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Saeftinger ewe in Belgium
Image courtesy of Lieven Caekebeke
Santa Cruz
Image courtesy of SVF Foundation
Santa Inês ram
Santa Inês ewes
Sardinian sheep
Images
courtesy of Sirbonetta
Scotch Mules
Images courtesy of
Scotch Mule Association
Scottish Blackface ram
(Owned
by Jim Newman)
Scottish Blackface ewe
Images courtesy of EverRanch
Farm
(Photos by Franna Pitt)
Scottish Greyface ewes
Image
courtesy of Society
of
Border Leicester Sheep Breeders
Shetlands
Images
courtesy of
Little Country Acres
Shetland-Cheviot ewes
Shropshire ram in UK
Image
Courtesy of Shropshire
Sheep Breeders' Association
American Shropshire ram
Image
Courtesy of
McCabe Shropshires
Skudde ewe and lamb
Image
courtesy of Marion
Skudde ram
Image
courtesy of Frank De Smedt and
Vlaamse hobbyfokkers van geiten en
schapen
Soay ewe
Image courtesy of Sheep of St. Kilda
(American Soay) ewe and lamb
Image
courtesy of
Blue Mountain Soay Sheep
Solognote ram
Image
source: French
Livestock Breeds
Somali sheep
Image courtesy of Louise Bechmann
SAMM sheep
Images courtesy of
Jeancourt Prime SAMM
Supreme Champion Southdown Ram
Royal Melbourne Show 2004
Image
Courtesy of
Ivydown Southdown Stud
American Southdown ram
Image
courtesy of MB Genetics
South Suffolk ram and ewes
Images
courtesy of
Victorian South Suffolk Society
South Wales Mountain
Image
Source:
National Sheep Association
Spanish Merino
Image
courtesy of
EAAP-Animal Genetic Bank
Spael Sheep
Image
courtesy of
EAAP-Animal Genetic Bank
Spael sheep
Image
courtesy of Frank De Smedt and
Vlaamse hobbyfokkers van geiten en
schapen
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Sheep Breeds S - St
- Saeftinger
The Saeftinger breed originated around 1986 by crossing a Romanov
ram onto Suffolk ewes. The breed takes its name from the salt
meadows where it grazes. The meat from the Saeftinger is a culinary
specialty. Mature ewes average 2.2 lambs per lambing; ewe lambs,
2.0. Three lamb crops in two years is common. Ewes and rams are
both hornless.
Breed categories: meat, short-tailed
Distribution: Belgium, Netherlands
- Santa
Cruz
There is considerable uncertainty as to the exact origin of
the sheep of Santa Cruz Island, even to the century in which
sheep were placed there. Speculation is that Merino, Rambouillet,
and perhaps some Churro figure in the Santa Cruz sheep's background,
and it is certain that the sheep have been feral for the last
70 years. The Nature Conservancy acquired 88% of the island
(located off the coast of southern California) during the 1970's
and began an eradication program in 1980.
In 1988, twelve lambs
were brought off the island by a team of Nature Conservancy
and ALBC volunteers and were placed with five California breeders
to begin a population rebuilding effort. The Santa Cruz Island
sheep breed is an important genetic resource. Its historic background,
long period of isolation, and adaptation to a challenging environment
have given the breed an array of characteristics not found among
commercial breeds.
Breed categories: feral, rare, heritage
Distribution: United States
Go to SVF Foundation
=>
-
Santa Inês
The Santa Inês is a breed of hair sheep found in Brazil.
It is generally thought to be a cross of Morada Nova, the course-wooled
Italian breed, Bergamasca, and the native coarse-wooled Crioula,
followed by a period of selection or evolution for absence of
fleece. Colors range from red, black and white and can be spotted
or solid. They have large bodies, are long-legged and have large
pendulous ears and are polled.
Rams do not have a throat
ruff. They have a low litter size of 1.25. Mature weights of
the ewes in the field fall between 40 and 50 kg. (88 to 110
lbs.), and if well fed, the rams can weigh as much as 100 kg
(220 lbs).
Breed categories: hair (meat), skin
Distribution: South America
Go to Associação
Brasileira de Criadores de Ovinos =>
- Sardinian
(Sarda)
The Sardinian breed originated from the local lowland breed
which were large, polled, and had white wool. Merino and Barbary
breeding were also used in developing the breed. The males are
occasionally horned and the females are polled (hornless). Sardinian
sheep are primarily keep for milk production. Pecorino sarda
cheese is made only from Sardinian sheep milk coming from the
island of Sardinia off the coast of Italy. In Sardinia, there
are more sheep than people.
