Polypay Sheep Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Polypay sheep is a synthetic breed of sheep that was developed in the United States of America. It is a hardy dual-purpose breed with a long sturdy body and legs. They are highly prolific and can be bred more than once a year with a high percentage lambing rate.

They are a calm and docile breed that is easy to handle and maintain.

POLYPAY SHEEP QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
A sturdy, adaptive, calm dual-purpose breed of sheep that are good for both wool and meat
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Medium
Main Purpose:	Meat and wool
Can be used for	Breed, **LSC, Meat, Wool
Temperament:	Calm
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most climates
Conservation Status:	Not listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Sheep?	Intermediate to expert farming/keeping level
Sheep Associations:	American Polypay Sheep Association
Sheep Clubs:	Please refer to American Polypay Sheep Association breeders/members directories for more information
Note: ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy * LSC stands for Landscape Management – the animal is used for controlling various vegetation growth

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The Polypay sheep breed has a sturdy clean-cut well-proportioned body. They have long strong legs and are versatile and adaptable to their surrounds.

Color(s):

White

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Breed Weight:	72 kgs	108 to 136 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear they are a medium sized breed	Unclear they are a medium sized breed
Hair:	Springy, short, staple with a good crimp	Springy, short, staple with a good crimp
Ears:	Medium and alert	Medium and alert
Horns:	Polled	Polled
Matures at age:	10 weeks/15 months	10 weeks to 15 months
Puberty Age:	5 to 12 months	5 to 7 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	1 Breeding cycle per year	Cover 5 to 10 Ewes in 1 season

EWE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
The ewes can breed more than once a year. They are prolific, with good mothering instincts and are good milkers.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 24 to 36 hours
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days/13 to 19 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 150 to 155 days but most gestation is 152 days
No. Lambs/Litter:	1 to 2 (twins) or more
Lactation Period:	Usually, around 150 to 240 day but most are milked for 180 days
Milking From:	4 to 6 weeks after lambing
Milk Quality:	Good
Milk Ideal for:	Lambs
You may Also Like:	10 Best Sheep Breeds for Milk

SHEEP MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Polypay sheep has a good grade of meat and were developed to produce a lamb that grows steadily with an acceptable carcass weight. The lamb and mutton dress well with a good meat to bone ration, great color and grain.

Meat Production:

Yes, Quality: Good

SHEEP ⇒	LAMB	HOGGET/MUTTON
Approx. Maturity Weight:	58 kgs	79 Kgs

SHEEP WOOL PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Polypay sheep was developed as a dual-purpose breed and produce a medium grade wool.

Wool Production?

N/A, Quality: Medium grade wool. Spinning count 48s to 60s

Wool is used to Produce:

Knitted garments, clothes, blankets, etc.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months	6 to 8 months
Approx. Length:	8 to 10 cm	8 to 10 cm
Microns:	24 to 31	24 to 31
Approx. Quantity:	From 3 kg up to 4 kgs a year	From 3 kg up to 4 kgs a year

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE POLYPAY SHEEP
A few more interesting facts to know about the breed
Child-Friendly?	No livestock should be left unattended around unsupervised children
Landscape Management?	They are good at landscape management
Where to buy them?	Please refer to American Polypay Sheep Association breeders/members directories for more information
General Information	The Polypay is still a new breed of sheep that is classified as a synthetic sheep and is designed specifically for its meat and wool. It has a high birthing rate and can breed more than once a year to produce a fine quality lamb. The breeds name can be broken down into “poly” meaning multiple and “pay” to be profitable.

HISTORY

The Polypay breed of sheep was developed at the United States Sheep Experiment Station in the 1960’s.

The developer of the breed Dr. C. V. Hulet had a clear-cut vision and goal for the development of the PolyPay breed of sheep.
These were:
The sheep had to have a high prolificacy
The sheep could produce at 1 year of age
The sheep could produce a large lamb crop
The sheep could produce more than once a year
The lambs had to have a rapid growth
The lambs had to have a desirable carcass quality

The Polypay sheep breed were developed by the crossing of Finnsheep, Dorset, Targhee and Dorset sheep breeds.
The sheep breeds name came from the high response rate and enthusiasm the new breed stirred up amongst the sheep farmers community.
The American Polypay Association was formed in 1980 and is still going strong.