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Mule (sheep)
In sheep farming, the term mule is used to refer to a cross between a Bluefaced Leicester ram and a purebred hill (or mountain) ewe (usually a Swaledale sheep) . The production of such mule ewes is a widely used breeding management system which offers several advantages to the farmer. Cross breeding the hill ewe with the lowland ram brings about hybrid vigour or heterosis, which brings the best characteristics of both breeds into one ewe that can be used in producing lamb for the table. The hill ewe, for example the Scottish Blackface, is a hardy animal with good, natural mothering instincts. She is, however, not very prolific and tends to produce one lamb: suited to the harsh conditions. The lowland ram, such as the Blueface Leicester is prolific, producing ewes which give 1-3 lambs and capable of producing enough milk to rear them. The cross between the two, in this case the Scottish mule, has good mothering instincts, good sized lambs and prolific milk production. This mule ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheep
Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ''ewe'' ( ), an intact male as a ''ram'', occasionally a ''tup'', a castrated male as a ''wether'', and a young sheep as a ''lamb''. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia, with Iran being a geographic envelope of the domestication center. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleeces, meat ( lamb, hogget or mutton), and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bluefaced Leicester
The Bluefaced Leicester is a British breed of longwool sheep. It originated in north-east England in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and derives from the white-faced Border Leicester, with some influence from the blue-coloured Wensleydale and possibly also from the Teeswater. It was bred specifically for use as a terminal sire to be used on ewes of hill sheep breeds to produce mules. By about 1920 it was known either as the Bluefaced or as the Hexham Leicester, for the town of Hexham in Northumberland. History The Bluefaced Leicester originated in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in the north-east of England, mainly in the valleys of the Tyne and Wear rivers and in parts of Cumberland, to the west of the Pennines. In that area a preference had developed – in rams used for cross-breeding – for a dark skin, rather than the pale skin of the Border Leicester, which at that time was the principal crossing sire. Bluefaced sheep were bred from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swaledale Sheep
Swaledale is a breed of domestic sheep named after the Yorkshire valley of Swaledale in England. They are found throughout the more mountainous areas of Great Britain, but particularly in the Yorkshire Dales, County Durham, and around the Pennine fells of Cumbria. Swaledales are noted for their off-white wool, curled horns and white around their nose and eyes. They are used for the production of lamb/mutton, the North of England Mule sheep, and as Pedigree breeding stock. Together with the Rough Fell, Herdwick, and Dalesbred sheep, they are one of the four variations associated with the English Lake District. Breed characteristics Well suited to the exposed regions in which they predominantly live, the Swaledales are very hardy, able-bodied, and bold. The ewes make excellent mothers and are known for being able to rear lambs well, even in adverse conditions. They are of a medium build, with black faces marked with bright white around the nose and eyes. Males and females bot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hybrid Vigour
Heterosis, hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. An offspring is heterotic if its traits are enhanced as a result of mixing the genetic contributions of its parents. The heterotic offspring often has traits that are more than the simple addition of the parents' traits, and can be explained by Mendelian or non-Mendelian inheritance. Typical heterotic/hybrid traits of interest in agriculture are higher yield, quicker maturity, stability, drought tolerance etc. Definitions In proposing the term heterosis to replace the older term heterozygosis, G.H. Shull aimed to avoid limiting the term to the effects that can be explained by heterozygosity in Mendelian inheritance. Heterosis is often discussed as the opposite of inbreeding depression, although differences in these two concepts can be seen in evolutionary considerations such as the role of genetic variation or the effects of genetic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Blackface
The Blackface or Scottish Blackface is a British breed of sheep. It is the most common sheep breed of the United Kingdom. Despite the name, it did not originate in Scotland, but south of the border. History The origins of the breed are uncertain. It originated south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and did not arrive in the Highlands of Scotland until the second half of the eighteenth century. It replaced the earlier Scottish Dun-face or Old Scottish Shortwool, a Northern European short-tailed sheep type probably similar to the modern Shetland. There are several types of Blackface in the United Kingdom, including the Perth variety, which is large-framed and coarse-woolled, and found mainly in north-east Scotland, in Devon, in Cornwall and in Northern Ireland; the medium-framed Lanark type, with shorter wool, found in much of Scotland and in parts of Ireland; and the Northumberland Blackface, which is large with relatively soft wool. Characteristics The Blackface is alw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suffolk Sheep
The Suffolk is a British breed of domestic sheep. It originated in the late eighteenth century in the area of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, as a result of cross-breeding when Norfolk Horn ewes were put to improved Southdown rams. It is a polled, black-faced breed, and is raised primarily for its meat. It has been exported to many countries, and is among the most numerous breeds of sheep worldwide. History The Suffolk originated in the area surrounding Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk in the late eighteenth century, as a result of cross-breeding when Norfolk Horn ewes were put to improved Southdown rams. They were at first known as Blackfaces or Southdown-Norfolks; the first use of the name "Suffolk" for these sheep dates to 1797. In 1810 it was recognised as distinct breed, but was not known by the present name until 1859. A breed society, the English Suffolk Society, was formed in 1886; a flock-book published in the following year recorded some ewes. By the end of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texel Sheep
