Suffolk (sheep)
Encyclopedia
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...
raised primarily for meat.
Ewes
They are mainly raised for wool and meat productionLivestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
especially when crossed with the progeny of a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ewe. For example, a purebred upland ewe such as a Welsh Mountain ewe might be bred with a breeding sire Bluefaced Leicester ram. This is a Welsh Mule
Mule (sheep)
In sheep farming, the term Mule is used to refer to a cross between a lowland ram and a purebred upland ewe....
, one of many different types of half-bred ewes. The lamb produced when a half-bred ewe is crossed with a Suffolk ram (as well as with other Terminal Sire breeds such as Texel
Texel (sheep)
The Texel is a breed of domestic sheep originally from the island of Texel in the Netherlands. It is now a popular lean meat sheep in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and Europe. The Texel is a heavily muscled sheep. It produces a lean meat carcass and will pass on this quality to crossbred...
, Beltex or Charollais
Charollais (sheep)
The Charollais is a breed of domestic sheep originating in France. It has been exported internationally, and is commonly used in the U.K. as a sire to produce market lambs with purebred ewes and mules.-Characteristics:...
) is considered ideal for meat production since they have unusually good conformation. The lamb has the easy-care benefits of a mountain ewe as well as the excellent growth of the Suffolk ram. The Suffolk breed is also more resistant to elf fire, a disease brought on by eating, among others, the bog asphodel. Sunlight worsens the condition but the black head and ears of the Suffolk limit sunlight down to the otherwise exposed skin.
Suffolk sheep are also shown in youth and adult shows. Organizations like FFA
National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is an American youth organization known as a Career and Technical Student Organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education...
and 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
allow middle school and high school students to learn responsibility by showing market lambs and breeding ewes. The sheep may be pure breed of commercial (cross-breed).
Origin
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as the result of crossing Southdown
Southdown (sheep)
The Southdown is a small, dual purpose British sheep but is raised primarily for meat. The Southdown breed was originally bred by John Ellman of Glynde, near Lewes, East Sussex about 200 years ago. His work was continued by Jonas Webb of Babraham in Cambridgeshire who developed the larger animal...
rams on Norfolk Horned ewes. The product of this cross was an improvement over both parent breeds.
Characteristics
Mature weights for rams range from 250 to 350 lb (113.4 to 158.8 kg), ewe weights vary from 180 to 250 lb (81.6 to 113.4 kg). Fleece weights from mature ewes are between 5 to 8 lb (2.3 to 3.6 kg) with a yield of 50% to 62%. The fleeces are considered medium wool type with a fiber diameter of 25.5 to 33 microns and a spinningSpinning (textiles)
Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
count of 48 to 58. The staple length of ranges from 2 to 3.5 in (50.8 to 88.9 mm).