Hampshire Sheep
The Hampshire sheep breed is primarily raised for meat production, though the breed has also emerged as a popular choice for youngsters in 4-H and FFA rings due to its dramatic, flashy appearance in the show ring.
Sheep Breeds
Katahdin Sheep
The Katahdin sheep breed originated from crossing the Wiltshire Horn, Suffolk and St. Croix breeds of sheep. The Katahdin breed was developed in Maine and is named after the mountain in Maine where Michael Piel created the breed, the highest peak in the state.
Cheviot Sheep
The Cheviot sheep breed is an alert, active breed that features a white face and compact body. This breed is most popular in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Border Leicester Sheep
The Border Leicester sheep breed is one of three distinctive breeds of Leicester in the UK. Matthew and George Culley founded this breed of sheep in Northumberland in England in 1767. It is assumed that the brothers, who were friends of Robert Bakewell, might have created the breed by crossbreeding Teeswater ewes and Leicester rams,
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Gulf Coast Sheep
One of the first breeds to be found in the United States is the Gulf Coast Native sheep breed. For centuries they have been found in the southern areas of the U.S. The Gulf Coast sheep history is unknown, however they do appear to be descendants of stock imported from Spain in the 1500’s. These
Panama Sheep
The Panama sheep breed originated in the 1990’s in Idaho and was the product of work by private breeders. The Panama breed is a cross between Lincoln ewes and rams which were Rambouillet. After approximately five years of crossbreeding, the breed was established and mating between Panamas was all that was required to maintain the
Dorset Sheep
Dorset sheep are famous for their lambing abilities since they are a breed which can lamb up to two times each year. It is also possible for Dorset ewes to lamb year-round as many of them don’t pause their estrus cycle during the warmer months the way other sheep breeds do.
Columbia Sheep
The Columbia sheep breed is the first of several breeds to have been developed in the United States, making it truly All-American. Columbia sheep originated as a result of crossing the Rambouillet and Lincoln in an effort to produce a breed which offered greater quantities of both meat and wool. The goal was to develop
Targhee Sheep
The Targhee sheep breed was created by the U.S Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho in 1926 – making the Targhee one of the youngest breeds in the United States. The Targhee breed is a combination of the Columbia, Corriedale and Rambouillet – all white-faced sheep breeds known for their production.
Black Welsh Mountain Sheep
The Black Welsh Mountain sheep have been around since the Middle Ages, when they were considered a status of wealth and sold by merchants. Breeders in the mid 1900’s started to single out black-fleeced Mountain Sheep in particular, which is why this color has become a prevalent variety.
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