The Texel is a Dutch breed of domestic sheep originally from the island of Texel. It is a heavy and muscular sheep, and produces a lean meat carcass. It is polled, clean-faced and clean-legged, with white face and wool. The fibre diameter of the wool averages about , with a staple length of ; it is used mainly for knitting and hosiery wools. The Texel is distributed in approximately thirty-five countries in Europe, the Americas and Oceania, with estimated populations of over 5000 head in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. History The Texel sheep originated on the island of Texel, the largest of the Wadden Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. The exact origin of the breed is unknown although it is thought to be a cross of the original Texel sheep with multiple English breeds. It was slowly bred into a meat breed of outstanding carcass quality. It is now one of the most common meat breeds in the Netherlands, making up seventy per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Welsh Mountain Sheep
Welsh Mountain sheep (, singular , , ) are small, hardy sheep from the higher parts of the Welsh mountains. The males have horns, and the females are polled (hornless); they have no wool on the face or legs, and they have long tails (normally left undocked). There are a number of varieties, bred for sheep farming in Wales. These are mainly colour variations, but some are being developed as separate breeds. Description The Welsh Mountain sheep is usually white with a white face with no wool on forehead or cheeks and white legs with no wool below the joint. Females are polled but rams usually have curved horns, although some are polled. The fleece is thick and moderately long and the tails are not normally docked. Breeders give a high priority to hardiness, milking ability, mothering quality and lamb survival. (Lambing percentage can be 130%, which rises to 180% under favourable conditions on improved pastures.) It was not always thus; the 18th-century English agriculturist A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clun Forest Sheep
The Clun Forest is a breed of domestic sheep originating from the area surrounding the Clun Forest in Shropshire, England. Similar to many of the British breeds of upland sheep, Clun Forest are hardy, adaptable, good foragers, and are long–lived. With sleek heads and wide pelvic structures, Clun Forest ewes lamb easily. The breed has a short to medium–length wool and dark brown faces. They are a multi–purpose animal, kept for meat, wool, and milk. Like other dark faced sheep, Clun produce quality lamb and mutton. However, in contrast to more common meat breeds such as Suffolks, their wool is free of undesirable black fibres and kemp, and is suitable for handspinning. The breed's alert and stylish appearance, together with its reputation for hardiness and fecundity have made it popular with hobby farmers and large commercial flock owners alike. The Official Clun Sheep Breeders Society Show & Sale for males and females is held annually in early September at Ludlow livestock m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheviot Sheep
The Cheviot (Scottish Gaelic: ''A' chaora mhaol'') is a British breed of white-faced sheep. It originated in, and is named for, the Cheviot Hills in north Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. It is still common in this area of the United Kingdom, but also in north-west Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the south-west of England (especially Dartmoor and Exmoor Exmoor () is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simons ...), as well as more rarely in Australia, New Zealand, Norway (2%), and the United States. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for wool and for meat. References External linksCheviot description as a rare breed in Australia [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zwartbles
The Zwartbles is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Friesland region of the north Netherlands. There it was primarily used for the production of sheep milk as well as lamb and mutton. They were often kept alongside dairy cattle herds. Breed characteristics The Zwartbles has a striking appearance: a black/brown fleece, a white blaze on the face, 2 - 4 white socks, and a white tail tip (which is traditionally left undock The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...ed). Both rams and ewes are polled. The Zwartbles are relatively large sheep: ewes weigh an average of , and rams . The dense fleece ranges from black to brown with sun bleached tips, some silvering may be present in older animals. The wool is medium to fine with excellent crimp and fibre length, a Bradf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mayo Blackface
Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, a sauce * County Mayo, in the west of Ireland * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States * Mayo (surname), includes a list of people with the name Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia Canada * Mayo, Quebec, a municipality * Mayo, Yukon, a village ** Mayo (electoral district), Yukon, a former electoral district Cape Verde * Maio, Cape Verde (also formerly known as Mayo Island) Republic of Ireland * County Mayo * Mayo (Dáil constituency) * County Mayo (Parliament of Ireland constituency) * County Mayo (UK Parliament constituency) * Mayo, County Mayo, a village Ivory Coast * Mayo, Ivory Coast, a town and commune Sudan * Mayo, Khartoum, a neighborhood Thailand * Mayo district, Pattani United Kingdom * Mayo, a townland in County Down, Northern Ireland * Mayo (UK Parliament constituency), a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
