Shropshire Sheep Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Shropshire sheep are a medium to large sized sheep with a good fleece of wool all over their sturdy long and compact bodies. They have black faces which wool tends to grow over making them look like they have wooly masks on.
They are raised for the delectable meat quality and also for the good wool production. They originated from the wind swept hills of Shropshire in England in around the 1840’s.

SHROPSHIRE SHEEP QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Shropshire sheep are sturdy, hardy with along lean body and black faces.
Country of Origin:	United Kingdom
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Medium to large
Main Purpose:	Meat and wool
Can be used for	Breed, **LSC, Meat, Wool
Temperament:	Docile and inquisitive
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most climates
Conservation Status:	Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Watch.
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Sheep?	Novice to intermediate level of sheep farmer/keeper
Sheep Associations:	American Shropshire Registry Association and Shropshire Sheep Society
Sheep Clubs:	Please refer to the American Shropshire Registry Association and Shropshire Sheep Society 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

They are a sturdy medium to large sized breed of sheep with a long body and medium length legs. They have brown/dark faces, ears and legs.

Color(s):

White

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Breed Weight:	68 to 81 kgs	102 to 113 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear they are medium to large size	Unclear they are medium to large size
Hair:	Soft of good length and firm to the touch	Soft of good length and firm to the touch
Ears:	Long, pointed and alert	Long, pointed and alert
Horns:	They are polled	They are polled
Matures at age:	10 weeks/15 months or 15 years	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 breed once a year and mostly produce enough milk to wean their lambs.
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 lambs per season
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

They are purposely bred for the fine meat quality. They were bred to the butchers quality standards and requirements for a lamb with a good carcass and excellent eating quality and taste with minimum wastage. The lambs grow relatively fast and they have a good dress percentage. They have a highly muscled carcass producing a lean flavorful meat.

Meat Production:

N/A

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

SHEEP WOOL PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Their wool has a good quality fiber and is a medium grad wool with a springy quality to it. They are part of the “downs” group of sheep. Their wool has a 50 to 70 percent yield of the total fleece weight.

Wool Production?

Yes, Quality: Medium grade with a spinning count of 54s to 56s

Wool is used to Produce:

Hard wearing items such as mittens, socks and hats.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months	6 to 8 months
Approx. Length:	10 to 15 cm	10 to 15 cm
Microns:	24.5 to 33	24.5 to 33
Approx. Quantity:	From 2.7 to 4.5 kgs a year	From 2.7 to 4.5 kgs a year

SHEEP SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

They are not primarily bred for their sheep skin production. Although their skin is or has at some time been used for the production of some form of sheep skin product such as chamois, etc.

Skin Production?

N/A

Skin is used to Produce:

Kid skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, etc.
Chamois cloths, leather goods such as seats, shoes and other garments and leather materials such as furniture, etc.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	3 to 10 months for Kid skin 1 to 2 years old for Normal leather	3 to 10 months for Kid skin 1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROMNEY SHEEP
A few more interesting facts to know about the breed
Child-Friendly?	No livestock should be left unattended around unsupervised children
Landscape Management?	The do well in managing bush and grassland
Where to buy them?	Please refer to the American Shropshire Registry Association and Shropshire Sheep Society for further details
General Information:	Due to its gentle and calm nature the Shropshire sheep breed is rising in popularity in the US. They are being used more and more for 4-H exhibitors which are youth exhibitors.

HISTORY

The Shropshire sheep breed originated on the Shropshire Downs of England. They sheep have been said to have been in this region since as early as 1341.

There were reported 10000 native Morse Common sheep in the Shropshire Downs area as reported by the Royal Agricultural Society in 1792. This was a breed of Black faced sheep that were native to the area. They were small, horned sheep which were known as “the pride of Shropshire”. They have either brown or black spotted faces and a superior wool quality. Other breed were then crossed with this breed to create the sheep breed the Shropshire breed. However, the breed was not named Shropshire until 184.

In 1855 the Shropshire sheep breed was imported to America for the first time and the American Record Association was founded in 1884. The American Record Association is now the American Shropshire Registry.

The Shropshire breed of sheep was a very prominent and important sheep breed in the United States right up until the 1930’s.