What breed of sheep that is also the most numerous in the world is prized for its wool?
"the wool fibers. A fine wool like Merino may have up to 100 crimps per inch, while coarser wool like karakul may have as few as one or two. In contrast, hair has little if any scale and no crimp, and little ability to bind into yarn. On sheep, the hair part of the fleece is called kemp. The relative amounts of kemp to wool vary from breed to breed and make some fleeces more desirable for spinning, felting, or carding into batts for quilts or other insulating products, including the famous tweed cloth of Scotland. Wool fibers readily absorb"
"fleece does have considerable luster. Lincoln sheep The Lincoln, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool, is a breed of sheep from England. The Lincoln is the largest British sheep, developed specifically to produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous fleece of any breed in the world. Great numbers were exported to many countries to improve the size and wool quality of their native breeds. The versatile fleece is in great demand for spinning, weaving and many other crafts. It is now one of Britain's rarer breeds, categorized as ""at risk"" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust since there are fewer than"
"Lincoln sheep The Lincoln, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool, is a breed of sheep from England. The Lincoln is the largest British sheep, developed specifically to produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous fleece of any breed in the world. Great numbers were exported to many countries to improve the size and wool quality of their native breeds. The versatile fleece is in great demand for spinning, weaving and many other crafts. It is now one of Britain's rarer breeds, categorized as ""at risk"" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust since there are fewer than 1500 registered breeding females in"
"global textile market, but its value is higher owing to dying and other modifications of the material. Australia is a leading producer of wool which is mostly from Merino sheep but has been eclipsed by China in terms of total weight. New Zealand (2016) is the third-largest producer of wool, and the largest producer of crossbred wool. Breeds such as Lincoln, Romney, Drysdale, and Elliotdale produce coarser fibers, and wool from these sheep is usually used for making carpets. In the United States, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado have large commercial sheep flocks and their mainstay is the Rambouillet (or"
"his operation and adjust to a life without a ""cumbersome blanket of wool"" (although his hind legs may always suffer some imbalance from years of bearing the extra weight). Hundreds of people had offered to adopt Chris. Chris was adopted in September 2015 and now lives at Little Oak Sanctuary in New South Wales. Chris (sheep) Chris is a Merino sheep who gained international fame in September 2015 after being sheared of a record amount of wool in Canberra, Australia. He was found near the New South Wales-Australian Capital Territory border, allegedly nearly unable to walk from the hefty amount"
"country by (i) wool fiber’s length, thinness and softness, (ii) capability of surviving at various altitudes, (iii) physical appearance, tail form, size, and other criteria. The most common sheep breeds are Mongol Khalha, Gov-altai, Baidrag, Bayad, Uzenchin, Sumber and number of other breeds, all being of the fat-tailed breed. A census of the entire domestic animals stock of the country is carried out annually. At the end of 2017, the census counted more than 30 million of sheep that makes up 45.5 percent of the entire herding stock. Annually before the Lunar New year the Government awards the prestigious “Best"
"With an estimated worldwide population in excess of 2 million head, the 'Jersey' is now the second most numerous breed of dairy cow and an important influence in the global dairy industry. Most countries with a significant number of 'Jersey' cattle have founded a breed association to manage and promote the breed in their respective countries. In 1949 the leading countries held a conference in this Island and in 1951 formed the World Jersey Cattle Bureau as an umbrella organisation for the breed around the world. The World Jersey Cattle Bureau has its office in the RJA&HS headquarters building. The"
"Corriedale Corriedale sheep are a dual purpose breed, meaning they are used both in the production of wool and meat. The Corriedale is the oldest of all the crossbred breeds, a Merino-Lincoln cross developed almost simultaneously in Australia and New Zealand and first brought to the United States in 1914. The Corriedale is internationally farmed, in Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, Southern Brazil, Uruguay and Patagonia. Corriedales are one of the most popular sheep breeds in Uruguay. On the Falkland Islands, Polwarth and Corriedale form the main sheep breeds. Corriedale have a long life span, and are"
"Merino The Merino is one of the most historically relevant and economically influential breeds of sheep, much prized for its wool. The breed was originated and improved in Extremadura, in southwestern Spain, around the 12th century; it was instrumental in the economic development of 15th and 16th century Spain, which held a monopoly on its trade, and since the end of the 18th century it was further refined in New Zealand and Australia, giving rise to the modern Merino. Today, Merinos are still regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep. Poll Merinos have no"
"who give single or twin births. British and North American breeds of domesticated sheep are genetically different because the Romanov breed is a ""pure gene"", not a ""cross"". But, they are often crossed with more popular breeds to increase their prolificacy. Romanov wool is very strong and resourceful. The wool is double coated with mean diameter of wool fibers of 20.9 micrometres and 71.9 micrometres of outer-coat hair (lamb wool). Mean greasy fleece weight is around 4.5 kilograms. The wool, which is a mixture of gray wool and black guard hair, is usually used for rugs, mats, and wall hangings."