Breed categories: dairy, carpet wool
Distribution: Europe
- Scotch Mule
The Scotch Mule is an intentionally produced crossbred sheep out
of Scottish Blackface ewes and sired by Bluefaced Leicester rams.
The term "mule" (when it refers to sheep) is used for
an intentionally produced crossbred sheep that is sired by a Bluefaced
Leicester ram. In the United Kingdom, Mule ewes are the backbone
of the commercial sheep industry. The various types of Mules are
the most popular commercial ewes in the UK, and the Bluefaced
Leicester is the number one crossing sire there.
The advantages
of the Mule as a commercial ewe are many, and the Bluefaced Leicester
imparts many highly desirable qualities in his crossbred daughters.
The Mule ewe will have improved maternal qualities such as early
maturity, increased prolificacy, improved milk production, more
capacity, in addition to hybrid vigor.
[Text courtesy of Nancy Cox Starkey]
Breed categories: half-breed, meat
Distribution: United Kingdom
Go to Scotch Mule
Association =>
- Scottish Blackface
(Blackface)
The Scottish Blackface is by far the most important blackface
sheep in all of Great Britain. They are primarily used for crossing,
usually with the Border or Bluefaced Leicester. They originated
as a mountain sheep in Scotland, and there is a tradition that
they came from a Spanish ship wrecked during the northward flight
of Armada in 1588. The Scottish Blackface has a light weight fleece
of long, coarse wool. Both sexes have horns.
In addition to an
attractive and stylish fleece, their roman nose and unusual black
and white face markings set them apart in appearance. The Scottish
Blackface is found in the Highlands and Borders of Scotland, Pennines,
Dartmoor and Northern Ireland. They have also been exported to
the United States, Italy and Argentina.
Breed categories: carpet wool
Distribution: United Kingdom, Europe, North America, South
America
Go to Blackface
Sheep Breeders Association =>
Go to Scottish-Blackface.de
=>
- Scottish Greyface
By using the Border Leicester ram with the Scottish Blackface
ewe, the Scottish Greyface is produced. The Scottish Greyface
ewe has the same purpose as other Halfbred and Mule ewes,namely
to produce quality prime lamb when put to a terminal sire. As
the name suggests, she has a speckled face, gray in color. The
body is long, well-sprung, and evenly fleshed. The Scottish Greyface
can be found in all parts of the British Isles.
Breed categories: half-breed, meat
Distribution: United Kingdom
- Shetland
The Shetland's roots go back over a thousand years, probably to
sheep brought to the Shetland Islands by Viking settlers. They
belong to the Northern European short-tailed group of sheep, which
also includes Finn sheep, Icelandic sheep, and Romanovs. The Shetland
is a primitive, unimproved breed noted for its natural hardiness,
lambing ease, longevity, and ability to survive under harsh conditions.
It is one of the smallest breeds of sheep.
Shetlands are known
primarily for their production of colorful wool upon which the
Shetland woolen industry is based. Shetland comes in one of the
widest ranges of colors of any breed. There are 11 main colors
as well as 30 markings, many still bearing their Shetland dialect
names. Shetlands naturally shed their wool during late spring/early
summer.
Breed categories: primitive, short-tailed
Distribution: United Kingdom, North America
Go to North American
Shetland Sheepbreeders Association =>
Go to Indiana Shetland Sheep
Breeders Association =>
Go to Midwest Shetland Sheep
Breeders Association =>
Go to
Shetland Sheep Society =>
- Shetland-Cheviot
From the turn of the 20th century, North Country Cheviot rams
have been bred with the Shetland ewe to produce what has become
locally as the Shetland-Cheviot. The hybrid vigor prdouced from
the crossing the two pure breeds ensures that the Shetland-Cheviot
retains the features of both. She is a hardy, thrifty, and milky
with her sire's excellent conformation.
Following the realization
that a small ewe crossed with a large, fast growing sire could
produce prime lamb very efficiently, producers outside Shetland
turned to the breed, which has spread into the Orkneys, Caithness
and down through Scotland. The Shetland-Cheviot's main purpose
is to produce quality lamb when put to a suitable ram, usually
a terminal sire.
