The Kerry Hill () is a breed 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 ...

originating in the county of

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It derives its name from the village of Kerry (''Ceri''), near Newtown. Kerry Hill sheep have a distinctive and unique coloration, with a white face bearing black markings around the mouth, ears, and eyes. Both rams and ewes are polled. Their

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 ...

is white, and their legs are white with black markings. First mentions of the breed date back to the early 19th century, and today it is distributed throughout the

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Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the

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and

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. Though still not very numerous, the breed was removed from the records of the

Rare Breeds Survival Trust The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation (ethic), conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 b ...

watchlist in 2006. This breed is primarily raised for

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, ...

. The Kerry Hill Flock Book Society keeps a register of pure bred animals and provides information on the breed, shows and sales.

Characteristics

The Kerry Hill is a medium-sized breed of sturdy build, an average ewe weighing about and a ram a little more.. The face is white with black markings on the nose and around the eyes, with black, wool-less ears set high on the head. The legs are white with black markings. The fleece is fine and white, with a

Bradford count The Bradford system (also known as the English Worsted Yarn Count System or spinning count or Bradford count) is a way to assess the fineness of wool. To measure the fineness of sheep wool fibre before microscopes and lasers were used, English ...

of 54 to 56 and a staple length of . An average fleece weighs about . The lambing percentage is often 175% and a terminal sire can be used for a larger carcase. The ewes milk well and the lambs grow fast. They can produce a carcase at twelve to fourteen weeks, or if overwintered, a carcase the following spring.

References

Literature

*Williams-Davies J (1981/1987), ''Welsh Sheep and their Wool''. Gomer, Llandysul pp.39-42.

External links

Dutch Kerry Hill association
(Dutch)
Danish Kerry Hill association
(Danish) Sheep breeds originating in Wales Sheep breeds {{sheep-stub