Wiltshire Horn
Encyclopedia
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 are good mothers and have high fertility. The fact that they do not require shearing or crutching
and do not suffer readily from flystrike
is making them increasingly attractive to the commercial sheep sector, particularly as even pure-bred lambs can reach slaughter weight in as little as 16 weeks.
It was nearly extinct at the start of the 1900s. In 1923, in an attempt to save the breed, the Wiltshire Horn Breed Society was formed. In the early 1980s, there were 45 registered flocks in the UK, but the 2009 edition of the Wiltshire Horn Sheep Society's flock book recognises almost 300 flocks.
The Wiltshire Horn is one of the foundation breeds for Katahdin
, Wiltipoll
and Easycare
breeds.
Until the 20th century, the breed was chiefly traded at local events such as the Westbury Sheep Fair
.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of domestic sheep
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...
originally from Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in southern England
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...
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
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...
. They are good mothers and have high fertility. The fact that they do not require shearing or crutching
Crutching
Crutching refers to the removal of wool from around the tail and between the rear legs of a sheep. It can also refer to removing wool from the heads of sheep or from the bellies of male sheep .-Motivation:...
and do not suffer readily from flystrike
Myiasis
Myiasis is a general term for infection by parasitic fly larvae feeding on the host's necrotic or living tissue. Colloquialisms for myiasis include flystrike, blowfly strike, and fly-blown. In Greek, "myia" means fly....
is making them increasingly attractive to the commercial sheep sector, particularly as even pure-bred lambs can reach slaughter weight in as little as 16 weeks.
History
The Wiltshire Horn was until the 18th century one of southern England's predominant sheep breeds. For hundreds of years, it served a clear function on the thin chalk soils of the Wiltshire Downs, requiring little shelter from the elements and providing dung and urine to fertilise the wheat-growing land. At the same time, it provided an easily-managed source of quality meat, but the rising price of wool and a general move away from horned sheep saw the breed suffer a dramatic decline throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.It was nearly extinct at the start of the 1900s. In 1923, in an attempt to save the breed, the Wiltshire Horn Breed Society was formed. In the early 1980s, there were 45 registered flocks in the UK, but the 2009 edition of the Wiltshire Horn Sheep Society's flock book recognises almost 300 flocks.
The Wiltshire Horn is one of the foundation breeds for Katahdin
Katahdin (sheep)
The Katahdin is a breed of domestic sheep developed in Maine, USA, mostly in the second half of the 20th century. This breed was originated by Michael Piel who after reading an article in the February 1956 National Geographic imported selected St. Croix sheep chosen by Dr...
, Wiltipoll
Wiltipoll
The Wiltipoll is a breed of polled domestic sheep that was developed in Australia from Wiltshire Horn sheep with the infusion of Border Leicester, Perendale, Poll Dorset and Poll Merino genetics, that are raised for meat.-History:...
and Easycare
Easycare
Easycare is a breed of sheep developed in the 1960s in the United Kingdom for meat. It was derived from the Nelson Welsh Mountain 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;...
breeds.
Until the 20th century, the breed was chiefly traded at local events such as the Westbury Sheep Fair
Westbury Sheep Fair
The Westbury Sheep Fair was an annual fair which took place on high ground at Westbury, Wiltshire, near the north-western corner of Salisbury Plain, for the sale of sheep...
.
Characteristics
Males and females both have horns. Ram horns will grow one full spiral each year until maturity. Both sexes are white with occasion black spots on the undercoat. This is a hair breed, growing a thick, coarse coat in the winter and shedding in the summer. Rams weigh about 250 pounds (113.4 kg) and ewes 150 pounds (68 kg).The breed today
No longer a rare breed, the Wiltshire Horn is proving its worth to three particular groups of producers:- The smaller-scale producer seeking added value with quality, naturally-reared, full-flavoured meat. Wiltshire Horn meat is very popular in box schemes and at farmers markets;
- The large commercial operator can tap into Wiltshire Horn genetics and create wool-shedding hybrids, so freeing themselves from the expense and hassle of annual shearing;
- The smallholder and hobbyist who values the breed for its meat, its easy-to-handle conformation and its low-input, no-shear attributes.