Breed categories: half-breed, medium wool
Distribution: United Kingdom
- Shropshire
Shropshires are a good, middle-of-the-road sheep, medium to large
in size, with dark faces and wool on the legs. They originated
in central western England in the counties of Shropshire and Stafford
from native stock, Southdown, Leicester, and Cotswold crosses.
First imported into the United States in 1855, until the 1930's,
the Shropshire was the most popular and influential breed in the
country.
Called the "Ideal Farm Sheep," Shropshires
were boasted to have "wool from the tip of the nose to the
tip of the toes." Over the last few decades, Shropshires
have evolved into a very modern and productive breed, perfect
for families with youth projects.
Breed categories: medium wool, meat
Distribution: United Kingdom, Europe, North America
Go to American Shropshire
Registry Association =>
Go to the Shropshire
Sheep Breeders' Association =>
- Skudde
(Skuddeschaap)
The Skudde is a nordic, short-tailed heather sheep. Its original
homeland was East Prussia and the Baltic States. Today a few small
herds can be found in these areas. The most noticeable feature
of the Skudde ram is the imposing snail horn. The ewes are hornless
or carry horn stumps. In individual cases, it occurs that ewes
carry chamois-like “hornlets.” The animals are slender,
the weight of the rams lies between 35 and 50 kg (77-110 lbs),
that of the ewes from 25 to 40 kg (55-88 lbs).
The wool mixture
typical of this breed consists of fine wool fibers, dispersed
with short hairs and course cover hair. The colors are white,
brown, black, and gray. White Skuddes have small pigment spots
on the head. Lambs have a rust-colored marking in the nape of
the neck and on the legs. This coloring disappears in adults.
Skuddes are not kept for their meat. They are suited for pasturing
more barren areas. The meat is held to be a delicacy in circles
of connoisseures. Skuddes come into heat aseasonally. Lambs are
born at any time of the year. As a rule three lambings are possible
in two years.
Breed categories: rare, short-tail
Distribution: Europe
Go to Skuddenschäferei
auf dem Vulkan =>
-
Soay
The Soay has been called the only living example of the small,
primitive sheep which inhabited the British Isles before the
coming of the Norsemen and Romans. Their name is derived from
the island of Soay off the coast of Scotland. Soays were originally
imported to North America in 1974. They are a small framed sheep
with a fleece that varies from light to dark brown in color
and is shed naturally in the summer.
Breed categories: primitive, short-tail, double-coated
Distribution: United Kingdom, Europe, North America
Go to the Soay
Sheep Society =>
Go to Sheep of St. Kilda =>
-
Solognote
(Solognot)
The Solognote is an old breed that derives its name from Sologne,
France, where it was developed in the 15th century. The breed
was very widespread in the 1850's. It has been exported to Germany,
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Morocco. The Solognote is a very
rustic breed that is able to tolerate diseases and poor feeding
conditions.
Breed category: medium wool, rare
Distribution: Europe, Africa
- Somali
(Black Head Somali, Ogaden)
The Somali is a hair sheep native to Somali in Africa where they are reared primarily for meat
production. They are white with a black head. Both sexes are
polled and the breed belongs to the fat-rumped type. Somali
sheep are the immediate ancestor of the Blackheaded Persian which was developed in South Africa in the late 19th and early
20th centuries and that has been widely used for crossbreeding
in many parts of Africa and elsewhere in the tropics.
Breed categories: hair (meat), fat-rumped
Distribution: Africa, South America
- South
African Meat (Mutton) Merino>
(Prime
SAMM)
SAMMs were imported into South Africa by the Department of Agriculture
from 1936 to 1974 from Germany where the Deutsche Fliesch Merino
is a common meat sheep of Germany, Austria, and Poland. In South
Africa, the name was translated as Duits Vleis Merinoand then
into English as German Mutton Merino. In 1974, the South African
Breed Society changed the name to the South African Mutton Merino.
When imported into Australia in 1996, Western Australian SAMM
breeders registered the name Prime SAMM, as the Australian usage
of the word "'Mutton" relates to a description of extremely
old and inedible sheepmeat. The translation used in Australia
is "South African Meat Merino." The SAMM is bred specifically
to produce a slaughter lamb at an early age (35 kg/77 lbs. at
100 days of age), while still being able to produce good volumes
(4 kg/8.8 lbs) of medium to strong wool.