"Chris (sheep) Chris is a Merino sheep who gained international fame in September 2015 after being sheared of a record amount of wool in Canberra, Australia. He was found near the New South Wales-Australian Capital Territory border, allegedly nearly unable to walk from the hefty amount of fleece he had grown over the years. Local shearer Ian Elkins volunteered to shear the massive sheep, after being contacted by RSPCA Australia. Chris had to be sedated throughout the operation; during which, after about 42 minutes, the shearer had removed up to 40.45 kilograms or 89 pounds of thick wool. It was"
"the most common color. Black and black/white piebald (spotted) sheep are also fairly common, while brown, grey and fawn Finnsheep are very scarce in the USA. Markings such as white stockings, tail tips, white crown or facial markings including the panda-like eyespot pattern, are common in colored Finnsheep. Australian Finns are universally white; the wool has superior length, softness, better radius of curvature and reduced prickle factor. In Australia, wool quality and length have improved greatly to the extent that there are now sheep which can be shorn twice per year and whose advantageous wool characteristics have been extensively incorporated"
"for its high-quality wool. The Wensleydale is a large long wool sheep with a distinctive grey black face, ears and legs. The ears are slightly elongated and stand upright. They are naturally polled and have a tuft of long wool on top of the head which is not typically sheered (for aesthetic purposes). Wool from this breed is acknowledged as the finest lustre long wool in the world. The fleece from a purebred sheep is considered kemp free and curled or purled on out to the end. Rams weigh about 300 lbs and ewes about 250 lbs. Average prolificacy: Yearling"
"has a more complex flavour than most commercial breeds, highly prized since the time of George III. They produce 2–3 kg. of 50's–60's down-quality wool with a staple length of 6–9 cm (2.5–3.5 in), which is suitable for hosiery and hand-knitting yarns. This breed will sometimes breed out of season, and was the first breed of sheep in Britain able to have lambs at any time of the year. Portland sheep The Portland is a sheep breed that takes its name from the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. This breed is raised primarily for meat. Once common all over"
"two species differ in that buck goats acquire a unique and strong odor during the rut, whereas rams do not. The domestic sheep is a multi-purpose animal, and the more than 200 breeds now in existence were created to serve these diverse purposes. Some sources give a count of a thousand or more breeds, but these numbers cannot be verified, according to some sources. However, several hundred breeds of sheep have been identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), with the estimated number varying somewhat from time to time: e.g. 863 breeds as of 1993, 1314"
"United States after that, as well as to other parts of the English speaking world, notably Australia and New Zealand, and to South America. The breed's adaptability to most environments and their dual-purpose nature led to them quickly becoming a popular breed. In 1884 the American Shropshire Registry was formed and by the turn of the 20th century the Shropshire was the most numerous breed of sheep in the United States. By the 1930s the Shropshire had been dubbed ""the farm flock favorite"" in the United States; but in the 1940s, US breeders began producing Shropshires with more wool cover"
"Australia. Corriedale Corriedale sheep are a dual purpose breed, meaning they are used both in the production of wool and meat. The Corriedale is the oldest of all the crossbred breeds, a Merino-Lincoln cross developed almost simultaneously in Australia and New Zealand and first brought to the United States in 1914. The Corriedale is internationally farmed, in Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, Southern Brazil, Uruguay and Patagonia. Corriedales are one of the most popular sheep breeds in Uruguay. On the Falkland Islands, Polwarth and Corriedale form the main sheep breeds. Corriedale have a long life span, and"
"Golden Shears The Golden Shears International Shearing and Woolhandling Championships is the world's most prestigious sheep shearing event. It was founded in Masterton, New Zealand, and has been held in the town's War Memorial Stadium each March since 1961. It initially comprised competition in three shearing classes, including the Open championship, which is the most revered of all single shearing titles worldwide. In the final, sometimes referred to as shearing's equivalent of the Wimbledon Open in tennis, six shearers each shear 20 second-shear sheep, for which the fastest time was 15min 27.4sec, shorn in 2003. But the competition is about"
