Black and Colored Sheep



Black and Colored Sheep

by Susan Schoenian



|White Wool  |[pic] |

|Most modern domesticated sheep grow white wool. This is because white wool is |Crossbred Ewes in Virginia |

|more desirable in the commercial market because it can be dyed any color. | |

|However, sheep with white wool may have different color faces and legs. | |

|[pic] | Colored Sheep |

|Naturally Colored Sheep |On the other hand, hand spinners, weavers, and other wool craftsmen |

| |often prefer to work with "natural colored" wool. Wool is produced in |

| |many beautiful colors: black, gray, silver, moorit, brown, and red. |

| | It's All In the Genes |

|[pic]  |It is not uncommon for black or colored lambs to appear in a white |

|Katahdin Ewe and Lambs |flock. However, in order for this to happen, both of the lamb's parents |

| |must be carrying a gene for color. |

|Fleece Inheritance  | |

|The inheritance of fleece or coat color in sheep is quite complicated. |[pic]  |

|Different genes control what color the fleece will be, what pattern it will |Black and White Merinos |

|be, and whether the fleece will be spotted. | |

|Changing Colors | |

|The lambs of some breeds are born black and their fleeces will change to white|[pic]  |

|or gray as they get older. |Shropshire lambs |

| | Spotted Fleeces |

|[pic] |One of the most uniquely colored breeds is the Jacob. The Jacob's fleece|

| Jacob Ewe |is described as white with black spots. The white wool grows out of |

| |white skin, while the black wool grows out of black skin. The Jacob's |

|Photo courtesy of |spotted fleece is referenced in the Bible. Prior to the 20th century, |

|American Jacob Sheep Registry |Jacob sheep were referred to as "piebald" sheep. |

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|[pic] | Get Your Markers In |

|  Black Katahdin Ewe |In the "Old West" a few colored sheep roamed the ranges. These animals |

| |were used as "markers", one for every 100 range sheep. The old timers |

| |counted the sheep and said, "once your markers are in, your flock is |

| |in". |

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|New Words |

|Gene - the fundamental physical and functional unit of heredity. |

|Inheritance - attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents. |

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|Moorit - brown; comes from the Icelandic word "moorut" meaning "as red as the moors." |

|Piebald - English term for body color of white with black patches. |

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|© Copyright 2005. |

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