What are the characteristics of Leicester sheep?

This variety originated in Leicestershire, England, where the soil is fertile and rich in wheat, oats and vegetables. The pasture is rich and suitable for grazing. This kind of sheep is widely distributed in South Tasmania, New Zealand, New South Wales, Canada, the United States and Britain.

(2) Variety characteristics

This breed is characterized by "forehead hair" on the forehead, no fluff on both cheeks, or a small amount of fluff, and very little fluff below the knee; Lips and nostrils are black, nose bridge is slightly narrow and raised, face is white, male and female have no horns, ears are horizontal or slightly upright, hoofs are black, skin is pink, body is wide and deep, rectangle, back is broad, muscles are abundant, hindquarters are developed, limbs are long and tall, neck is short, meat is abundant, bones are thin, precocity is strong, and mutton contains much fat, and mutton of 6-8 months old is the best.

(3) Production performance

General production performance of Leicester sheep: ram weight 120 ~ 150kg, ewe 79 ~ 90kg, ram carcass weight 62kg, ewe 4 1kg, four-month-old fattened lamb carcass weight 2 1.5kg, and ewe lamb carcass weight 20.6kg,. The shearing amount of ram is 4.5 ~ 6.8kg, that of ewe is 4. 1 ~ 5.5kg, the net wool rate is 65% ~ 80%, the wool fineness is 40 ~ 48, and the length is 15 ~ 25cm. This breed needs good feeding and management conditions and a warm sheephouse. Poor adaptability, can not spend the winter in cold climate.

(4) Utilization ratio

Many countries cross Leicester sheep with Merino sheep, and their offspring have the characteristics of fast growth and good meat quality, so they are used to produce fat lambs. Leicester sheep need good feeding conditions. It has played a great role in the cultivation of many long-haired breeding sheep, such as Leicester, Lincoln, Romney, Tyon, Winstead and so on. This breed of ram can also be crossed with short-haired sheep such as Merino sheep, Qiu Nan sheep, Kizwald sheep, Lincoln sheep, Shropshire sheep, Hampson sheep and so on, all of which have good results.

Figure 3-4 Leicester sheep (female)