Lincoln sheep
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The Lincoln sheep (Engl. Lincoln sheep ), sometimes Lincoln long wool sheep (Engl. Lincoln Longwool ), is one of ten British long wool breeds of domestic sheep . The Lincoln sheep is the largest breed of British domestic sheep and was specially bred for its heavy, long-stapled and shiny fleece. In the past it was introduced in large numbers in other countries to improve the sheep breeds there. The German sheep breeds in which it was crossed include the merino long wool sheep and the Texel sheep .
Although the Lincoln sheep was one of the most important British sheep breeds for many centuries, it is now one of the more rarely kept breeds. It is classified as Endangered by the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust as there are currently fewer than 1,300 registered ewes.
features
Adult bucks weigh between 110 and 160 kilograms and adult ewes between 91 and 113 kilograms. The fleece of the Lincoln sheep falls in long curls, often twisted at the end. The pile length of wool is one of the longest in the world, at the same time there are only a few breeds of sheep that carry such a heavy fleece. The yield is between 5.1 and 9 kilograms per sheep shear. However, some sheep have significantly heavier fleeces. The record was set in 2005 by a 27-month-old buck whose fleece weighed more than 22 kilograms. The weight of the fleece can be so heavy that pregnant ewes in particular run the risk of rolling onto their backs after a fall and are then no longer able to stand up without help. Lincoln sheep are also susceptible to myiasis and must therefore be checked regularly by their keepers.
The fiber fineness ranges from 33.5 to 41 micrometers (human hair measures an average of 30 micrometers in comparison). The wool is too coarse to be processed into clothing. However, the entire fleece is of consistent quality; H. unlike many other sheep breeds, the quality of the wool is not influenced by which part of the body it comes from. Because of its comparatively coarse fibers, wool is processed into products such as carpets, blankets or as insulation material . Although the wool is coarse, it has a lot of sheen.
history
The breed originated in the Lincolnshire Wolds , which was one of the centers of British wool production from the Roman period (44 to 410) through the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It is very likely that the breed goes back to sheep imports from Italy during the Roman period: However, there is only an indication that all regions of Great Britain in which long-wool sheep were traditionally bred were also centers of Roman sheep wool production. The British Isles had a long tradition of sheep farming even before the Roman occupation, but this was limited to subsistence sheep farming. In contrast, in the Roman Empire there was already since the 2nd century BC. A targeted sheep breeding, in which hornless and white-faced sheep were bred, especially in Apulia. Lincolnshire (Roman Lindum Colonia ), which was a center of sheep breeding in Roman times, was one of the wealthiest English counties in the Middle Ages due to its wool production.
The Lincoln long- wool sheep was used by Robert Bakewell , among others , who is considered to be one of the founders of the British agricultural revolution, in the 18th century as the basis for more modern sheep breeds, in which the meat quality is more important than the quality and quantity of wool. The modern Leicester sheep emerged from these crosses.
Tens of thousands of Lincoln sheep were exported to South America, Australia, and New Zealand between 1850 and 1920. In addition to the Texel sheep and the Merinollang wool sheep, the two-purpose breeds Polwarth (one quarter Lincoln sheep , three quarters Merino sheep ) and Corriedale (one quarter Merino sheep, three quarters Lincoln sheep ), bred in Australia and New Zealand, go back to the Lincoln sheep. It is estimated that more than 100 million animals of these two breeds graze in the southern hemisphere.
Not least because of falling wool prices, the keeping of Lincoln sheep fell sharply. In 1971 there were fewer than 500 ewes of this breed kept in fifteen small herds. Due to increasing interest from hobby farmers, the number stabilized in the 1980s at 700 registered dams. The number has continued to rise but is still less than 1,300 ewes.
Breeding association
The British Lincoln Longwool Sheep Breeders Association was founded in 1892 by several established Lincoln sheep breeders. The aim of the breeding association is to maintain the breed standard and to arouse interest in this breed of sheep.
literature
- Philip Walling: Counting Sheep - A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain . Profile Books, London 2014, ISBN 978-1-84765-803-6 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 22.
- ↑ Hans Hinrich Sambraus: color atlas farm animal breeds: 250 breeds in words and pictures , Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3800132192 , p. 109 and p. 112.
- ↑ a b Rare Breeds Survival Trust for the Lincoln Sheep ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed May 24, 2015
- ^ A b Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 24.
- ↑ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 40.
- ^ Preparation of Australian Wool Clips , Code of Practice 2010-2012, Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), 2010
- ↑ Lincoln sheep . In: Breeds of livestock . University of Oklahoma Dept. of Animal Science. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ A b Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 23.
- ↑ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 25.
- ↑ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 76.
- ^ A b Philip Walling: Counting Sheep . P. 39.
- ↑ The Lincoln Longwool Sheep Breeders Association website , accessed June 7, 2015
