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Characteristics and General Production Parameters of Hair Sheep Breeds
By
Basil Bactawar, UF/IFAS Duval County Extension Service
The breeds of hair sheep that are of importance in Florida include Katahdin, St. Croix, American Blackbelly, and Barbados Blackbelly. Some of the ancestors of these breeds originated in Africa and were brought to the Caribbean Islands, Central America and northern South America during the 18th and 19th century. Some European sheep genetics were incorporated into the African sheep to arrive at the existing hair breeds mentioned above. These breeds are called hair sheep because the coat consists of hair more like that of cattle and many goats rather than wool. The Dorper is not a true hair sheep, but is included in this fact sheet because it is used in cross breeding programs involving hair sheep.
Hair sheep have some attributes that make them admirably suited to fill market niches or fit varying production systems in Florida. For instance, they have extended breeding season, and can be used to produce lambs to be marketed when lamb prices are usually high thereby reducing marketing risks. In addition, shearing is not a requirement thereby reducing operational cost. They shed their winter coats during spring and early summer. They are the generally more fertile in hot humid regions and show greater tolerance to parasites than woolen breeds. They have less subcutaneous fat on average and are a bit leaner because there is less feathering in the muscles. In general they have low maintenance requirements.
The major disadvantage is that they grow slower and produce a lighter weight carcass than most breeds of European origin. This is true for Barbados Blackbelly and St. Croix in particular, because they have not been subjected to selection for size and growth rate of the woolen breeds. However, they are suitable for markets requiring smaller carcass size. Dorper and Katahdin are medium size breeds. Crossing these breeds with woolen breeds for efficient meat production does hold some potential.
Some general information on hair sheep is found on the this page. This information may be used to compare breeds of hair sheep. It should be kept in mind that performance varies greatly with genetic, management, climate, etc. and, as such, the data are estimates. One needs to do a detail review of the information related to the hair breed one wishes to raise.
