Easycare
Encyclopedia
Easycare is a breed of sheep
developed in the 1960s in the United Kingdom
for meat. It was derived from the Nelson Welsh Mountain (a Welsh Mountain
and Cheviot
cross) which were crossed twice to the Wiltshire Horn
, which is a wool
-shedding breed. The progeny were selected for the following characteristics: wool shedding; no horns; and easy care traits. Most animals in the wild thicken up their coats in winter and then moult when spring comes, but many modern sheep breeds were selectively bred for thick coats which are retained for shearing
. With the decline in the worldwide wool markets, a thick coat is now less desirable especially where the cost of shearing is higher than the value of the wool produced. In this respect, the Easycare breed is an interesting reversal of centuries of practice in sheep breed development as the sheep naturally shed their coats in spring, a process called rooing.
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
developed in the 1960s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for meat. It was derived from the Nelson Welsh Mountain (a Welsh Mountain
Welsh Mountain
Welsh Mountain may refer to:*Welsh Mountain sheep, a type of sheep originating in the Welsh mountains*Welsh Mountain pony, the smallest of four types of Welsh Pony, often kept free-ranging on mountains...
and Cheviot
Cheviot sheep
The Cheviot is a breed of white faced sheep which gets its name from a range of hills in north Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. It is still common in this area of the United Kingdom, but also in north west Scotland, Wales and the south west of England as well as more rarely in Australia,...
cross) which were crossed twice to the Wiltshire Horn
Wiltshire Horn
The Wiltshire Horn is a breed of domestic sheep originally from Wiltshire in southern England raised for meat. The breed is unusual amongst native British breeds, for it has the unusual feature of moulting its short wool and hair coat naturally in spring, alleviating the need for shearing. They...
, which is a wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
-shedding breed. The progeny were selected for the following characteristics: wool shedding; no horns; and easy care traits. Most animals in the wild thicken up their coats in winter and then moult when spring comes, but many modern sheep breeds were selectively bred for thick coats which are retained for shearing
Sheep shearing
Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year...
. With the decline in the worldwide wool markets, a thick coat is now less desirable especially where the cost of shearing is higher than the value of the wool produced. In this respect, the Easycare breed is an interesting reversal of centuries of practice in sheep breed development as the sheep naturally shed their coats in spring, a process called rooing.