Breeds of Sheep and Their Habitat

There are a very large number of different sheep breeds. The number of breeds is still increasing due to crossbreeding practices the farmers use to develop a new breed with certain desired qualities.

Sheep are found all over the world, and the races in South Africa originate from indigenous races such as the Damara, European races such as the Suffolk and Australian and New Zealand races such as the Merino. Some of the most popular races in South Africa, such as the Dorper and SA Meat Merino, were bred locally from breeding systems.

Sheep breeders concentrate on four different types of breeding practices. Firstly, breeding is done to improve the meat and carcass quality of the sheep as in the case of the Dorper and the Meat master. Secondly, selection and breeding are used to improve the amount and quality of the wool of the sheep as in the case of the Merino. The third type of breeder focus on producing an animal with good meat as well as good wool properties and breeds such as the SA Meat Merino developed. Lastly, a tendency develops to breed sheep that produce more milk that is used in the making of certain cheese types.

Sheep can be found in areas where it is very hot and dry up to areas which are cold and wet. Especially the breeds with wool as the cover are very good isolated against the extremes of the environment, they found themselves in.

In South Africa, the most popular breeds for use in a fattening unit is the Dorper and different types of Merino. These animals have larger bodies than the other races, such as the Damara, and thus have a better build carcass for meat purposes. The Merino is preferred above the Dorper because it put on more muscle than fat in the fattening unit, while the Dorper have the tendency to become too fat.

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Sheep Farming What You Need to Know