The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Fishyhaddock on March 18, 2011, 06:19:44 pm
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Getting a bit tangled up in the definitions of primitive versus native versus rare breed of sheep. Can any of the enlightened among you assist? Native is native to this country I assume but primitive? We have Wiltshire Horns and I am trying to understand the best way of marketing them and where they fit in the classification of sheep breeds... :spam:
Fishy
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I think, in my limited experience with sheep (a couple of bottle fed lambs and an hour spent with Fleecewife's sheep) primitives are breeds like Soay's, Boreray, Hebredian - skinny legged breeds I think I'm right in saying ???
But the shepherds will be along soon................... ;)
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think of the ones that look like goats and have big horns.
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Native sheep breeds are as you say native to Britain and include Wiltshire Horn. Other countries have their own native breeds.
Traditional breeds are older breed types which were more common until the modern commercial continental (eg texel) and new manufactured breeds (eg Suffolks) came along - they might also be rare but are not necessarily so. They might also be native but again not necessarily so.
Rare breeds may be native, they may be traditional, but there are not many of them and they come under the umbrella of the rare Breeds Survival Trust - the RBST has various categories to define just how rare or endangered a breed is. RBST breeds are not just sheep but cattle, pigs, horses, goats, poultry - all farm livestock.
Primitive breeds tend to be rare, except Shetlands which are not, particularly in Shetland. The primitives are mostly northern shorttailed breeds - Hebridean, Soay, Shetland, Manx Loaghtan, North Ronaldsay, Castlemilk Moorit (which is also a manufactured breed), Icelandic, Gotland and a whole lot of other European breeds. I would also include Herdwicks. Primitive would also apply to many breeds from other countries. They are defined more by their characteristics than anything - self reliant, easy lambers, good defenders of their young, low input, can be shepherded extensively - basically they have not been so influenced by Man that they have lost their wild abilities. There is much discussion as to whether Jacobs can still be called primitive - I would say that in Britain they no longer are, but in the US they are.
It would be interesting to hear from keepers of other livestock species as to which of those might be considered primitive.
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Portlands are considered primitive, one of the main factors being that the lambs are born with their original colouring.
I like to associate the height that they can jump as an additional characteristic in native breeds. Having had a Portland pass me at eye level (I'm over 6 foot), I think they fit the bill. Anything below 5 1/2 foot just doesn't cut the mustard!
Baaa.
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According to that criterion then Jacobs are definitely primitive ;D ;D ;D
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can you clarify born with original colouring please ???
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er, no. I robbed it off the portland breeders website.
http://www.portlandsheep.org.uk/ (http://www.portlandsheep.org.uk/)
I was hoping someone wouldn't ask that question!
:cucumber:
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Primitive = small, wick, scatters when faced with a dog rather than 'flock', jumps (yes 6ft plus :D), horned, moorit or similar colours (ie not white).
Hebridean, Soay, Shetland, Manx Loaghtan, North Ronaldsay, Icelandic
Definitely those, I wouldn't say Jacobs.