Archive for October 2009
Romney
The History of the Romney
The Romney traces its beginning to the marshy area of Kent in England. Its origin lies with the old, established dual purpose Romney Marsh breed which was improved with Leicester blood in the nineteenth century. Often swept with harsh winds and heavy rainfall, the Kent landscape is abundant with lush forage. Read the rest of this entry »
Rideau Arcott
Description: The Rideau Arcott was originally a research breed selected for their lambing rate. The Arcott breeding program began in 1966 when Agriculture Canada’s Animal Research Centre in Ottawa began expanding its mixed flock of Shropshire, Suffolk and OS sheep. One of the goals was to create a breed which reproduced rapidly. This breed could be used to accelerate genetic and other sheep research. Read the rest of this entry »
Rhoenschaf
Also Known By: Rhoen Sheep
One of the oldest landraces in Germany was mentioned in 1844 in the files of the convent of Fulda: “The common sheep of the Rhoen farmer is a normal German sheep with peculiar characteristics, which even in foreign countries is known as Rhoenschaf. It is yellow-white with a black hornless head and is clothed in coarse, non-elastic wool, with little crimp. Its body is large, the bones are strong and it lends itself to fattening.” Read the rest of this entry »
Ghezel or Red Karaman
Also Known By: Kizil-Karaman, Mor-Karaman, Dugli, Erzurum, Chacra, Chagra, Chakra, Gesel, Gezel, Kazil, Khezel, Khizel, Kizil, Qezel, Qizil, Turkish Brown
These sheep originated in northwestern Iran and northeastern Turkey. This region in Iran is known as Azarbayjan and is typlified by dry, cold mountain weather .The fleece of this sheep is red and have sections of black red or light red. Read the rest of this entry »
Red Engadine
Also Known by: fuchsfarbene Engadiner (German)
Origin: The Engadine Sheep has its original distribution in Lower Engadin and in the bordering Tirolian and Bavarian valleys. It originates from local varieties, from the Stone Sheep and the Bergamask Sheep. These animals are mid- to large framed and are distinguished by their ram nose and their long, hanging ears. Read the rest of this entry »
Rasa Aragonesa
General Characteristics
The Rasa Aragonesa breed, which owes its name to the region where it is of most importance, as well as to the length of its wool (‘rasa’ = threadbare), contains sheep of a subconvex profile, mediolinear proportions, and variable size according to the areas it inhabits. It is raised mainly for its meat.
The head of the breed is free of wool and neither sex has horns. Wool-free areas are covered with fine, shiny white hair. Read the rest of this entry »
Rambouillet
Description: The history of the Rambouillet sheep is a fascinating one that began more than two centuries ago. The Rambouillet breed originated with Spain’s famed Merino flocks, which were known from the earliest times as producers of the world’s finest wool. The Spanish government was so protective of their Merino flocks that any exportation was forbidden. Read the rest of this entry »
Racka
Also Know By: Ratca (Romanian), Hortobágy Racka, Hungarian Zackel
The Racka is a unique breed with both ewes and rams possessing long spiral shaped horns. The breed is of the Zackel type and originated in Hungary. The breed is used for milk, wool and meat production. Mature males may have horns as long as two feet or more. The minimum standard length is given as 50 cm (20 inches) for rams and 30 cm (12-15 inches) for ewes. The cork-screw horns protrude almost straight upward from the top of the head.
The breed is found in two major color patterns. The most common shows brown hair covering the heads and legs with the fleece varying in color from dark brown to light brown and white. Read the rest of this entry »
Rabo Largo
Description: Rabo Largo, meaning broad tail, are found in northeastern Brazil. They originated from fat-tailed hair breeds which were brought from Africa and crossed with the Crioulo. They are white, pied or white with a colored head. Both sexes are horned. Individuals within the breed vary between hair and carpet wool. The breed is one of the long fat-tailed breeds. Read the rest of this entry »
Quanglin Large-tail
Description: The Quanglin Large-tail is found in the region of Shanxi in China. It is a carpet wool breed also reared for meat production. The males are horned and the females are polled. It is a semi-fat tailed breed which originated from the Mongolian. Read the rest of this entry »