Cameroon sheep
The Cameroon sheep (European name) or Djallonké (African name) is a recognized hair sheep breed.
features
Cameroon sheep are small, short-tailed domestic sheep with an elongated head and small ears. The coat is thick and close fitting. In winter it is supplemented by a thick undercoat, which is shed again in spring. Bucks have sickle horns and a mane on their neck and chest. Females are polled. Typical of the breed is the brown mark-colored coat markings with a more or less chestnut-colored basic color and black markings on the stomach, head and legs. There are also black stamps, black and piebalds.
These 4 colors are recognized in the herdbook.
The breeding goal is an undemanding, resilient sheep with a coat without wool formation. For old buck, 30 to 35 kg body mass with a height at the withers of 50 to 60 cm is expected. For ewes, it is 25 to 30 kg at a height of 40 to 45 cm at the withers. The heat of the Cameroon sheep is out of season. Two lambings per year are possible. The females are sexually mature from the seventh month. Between one and two young animals per litter are normal.
use
The main purpose of breeding Cameroon sheep is meat production. Because the animals do not have to be sheared, they are also often used as hobby animals for grazing larger areas of grass. Nevertheless, Cameroon sheep can only be tamed with a lot of care. They tend to remain fearful to reticent and ready to flee. They are easy to keep and insensitive to the cold.
origin
(The Cameroon sheep Engl. : Cameroon dwarf black belly sheep ) was originally from the West African dwarf sheep (ger .: West African dwarf sheep out), which is also called Djallonké sheep and today from Senegal over Guinea , southern Mali , Ivory Coast , Ghana , Benin , South Togo , Nigeria , Cameroon , Gabon , Congo and Angola to Botswana occurs. The chestnut-colored drawing is not predominant in the West African dwarf sheep, but just one of many. These animals also remain somewhat lighter and lower than what is required for the Cameroon sheep as a breeding goal. A specialty of the breed is the tolerance towards trypanosomes , the pathogens of the Nagana epidemic transmitted by the tsetse fly .
It is unclear when and how the animals first came to Europe. Transport as a provision animal on ships is conceivable. The Barbados Blackbelly sheep , polled in both sexes, is very similar to the Cameroon sheep , whose ancestors presumably came to the Caribbean by slave transport .
Studbook operation
The Congolese-Belgian philanthropist Jean Kiala manages the international stud book for the breed through the African Ornamental Breeders Association (AOBA) , an African court club. Both North American and European animals can be included in the stud book with one inspection.
literature
- Fitzhugh and Bradford (eds.): Hairsheep of West Africa and the Americas. A genetic resource for the tropics. 1983
- RM Njwe and Y. Manjeli: Milk yield of Cameroon dwarf blackbelly sheep - Production laitière de moutons Djallonké au Cameroun. In: Small ruminant research and development in Africa - Réseau africain de recherche sur les petits ruminants. ILCA Research Report - 2, 1982, X5520 / B
