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Choice of Breed
The choice of breeds or strains should take into account the capacity of animals to adapt to local conditions, their vitality and their resistance to disease as well as their product quality. These qualities often exist in indigenous breeds.
Breed Characteristics
There are many different sheep breeds and crossbreed options to suit a diverse range of environments. There are a number of websites that provide information on breeds, from a range of perspectives. The National Sheep Association in the UK produces an alphabetic index of sheep breeds suited to conditions in northern Europe http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/know-your-sheep/sheep-breeds/. A more comprehensive list and description of global breeds can be found at http://www.sheep101.info/breeds.html, and includes breeds found in temperate and tropical regions. The British Wool Marketing Board has an interesting list and description of sheep breeds according to their wool quality and characteristics http://www.britishwool.org.uk/british-sheep-breeds.php. Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal Science also has a comprehensive list and descriptions of sheep breeds, as well as other species, from around the world http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/.
Use of Indigenous and Local breeds
The emphasis on indigenous breeds may be interpreted as a preference for native and local breeds. The advantage of these to the ewe, from a health and welfare perspective, are emphasised by van Diepen et al (2007) as:
- More likely to utilise lower quality feed;
- Being more resilient to climatic stress; and
- Being more resistant to local parasites and diseases.
In addition, local and native breeds represent a unique genetic resource for improving health and performance traits in the future. However, these characteristics often have to be balanced with economic efficiency and market requirements. Local breeds, under good production conditions, tend to be less productive than improved breeds.
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