The Blackhead Persian sheep Despite its name, the Blackhead Persian originated in Somalia and was imported into South Africa in about 1870. 1991. The ancestors of the Blackhead Persian were initially introduced to South Africa by chance in 1869. Since then it has been imported into the Caribbean region, Central and South America for cross-breeding purposes. Ecological zones. ), the only known purebred Sabi population is at Matopos Research Institute which has approximately 300 breeding ewes (nucleus) as well as at Makoholi and Henderson Research Institutes. At birth, rams and ewes weigh about 2.6 kg (5.7 lb). It is now farmed in other areas as well, and is the second most common sheep breed in South Africa. sheep breeds found in the Caribbean are: Barbados Blackbelly, Persian Blackhead, Virgin Island White, West African and Corentyne White. This strain originated from the mating in the 1980s of Karakul ewes with Persian rams. University of the Virgin Islands. The Persian (or ‘Persie’ in Afrikaans) is a fat-tailed sheep, covered in hair and is, therefore, well-adapted to hot, arid climates. The Persian sheep is a fat-tailed breed of domestic sheep from Somalia, Africa, bred primarily for meat. By then the Dorper, a synthetic breed bred from the Blackhead Persian and Dorset Horn, was well on the way to becoming the main mutton breed. After the First World War, increased interest developed in South Africa in crossing indigenous sheep, like the Persian and Merino with British mutton breed rams. They are mainly white in coloration. 1988. We are currently looking for high resolution pictures of any of the breeds. The three colour varieties of the Persian are the blackhead (90%), redhead (4%) and the speckled Persian (6%). The White Dorper is an all white sheep that shares its many attributes with the Dorper, differing only in color. As a medium sized animal, average live body weight of the mature Shropshire sheep vary from 68 to 114 kg. Please provide a description of this breed as well Third Edition. Blackheaded Persians have a white body and black head and neck with the two colors sharply distinguished. The Blackhead Persian (also known as Swartkoppersie) is a fat-tailed breed of domestic sheep from Africa. … Photo about Blackhead persian sheep infant suckling milk in standing pose. Colour similar to Blackhead Persian with black head and fore part of neck, remainder of body white or white with black spots or splotches. Some of the sheep have been crossbred and no longer true to the original Sabi type and have been continually infused with Blackhead Persian blood as reported by Donkin (1973). The breed most commonly found in the English speaking Caribbean is the Barbados Blackbelly . Semi-arid and arid. Black lamb nursing on white ewe. Dorper sheep are medium in size and mainly white in colour. Generally the more Dorper genes the cross bred sheep has the more closely they will resemble a pure bred Dorper. The difference in color is therefor merely a matter of preference for each breeder. credit They have a fat rump, short legs, and a compact conformation. RM is an East African sheep breed, which has medium to large body size, large fat deposits in tail and hindquarters and common red-brown colour, though may also be pied. Copyright © 1995-2015 Oklahoma State University Board of Regents. Eventually, in 1964 the two Societies amalgamated and by explanation of F.N. Dorper sheep is a cross between a Dorset Horn and Blackhead Persian, so the name comes from their first syllables – Dorper. 95 talking about this. Blackhead Persian : Blackheaded Persian sheep originated in the arid regions of east Africa in what is now Somalia. NOTE: The form can also be used for Comments, Suggestions, and Corrections. Coat short and coarse without wool undercover. C.A.B International. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. It also brings remarkable fertility, with the ability to breed every eight months and to produce a high number of twins. The Dorper breed was developed through the crossing of the Blackhead Persian ewe with the Dorset Horn and this resulted in the birth of some white Dorper lambs. This breed is a result of cross breeding the Dorset Horn and Blackhead Persian sheep. The Shropshire sheep are dual purpose animals. No need to register, buy now! Please mail your original copies with our email form The Dorper is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian sheep.The breed was created through the efforts of the South African Department of Agriculture to breed a meat sheep suitable to the more arid regions of the country. Persian sheep have a unique tail which is about the size of a human finger and sits at a somewhat quirky angle on top of the tail fat pad. There were an estimated 2 million Blackhead Persian sheep in South Africa in the early 1950s but numbers of purebreds have declined, mainly due to dilution by crossbreeding. The Blackhead Persian sheep are small to medium sized animals. [3], On average at maturity, rams weigh 68 kg (150 lb) and ewes 52 kg (115 lb). A South African studbook was set up in 1906. The breed is now found in South Africa where they are sometimes known by the name Swartkoppersie (Afrik.). A ram of this type was mated back to Blackhead Persian ewes and again the blue colour … It is one of the fat-rumped breeds and both sexes are polled. The head is black. Products. The sheep is originally from Somalia (the Somali inhabited areas of the Horn of Africa) and a direct descendant of the Somali sheep. Blackhead Persian, beginning in the 1940’s (Milne, 2000), and the Dorper color pattern is essentially the same as that of its Blackhead Persian parent. The Caribbean population has adapted well to the humid tropics. 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