"good mothers and produce ample milk. Healthy lambs are born with a weight between . Shetland sheep The Shetland is a small, wool-producing breed of sheep originating in the Shetland Isles, Scotland but is now also kept in many other parts of the world. It is part of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group, and it is closely related to the extinct Scottish Dunface. Shetlands are classified as a landrace or ""unimproved"" breed. This breed is kept for its very fine wool, for meat, and for conservation grazing. Although Shetlands are small and slow-growing compared to commercial breeds, they are"
"sheep are most valued for crossbreeding to improve the attributes of other sheep types. For example: the American Columbia breed was developed by crossing Lincoln rams (a long wool breed) with fine-wooled Rambouillet ewes. Coarse or carpet wool sheep are those with a medium to long length wool of characteristic coarseness. Breeds traditionally used for carpet wool show great variability, but the chief requirement is a wool that will not break down under heavy use (as would that of the finer breeds). As the demand for carpet-quality wool declines, some breeders of this type of sheep are attempting to use"
"of Hungary and to a lesser extent in Caras Severin, Romania. Due to its unique features, appealing for show it has recently been exported in growing numbers to United Kingdom, United States and France, while in its home range interest remains limited . It is a hardy, multi-purpose breed used for milking, wool and meat. Their wool is long and coarse, and appears in two general types: a cream wool with light brown faces and legs, and a black variation. Ewes weigh around , and rams . The breed's unique appearance and quiet disposition would make it a desirable animal"
"to two thirds – of the ears is black. The lips and chin may be flecked with black; the coat is otherwise white. Both sexes are polled (hornless). The hooves are strong. The Jezersko–Solčava is a dual-purpose breed, reared both for meat and for its wool, of which it yields per year. The wool is fine and of good quality. Ewes lamb twice a year, with a twinning rate of 70%. Jezersko–Solčava The Jezersko–Solčava is a breed of domestic sheep from the eastern Alpine region of Europe. Until the outbreak of the First World War it was the most numerous"
"Boonoke poll started in 1934. Peppin Merino The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino sheep raised for their wool, mostly in Australia. So important is the Peppin Merino that wool producers throughout Australia often classify their sheep simply as being either Peppin, or non-Peppin. Peppin merino wool is in the 20 to 23 micron range. The Peppin is prevalent in the sheep flocks of Queensland, on the slopes and plains of New South Wales, through the north of Victoria and the mixed farming areas of South Australia and Western Australia. It can also be found in significant numbers in"
"products. Obtained wool classified as rough, semi-rough, semi-delicate and delicate wool. Sheep breeding is common for all regions of the country but delicate wool sheep are raised in mountainous areas and foothills. Armenian Semicoarsewool is raised as a rough woolen breed and Merino is raised for delicate wool in Azerbaijan. Besides, Karabakh and Garadolak are mainly raised breeds in Azerbaijan. Compared to other breeds these sheep can walk approximately 18 – 20 km per day. They are hot and dry weather resistant and quickly adapt to local conditions. However, breeds are resistant to tuberculosis and some other diseases, but frequently"
"although some feral populations have remained isolated long enough to be recognized as distinct breeds. The rearing of sheep for secondary products, and the resulting breed development, began in either southwest Asia or western Europe. Initially, sheep were kept solely for meat, milk and skins. Archaeological evidence from statuary found at sites in Iran suggests that selection for woolly sheep may have begun around 6000 BC, and the earliest woven wool garments have been dated to two to three thousand years later. Before this, when a sheep was slaughtered for its meat, the hide would be tanned and worn as"
