380,000). Other major states were Utah, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, and Iowa.

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Production

Various systems have evolved in sheep production. In the western United States, large bands are grazed on the open range under the control of shepherds. Usually fine-wool or crossbred ewes, they are bred to rams of the Down breeds for the production of lambs for meat. The bands may be moved from place to place to take advantage of cheap feeds and natural forage. Similar operations are used on lands with developed pastures. If abundant forage is available, the lambs may be marketed directly after weaning. If the lambs have not reached marketable condition, they may be moved to feedlots and given additional food before they are sold.

Some breeders specialize in the production of purebred animals for use in the large commercial flocks. These purebred flocks are considerably smaller in size, and genetic selection for superior productive traits is emphasized. The income from such flocks is derived primarily from the sales of the superior animals, especially the rams, to commercial breeders. In the midwestern United States, sheep enterprises may consist of a farm flock containing small numbers of animals. The flocks are maintained primarily as an auxiliary unit to utilize the by-products of other producing units, particularly grain crops. See Animal Husbandry.

Scientific classification: Sheep belong to the suborder Ruminantia of the order Artiodactyla. They make up the genus Ovis in the family Bovidae. The domesticated sheep is classified as Ovis aries, the bighorn sheep as Ovis canadensis, and dall's sheep as Ovis dalli. The mouflon is classified as Ovis musimon, the Asian mouflon as Ovis orientalis, the Urial as Ovis vignei, and the argali as Ovis ammon.