Breed categories: Merino, dual-purpose
Distribution: Worldwide
Go to Prime SAMM Breeders' Society of Australia Inc. =>
Go to New Zealand Meat
Merino Group =>
- Southdown
The Southdown takes its name from the Chalk Hills of Sussex
County in extreme southeastern England where they are said to
have roamed from time immemorial. They are one of the oldest sheep
breeds, having contributed to the foundation stock of all other
down breeds: Suffolk, Hampshire, and Oxford.
Historians are not
agreed as to when the first
Southdowns were imported to America,
but it is known that they were introduced very early in the history
of the country. Governor Winthrop, early Connecticut governor
is said to have acquired a flock of Southdown ewes in 1648. Southdowns
adapt well to intensive management, pass their superb conformation
onto their offspring, and can thrive and maintain flesh where
many other breeds would virtually starve.
Breed categories: medium wool, meat
Distribution: Worldwide
Go to American Southdown
Breeders' Association =>
Go to the
Southdown Sheep Society =>
Go to Southdown
Sheep Society of New Zealand =>
Go to Southdown
Australia =>
- South Suffolk
The South Suffolk is a fixed cross between the Suffolk and Southdown
breeds. It is a large, comparatively heavy meat breed of sheep.
Rams are for use as terminal sires, used in cross breeding for
early prime lamb production. South Suffolks can be found in
most states of Australia and in New Zealand, where the breed
originated. The wool is of the fine Downs type and measures
24 to 26 micron in fiber diameter. Fertility levels are high.
Breed categories: medium wool, meat
Distribution: Australia, New Zealand
Go
to Victorian South Suffolk Society =>
- South Wales Mountain
South Welsh Mountain sheep have been reared on the harsh hill
pastures of South Wales for centuries. Their ability to thrive
where lesser breeds have failed has ensured their predominance
in the area. They are a dual purpose breed. They are similar in
appearance to other Welsh Mountain breeds, and rams are frequently
used to improve the size and conformation of the other Welsh Mountain
breeds.
When crossed with a Suffolk ram, the South Wales Mountain
ewe produces ewe lambs that are much sought after as lowland breeding
ewes, being hardy, prolific and good milkers with strong conformation.
Their fleece is dense with an even mixture of white kempy fiber.
Breed categories: dual-purpose, hill
Distribution: United Kingdom
- Spanish Merino
(Merina)
A number of sheep breeding nations, including Phoenicia, Italy,
and Spain, are believed to have played a part in the development
of the Merino sheep. However, it is generally agreed upon that
the Moors, who dominated Spain through the eighth to thirteenth
centuries, were primarily responsible for selectively breeding
the animals to such an extent that the wool they produced became
superior to that of all other sheep.
Indeed, the word Merino may
be of Moorish origin, possibly evolving from their word for a
judge that settled disagreements about flocks between shepherds.
By the eighteenth century, Merino wool was considered so luxurious
and valuable only the sovereign of Spain was permitted to send
Merino sheep out of the country, which he occasionally conveyed
as gifts.
The Merino fleece sits at the top of the grading charts
for fineness; it is the standard against which all others are
measured. Merino sheep are also noted for their hardiness and
their herding instincts and have been used as parents of several
other breeds, notably the Rambouillet of France.
Breed categories: fine wool
Distribution: Worldwide
- Spael sheep
(Norsk Spael Sheep, Spælsau )
The Norwegian Spael sheep is named after the short, nearly wool-less
tail (spælen). It originates from the old Norwegian landrace
of sheep. In 1912, two breeding stations were established to prevent
extinction of the breed. Icelandic sheep were crossed onto the
Spael sheep through semen import in the 1960's and 1970's. Finnsheep and Faeroe Island sheep were also used in the breeding of Spael
sheep.
The sheep are most commonly white, but there are also black,
brown, grey and blue-grey animals and various forms of piebald
are found. Most animals are polled, with about 10% occurrence
of horned in both sexes. The wool is double coated, with mean
fibre diameter 31.5 micron of underwool and 57.1 micron of outer
hair.wool is used for many different products and woolskins and
nappa leather are made out of the pelts.
Breed categories: Swedish landrace, short-tailed, double-coated
Distribution: Northern Europe
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