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The History of Sheep Breeds
The history of human civilization is intimately connected with the history of sheep, one of the first animals to be domesticated. In a sense, the history of sheep husbandry is a story of our own cultural intersections and exchanges. Descended from the wild sheep (ovis aries) of Asia Minor, the Mouflon is considered to be one of the two original ancestors of all modern day domesticated sheep. The Mouflon species was likely brought through the Mediterranean into Europe by nomadic farming peoples in roughly 7000 BC. The oldest, truly domesticated sheep is the fat-tailed sheep. With its coarse hair and ability to store excess fat in its tail for hot, lean summers, the fat-tailed sheep flourishes in the deserts of Northern Africa. |
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Dorset Horn
Tamarack Sheep Farm |
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Arab traders from North Africa brought sheep into the Iberian Peninsula and it is here that the Churra sheep developed. Christopher Columbus took Churras on his second voyage, and they migrated to Mexico with Cortez. The Churra also produced the Spanish Merino, which was eventually crossed with the Portland sheep to produce the Dorset Horn in England. The Dorset Horn gets those curly horns from its Merino ancestor, and produced such breeds as the Southdown and Suffolk, which have gained prominence in today’s farming world. The Dorset Horn was brought to the U.S. in 1860 and 1956, a chance mutation in North Carolina produced a polled variety of the Dorset which became so popular it nearly eclipsed the horned type. The Dorset Horn is now a very rare breed but some small farmers see the value in raising this stately sheep. |
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Icelandic
Willow Spring Ranch |
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Approximately 1100 years ago, the Vikings brought sheep with them when they settled in Iceland and it is these sheep that allowed people to live and thrive in this cold, rugged country. The Icelandic breed became particularly useful because it possesses a double coat and adapted to life in a country that produces very little grain. Icelandic sheep thrive on a diet of pasture alone and are true triple-purpose sheep, known for their milk, meat, and wool. Farmers in the United States have begun to discover their unique traits, yet they remain rare. |
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Katahdin
Clover Creek Farm |
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The Katahdin sheep is a prime example of the ingenuity of sheep farmers. In the 1950s, a farmer named Michael Piel imported several St. Croix sheep from the Caribbean islands (descendants of the Churra breed brought by Columbus) and crossed them with the stock on his Maine farm. Crossing the St. Croix with his flock, Piel developed a hair sheep that also produced a lean, meaty carcass. He named this breed the Katahdin, after the highest peak in Maine. This low maintenance sheep has become increasingly popular in the years that followed. |
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Tunis
Sandstone Ridge Farm |
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The only fat-tailed sheep to be brought to the United States are the Karakul and the Tunis breeds. Introduced to the U.S. in 1799 as a gift by the Tunisian ruler, the Tunis with its docile nature and ability to lamb even in hot weather became incredibly popular, especially in the South. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson kept sizable flocks. During the Civil War, many Southern Tunis flocks were wiped out, leaving a meager population in New England. The Tunis has begun to gain popularity again and has been upgraded recently from “threatened” to “watch” by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. |
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