"total world population was estimated at about 158,000. In 2014, the US reported 1,971 registered sheep. In 1904, the USDA imported a small flock and transported them for study to Bethesda, Maryland. From that original flock, at least two distinct breeds have emerged in the US, and there is a great deal of confusion in the breed names. In 2004, there were fewer than 200 purebred Barbados Blackbelly sheep in the US, in contrast to a large and growing population of a popular crossbreed, commonly referred to as ""Barbado."" Whereas purebred Barbados Blackbelly rams and ewes are polled (hornless), the"
"high quality wool from large flocks (1,000 + sheep per flock) of this cross. Other numerically important crosses include Finn-Dorsets and Finn-Texels. The breed is having a significant effect on lifting the average productivity of Australia's flock. Finnsheep The Finnish Landrace, Finn or Finnsheep is a breed of domestic sheep native to Finland. It is one of several Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds, but is notable for its high incidence of multiple births – it is common for a ewe to have three, four, or even five lambs at once. The lambs are often small, but are vigorous at birth"
"dairies. Amongst the ""Bos indicus"", the most popular dairy breed in the world is Sahiwal of the Indian subcontinent. It does not give as much milk as the Taurine breeds, but it is by far the most suitable breed for warmer climates. Australian Friesian Sahiwal and Australian Milking Zebu have been developed in Australia using Sahiwal genetics. Gir, another of the ""Bos indicus"" breeds, has been improved in Brazil for its milk production and is widely used there for dairy. Animal welfare refers to both the physical and mental state of an animal, and how it is coping with its"
"is 60-70 kg. The largest flock of Drysdale sheep outside of indigenous New Zealand is that of Nathan Drysdale, a famous UK farmer based in Peterborough. Drysdale sheep The Drysdale breed of sheep originated in New Zealand and is raised primarily for wool. Dr. Francis Dry in 1931 noticed a genetic freak, a Romney ram with a high percentage of very coarse wool. Crossing two Romneys and Cheviots resulted in a sheep with a lot of coarse, Wool|fleece]] is about with a 40 microns fibre diameter and a staple of . The coarse wool gene causes both male and female"
"1983. The conservation status of the breed was listed as ""not at risk"" by the FAO in 2007. In 2013 total numbers for the breed were not reported; the population is estimated at 5000 head. Finarda The Finarda is a breed of large domestic sheep from the regions of Lombardy and Piemonte in northern Italy. It is heavy breed raised mainly for meat, although it also yields 4–6 kg of wool per year. It results from cross-breeding the Bergamasca and Biellese breeds. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is"
"a good carpet-quality wool breed, with the densest and heaviest fleeces among the breeds of Rajasthan and a wool of reasonably good carpet quality. References Acharya R.M., 1982, “Sheep and goat breeds of India,” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [Web Reference] ICAR-CSWRI, 2016, “Breed Profiles - Breeds of Sheep in different agro-ecological regions in India and their major products,” ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar, India. [Web Reference] NBAGR, “Registered Breeds of Sheep,” [Web Reference] Lohi sheep The Lohi sheep is found in southern Punjab in India. It is used for its carpet quality wool and"
"is also being established in the United States of America. Wensleydale sheep The Wensleydale is a breed of domestic sheep that originated in the Wensleydale region of North Yorkshire, England Possessing a blue–grey face, the breed was developed in the 19th century by crossing English Leicester and Teeswater sheep. One of the largest and heaviest of all sheep breeds, the Wensleydale has long, ringlet-like locks of wool. It is categorized as ""at risk"" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust of the U.K. as it has fewer than 1500 registered breeding females, it is predominantly used today as a ram breed"
"wool is coarse, suitable for making mattresses, with a staple length of about . Savoiarda The Savoiarda or razza di Cuorgné is a threatened breed of upland sheep from the province of Turin, in Piemonte, north-west Italy. The few remaining breeders are in the Val Chisone, the Val di Susa, the Valli di Lanzo and the Val Pellice. The origins of the Savoiarda are not clear; it appears to be related to the Thônes et Marthod breed from the area of Savoie, in France, which lies to the west of Piemonte. Out-crossing to other breeds including the Biellese and the"