Scientific name Ovis aries | Rank Breed | |
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Similar Columbia sheep, Cormo, Romeldale, Delaine Merino, Tunis sheep | ||
The California Red sheep is a breed of domestic sheep developed in the United States in the 1970s. It is so named because its lambs are born all red, and retain this color in their faces and limbs in to adulthood. In the early 1970s, Dr. Glenn Spurlock of Davis, California crossed Tunis sheep and Barbados Blackbelly sheep, and the California Red is consequently a dual–purpose breed with many of the qualities of its forebears, the out-of season breeding qualities and fleece of the Tunis and the heat tolerance and carcase quality of the Blackbelly. Spurlock actually set out to create a new hair sheep like the Barbados Blackbelly, but though he failed to do so — California Reds have reddish tan hairs intermingled with white wool. — he and other breeders continued to keep developing the strain anyway. The California Red can lamb out of season, thus being able to produce multiple lamb crops in a year. It also functions well in hot weather, and is polled in both sexes.
Characteristics
The California Red is a medium-size sheep, with rams weighing between 200 and 250 pounds (91 and 113 kg) and ewes between 110 and 140 pounds (50 and 64 kg). The animals are polled and the face and legs are reddish-brown and free of wool. The ears are pendulous and males sometimes have a slight mane. Lambs have reddish-brown wool when they are born, but this fades to oatmeal or beige as they grow. The wool is silky in texture and of high quality, with a Bradford count of 50 to 60 and a staple length of 3 to 6 in (8 to 15 cm). It is popular with hand spinners and weavers.
