Hampshire
• Origin: England• Breed Characteristics:
large-framed terminal (meat breed) with open fleece, black legs and face with unbroken wool cap extending over the poll
• Other:
Merino
• Origin: Spain• Breed Characteristics:
white-faced, open-faced breed bred for wool production; smaller-bodied than meat breeds
• Other: very common in dry, arid areas; one of the most prominent breeds in Australia
Cheviot
• Origin: Scotland/England border
• Breed Characteristics: white-faced, long-wool breed with the head completely free of wool; smaller bodied than some terminal breeds; typically alert temperament
• Other: Dual-purpose breed
Suffolk
• Origin: England• Breed Characteristics: black-
faced, large-bodied terminal breed with face and poll free of wool.
• Other: Popular breed registry and club lamb breed (although recently overtaken in popularity by Hampshire)
Romney
• Origin: England• Breed Characteristics:
white-faced, long-wool breed with wool completely down the legs; medium size in body
• Other: dual-purpose breed; first imported to US to Monmouth, OR
Columbia
• Origin: US (Sheep Experiment Station – ID)
• Breed Characteristics: very large-framed, white face wool breed with medium wool; wool cap; rams can be as large as 400 pounds
• Other: bred specifically for use in Western US rangeland
Finn
• Origin: Finland• Breed Characteristics:
highly prolific breed with typically multiple births (2-5 lambs); small bodied, white-faced/wool with fine medium-wool
• Other: lots of crossbreeding to increase birthing rate
Dorset
• Origin: England• Breed Characteristics:
large-framed dual-purpose, with very white fleece and face; wool down the legs and over the poll (wool cap); both horned and polled varieties
• Other: prolific “out-of-season” breeder
Texel
• Origin: Netherlands• Breed Characteristics:
terminal breed with remarkable muscling characteristics; distinctive wide, short white-face with horizontal ears
• Other: muscling easily passed on to crossbreed offspring; dominant terminal breed in Europe
Polypay
• Origin: US (USDA Sheep Experiment Station, ID) in 1970
• Breed Characteristics: white-faced, medium-wool breed designed to produce high numbers of lambs per year
• Other: composite of Finn, Rambouillet, Dorset, and Targhee
Border Leicester
• Origin: England• Breed Characteristics:
White-faced polled breed with large body size, upright ears
• Other: long wool once used extensively in carpets, now prized by hand spinners