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Sheep have a breeding season (tupping) in the autumn, though some can breed year-round. [1] As a result of the influence of humans on sheep breeding, ewes often produce multiple lambs. This increase in lamb births, both in number and birth weight, may cause problems with delivery and lamb survival, requiring the intervention of shepherds. [2]
Beef cattle are the most popular livestock farmed in the Basque Country, being present in approximately 62% of all livestock farms of that region. [1] Between 1999 and 2009, the average number of cattle present on each farm rose by about 88.3%, making cattle the most rapidly increasing group of livestock during that time.
Wiltipoll sheep (polled Wiltshire Horn) shed their wool annually in spring to summer and produce lean, heavy lambs. They are a polled breed (no horns) bred for the production of prime lamb. The wool is simply shed and falls to the ground. [2] Due to this process, the energy of the sheep is directed into meat and milk, not wool.
Sheep farming in Namibia (2017). According to the FAOSTAT database of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the top five countries by number of head of sheep (average from 1993 to 2013) were: mainland China (146.5 million head), Australia (101.1 million), India (62.1 million), Iran (51.7 million), and the former Sudan (46.2 million). [2]
The Southdown was traditionally reared for meat and wool. During the day the sheep pastured freely on the downs, and at night they were close-folded in the arable fields of the farmers, where they helped to increase soil fertility. [10] Fleece weights (greasy) are about 2–3.5 kg for ewes, 3.5–5.5 kg for rams.
A Wiltshire Horn ewe and her triplets. The Wiltshire Horn is a breed of domestic sheep originally from Wiltshire in southern England raised for meat. [1] The breed is unusual among native British breeds, for it has the unusual feature of moulting its short wool and hair coat naturally in spring, obviating the need for shearing. [2]
Short-tailed sheep were gradually displaced by long-tailed types, leaving short-tailed sheep restricted to the less accessible areas. [3] These included the Scottish Dunface , which until the late eighteenth century was the main sheep type throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland , including Orkney and Shetland . [ 4 ]
The Icelandic [a] is the Icelandic breed of domestic sheep.It belongs to the Northern European Short-tailed group of sheep, and is larger than most breeds in that group.. It is generally short-legged and stocky, slender and light-boned, and usually horned, although polled and polycerate animals can occur; there is a polled strain, the Kleifa.