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Sheep and Goat Breeds

A breed is animals that, through selection and selective breeding, have come to resemble one another and pass those traits uniformly to their offspring. According to Nature magazine, there are over 850 breeds of sheep worldwide. There are over 50 breeds in the United States. As for goats, there are probably nearly 500 different goat breeds worldwide. On this page, links pertaining to sheep and goat breeds are arranged alphabetically according to subject category: breed research, dairy goats breeds, goat breeds, hair sheep, meat goat breeds, rare and heritage breeds, and sheep breeds.

Breed research

Breeds at USMARC | MARC Research
[PDF] Carcass traits ...from different goat breed types - Texas A&M
[PDF] Comparison of three terminal sire breeds for birth weight...
[PDF] Growth and carcass characteristics of the major sheep breeds...
Lamb production from diverse genotypes - NSW, Australia | PDF
Meat goat breed evaluation project @ Tennessee State University

Dairy goat breeds

ADGA breed averages - 2008 lactations
Common breeds of dairy goats in the U.S. - Purdue University
Dairy goat breed characteristics - Dairy Goat Society of Australia
The dairy goat breeds - Cornell University
Dairy goat breed standards - ADGA

Goat breeds

Breeds of goats - Fias Co Farm
Goat breeds - NSW, Australia
Goat breeds - British Goat Society
Goat breeds - eXtension
Let's look at the different breeds of goats
Oklahoma State University Breeds of Livestock: Goats

Hair sheep

[PDF] Characteristics and general production parameters of hair sheep breeds
[PDF] Evaluation of Katahdin hair sheep: their use in North Dakota...
[PDF] Guide to sheep breeds for the Caribbean - CARDI
Hair sheep: Sheep 101
Hair sheep breeds - Oklahoma State University Breeds of Livestock
[PDF] Hair sheep genetic resources and their contribution...
Hair sheep primer: Sheep 201
Hair sheep production and marketing
Hair sheep update
Hair sheep workshop @ Virginia State University
[PDF] Potential for hair sheep in the United States - J. Anim. Sci.
[PDF] Use of hair sheep in Arkansas

Meat goat breeds

Breed options for meat goat production in Alabama | PDF
[PDF] Breeds and production traits of meat goats - NC State University
Breeds of goats for meat goat production and production traits
[PDF] Breeds of meat goats - Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat Manual
Meat goat breeds and breeding plans - GoatWorld
Meat goat breeds: genetic improvement of goats for meat prod.
The meat goat breeds - Cornell University
Tennessee Meat Goats™ or TexMasters™? - Onion Creek Ranch

Rare and heritage breeds

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC)
[PDF] Do endangered sheep breeds have an advantage in organic farming?
Federation pour promouvoir l'Elevage des races domestiques MEnacees
Hertitage Breeds Conservancy
Heritage breeds of goats for milk and meat
Heritage genetics
Heritage sheep (France, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, UK)
New Zealand Rare Breeds
Rare Breeds Canada
Rare Breeds International (RBI)
Rare Breeds Trust of Australia | sheep
The Sheep Trust

Sheep breeds

A to Z of sheep breeds - National Sheep Association (UK)
Breeds @ Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Assocation Ltd.
[PDF] Breeds of sheep for commercial milk production - Univ. Wisconsin
[PDF] Choosing a breed for a pasture-based sheep farm
Directory of breeds - American Sheep Industry Association
French sheep breeds
George's Top 10 list of breeds: Sheep 101
[PDF] Guide to sheep breeds for the Caribbean - CARDI
The indigenous breeds of South Africa
[PDF] Introducing new sheep breeds: R&D Brief New Zealand
New Zealand sheep breeds
[PDF, poster] New Zealand sheep breeds
Oklahoma State University Breeds of Livestock: Sheep
Origin and diversity of North European sheep breeds
Selecting a breed of sheep: Sheep 201
Sheep breeds: A-Z - Sheep 101
Sheep breed identification slides - Auburn University
Sheep breeds in Canada
Sheep breeds in New Zealand - Woolshed 1 blog
Sheep breeds - University of Kentucky

Scottish Blackface ram at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

The Maryland Small Ruminant Page [sheepandgoat.com] is a privately-owned web site. It was created in 1998 as an information portal for sheep and goat producers and anyone else interested in small ruminant production. The web site includes original documents and images as well as a comprehensive list of links pertaining to small ruminants and related topics. The web site was developed and is solely maintained by Susan Schoenian, Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedsyville, Maryland. Susan has been with University of Maryland Extension since 1988. She earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from Virginia Tech and Montana State University, respectively. Susan raises purebred and crossbred Katahdin sheep on a small farm she calls The Baalands in Clear Spring, Maryland. Please direct all questions, comments, or suggestions to Susan at sschoen@umd.edu.

Disclaimer: The information and links contained on the Maryland Small Ruminant Page [sheepandgoat.com] and other pages created by Susan Schoenian are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of any person, organization, business, product, or web site. The author disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. Common sense and sound judgement should be applied to all information obtained from the web, regardless of source. In matters of animal health, producers are advised to seek competent veterinary assistance.

Last updated 08-Jan-2012 by Susan Schoenian.