The Algarve Churro or is a Portuguese

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of domestic

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 d ...

. It is distributed mainly in the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...

and Alto Alentejo regions of southern Portugal, particularly in the arid sub-region of the Algarve. It is primarily raised for its

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

, although it also produces and is raised for carpet

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

. Traditionally, it was also raised for its

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

, used in

cheesemaking Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrate ...

, and for

vegetation management Conservation grazing or targeted grazing is the use of semi-feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats.

. In

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...

, the traditional uses of the breed persist.

History

This breed, according to some sources, originated from Andalusian Churro stock imported between 1870 and 1890. However, according to other sources, they are an

autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Nature * Autochthon (geology), a sediment or rock that can be found at its site of formation or deposition * Autochthon (nature), or landrace, an indigenous animal or plant * Autochthonou ...

variety of the Iberian Churro, the Andalusian varieties being native to large stretches of Spain contiguous with the Portuguese breed's historical range ''and'' processing similar characteristics. They are mainly found in the district of Faro. Traditionally, they were raised for their lean but flavourful meat, milk for cheesemaking, and wool for

mattress A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a person Lying (position), lying down, especially for sleeping. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a Quilting, quilted o ...

-filling. They were also commonly raised for vegetation management and to reduce

produce In American English, produce generally refers to wikt:fresh, fresh List of culinary fruits, fruits and Vegetable, vegetables intended to be Eating, eaten by humans, although other food products such as Dairy product, dairy products or Nut (foo ...

waste. The population of this breed has been decreasing. In 1996, there were greater than 23,000 and in 2004, there were greater than 1300. According to the DGAV (''Direção geral de allmentação e veterinária''), a 2019

studbook A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...

registered

purebred Purebreds are cultivars of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed. Purebreds breed true-to-type, which means the progeny of l ...

adults, listing 64 rams and 1626 ewes. In 2024 the total population had risen to an estimated head, with a breeding stock of ewes and rams in 47 flocks; its

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

was listed as "at risk/vulnerable".

Characteristics

The sheep are usually white, with black markings on the feet and head; about 10% of the population has black wool. The fleece is mostly confined to the neck and trunk of the animal, leaving the head, lower legs, and belly exposed. The staples are in length and are pointy and open. Both sexes have ridged horns, although the horns are smaller and less developed in ewes, in rams they project outward in wide spirals. The animals are known for their large statue, lively temperament, and general hardiness. Mature rams grow on average to at the withers and weigh . However, ewes grow to an average at the withers, weighing at maturity. Although not a variety of

fat-tailed sheep The fat-tailed sheep is a general type of domestic sheep known for their distinctive large tails and hindquarters. Fat-tailed sheep breeds comprise approximately 25% of the world's sheep population, and are commonly found in northern parts of Af ...

, the animals have long tails which are broad at the base.

References

Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in Portugal {{bots, deny=Citation bot