Sheep That Don't Require Shearing

Some sheep producers find that raising the so-called "hair" breeds -- breeds that shed a hair coat rather than requiring shearing -- has become more economically advantageous for the small farmer. In a January, 2006 interview with the "Sheep Industry News," Eric Dalton of Etowah, Tennessee details how keeping grass-eating Katahdin sheep allows his family to produce meat lambs year-round while saving time and money on shearing and feed. Farmers in the United States now produce a number of kinds of hair sheep, most of which are a result of cross-breeding between African and European breeds.

  1. Katahdin

    • Michael Piel built the Katahdin breed of hair sheep at his Piel Farm in North Central Maine by crossing West African hair sheep with Wiltshire Horn sheep from Wales in 1976. He named his new breed "Katahdin" after Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain peak in Maine. This docile, hardy sheep produce lean, mild-flavored carcasses under their coarse topcoats and can be any color or combination of colors. In winter, they grow a very thick undercoat that sheds along with the outer layers in warm weather. Mature ewes weigh 120 to 160 pounds, while rams can weigh 180 to 250 pounds. Puberty comes early to this breed and mature ewes generally bear twins; occasionally healthy triplets and quadruplets are born.

    Barbados Blackbelly

    • Seen from a distance, these medium-sized, roman-nosed meat sheep resemble small deer, with their brown and tan coats, black noses and contrasting black underparts. Their medium to thick hair sheds in the spring, and, in colder climates, Blackbellies often grow protective wool undercoats in the fall. These undercoats shed with the topcoats in the spring. Originally bred on the island of Barbados but thought to have been cross-bred with African breeds brought over on slave ships, Blackbellies quickly adapt to different environments and temperature ranges. Ewes produce an average of two lambs per litter with a lambing interval between eight and nine months.

    St. Croix

    • Found in the tropical regions of South America, the British Virgin Islands, the United States and Africa, St. Croix hair sheep constitute approximately 10 percent of the world's sheep population because of their ability to produce two lamb crops a year. These polled, or hornless, white-haired meat sheep weigh in at 200 pounds for rams and 150 pounds for ewes, and show a resistance to internal parasites other sheep don't have. The St. Croix grows a smooth, thick hair coat with a downy undercoat in winter that sheds in the spring and never requires shearing. Mature rams cultivate a thick, lion-like mane around their necks that can reach their knees.

    Dorper

    • Dorper sheep developed in the 1930s in South Africa out of a marketing need for mutton and lamb to exported to England. Today, the Dorper numbers more than 10 million head in South Africa and is one of the fastest growing breeds in the United States. A cross between the Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian, hardy Dorper ewes produce heavily muscled, fast-growing lambs that prosper in any environment. The two color styles of this breed include the Blackhead Dorpers, a white sheep with a black head and ears, and the all-over White Dorpers. Like all hair sheep, Dorpers grow a heavy winter coat that naturally sheds in the spring.