Sheep Breeds: Different Types And Top 101 Breeds

There are many different types of sheep breeds available throughout the world. All these breeds are not suitable for farming in all places around the world. Some of these breeds are good for cold areas, and some breeds are good for hot areas.

Some breeds are good for meat production, some are good for milk, and some are good for both milk and meat production. Some breeds are also good for fiber production.

Sheep is a very familiar domestic animal. Dry weather and cold area is very suitable for sheep farming. The main characteristics of sheep is that their body is fully covered with fur. Their skin and fur is very valuable. Sheep are not highly milk productive like goat. There are about 200 sheep breeds around the world.

Different Types of Sheep Breeds

Sheep breeds are of three types according to their production which are described below.

1. Meat Productive Sheep Breeds

Dorset, Suffolk, Cheviot etc. are highly meat productive sheep breeds.

2. Hair Productive Sheep Breeds

Merino, Rambouillet etc. are hair productive sheep breeds.

3. Hair & Meat Productive Sheep Breeds

Cordially, Montadale, Kooka etc are famous for both hair and meat production.

List of Top 101 Popular Sheep Breeds

Breed name, production purpose and origin place of some popular sheep breeds are listed in the chart below.

Breed Name	Purpose	Origin
A
Acipayam	Meat, wool	Turkey
Adal	Meat	Ethiopia
Africana	Meat	Colombia
Afrikaner	Meat	South Africa
Alai	Meat, wool	Kyrgyzstan
Algarve Churro	Meat, wool	Portugal
Alpines Steinschaf	Meat, wool	Germany
Altay	Meat	China
Appenninica	Meat	Italy
Arabi	Meat	Iran, Iraq
Afghan Arabi	Meat	Afghanistan
Arapawa	Wool	New Zealand
Armenian Semicoarsewool	Meat, milk	Armenia
Askanian	Wool	Ukraine
Assaf	Meat, milk	Israel
Aussiedown	Meat	Australia
Awassi	Meat, milk, wool	Syro-Arabian desert
B
Badger Face Welsh Mountain	Meat	Wales
Balkhi	Meat, wool	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Baluchi	Wool	Pakistan
Balwen Welsh Mountain	Meat	Wales
Barbados Blackbelly	Meat	Caribbean
Bardoka	Meat, milk, wool	Serbia
Basco-béarnaise	Milk	France
Beltex	Meat	Belgium
Bentheimer Landschaf	Vegetation management	Germany
Bergamasca	Meat, milk, wool	Italy
Berrichon du Cher	Meat	France
Beulah Speckled Face	Meat	United Kingdom
Bibrik	Meat	Pakistan
Biellese	Meat	Italy
Blackhead Persian	Meat, wool	South Africa
Black Welsh Mountain	Meat	United Kingdom
Brecknock Hill Cheviot	Meat, wool	Wales
Bleu du Maine	Meat	France
Bluefaced Leicester	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Bond	Meat, wool	Australia
Booroola Merino	Meat, wool	Australia
Border Leicester	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Border Cheviot	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Boreray	Meat, wool	Scotland
Bovec	Meat, milk	Italy
Braunes Bergchaf	Meat, wool, vegetation management	Germany
British Milk	Meat, milk, wool	United Kingdom
C
California Red	Meat, wool	United States
Canadian Arcott	Meat	Canada
Castlemilk Moorit	Hobby	Scotland
Charmoise	Meat	France
Charollais	Meat, wool	France
Cheviot	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Chios	Milk	Island of Chios
Cholistani	Meat, wool	Pakistan
Clun Forest	Meat, milk, wool	United Kingdom
Coburger Fuchsschaf	Vegetation management	Germany
Columbia	Wool	United States
Comeback	Meat, wool	Australia
Comisana	Milk	Italy
Coopworth	Meat, wool	New Zealand
Cormo	Wool	Australia
Corriedale	Meat, wool	New Zealand
Cotswold	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Criollo	Meat	Central America
D
Dala Fur	Meat, wool	Sweden
Dalesbred	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Daglic	Meat, milk, wool	Turkey
Damani	Meat, wool	Pakistan
Damara	Meat	Namibia
Danish Landrace	Wool	Denmark
Debouillet	Wool	United States
Delaine Merino	Wool	United States
Derbyshire Gritstone	Meat	United Kingdom
Devon Closewool	Meat	United Kingdom
Devon Longwoolled	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Dohne Merino	Meat, wool	South Africa
Dorper	Meat	South Africa
Dorset Horn	Meat	United Kingdom
Dorset Down	Meat	United Kingdom
Drenthe Heath	Meat	Netherlands
Drysdale	Wool	New Zealand
E
Exmoor Horn	Meat	United Kingdom
Estonian Ruhnu	Meat, wool	Estonia
English Leicester	Meat	United Kingdom
Elliottdale	Meat	Tasmania
East Friesian	Milk	Germany
F
Fabrianese	Meat	Italy
Faroe	Meat	Faroe Islands
Finnsheep	Meat, milk, wool	Finland
G
Gaddi	Meat, wool	India
Galician	Meat, milk	Spain
Galway	Meat	Ireland
Gansu Alpine Fine Wool	Wool	China
Gentile di Puglia	Wool	Italy
Gotland	Meat, wool	Sweden
Greyface Dartmoor	Meat	United Kingdom
Grey Troender	Wool	Norway
Gromark	Meat, wool	Australia
Gulf Coast Native	Meat	United States
Guirra	Meat	Spain
Gute	Genetic conservation	Sweden
H
Hampshire	Meat	United Kingdom
Hebridean	Vegetation management	Scotland
Herdwick	Meat	United Kingdom
Hill Rannor	Meat	United Kingdom
Hog Island	Wool	United States
I
Icelandic	Meat, milk, wool	Iceland
Ile de France	Meat	France
J
Jacob	Meat, wool	Middle East
Jezersko Solcava	Meat, wool	Slovenia
K
Kerry Hill	Meat	Wales
Katahdin	Meat	United States
Karayaka	Meat, milk	Turkey
Karakul	Meat, milk, wool	Central Asia
L
Laticuda	Meat, milk	Italy
Lonk	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Lohi	Meat, wool	India
Llanwenog	Meat	Wales
Lincoln	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Latxa	Milk	Spain
Lacaune	Milk	France
M
Morada Nova	Meat	Brazil
Montadale	Meat, wool	United States
Meronolandschaf	Meat, wool	Germany
Merinizzata Italiana	Meat, wool	Italy
Meatmaster	Meat	South Africa
Massese	Meat, milk	Italy
Manx Loaghtan	Meat, wool	Isle of Man
Merino	Meat, wool	Spain
N
Najdi	Meat, milk, wool	Saudi Arabia
Navajo Churro	Meat, wool	United States
Newfoundland	General	Canada
Norfolk Horn	Meat	United Kingdom
North Ronaldsay	Meat, wool	Scotland
Northern European Short-Tailed	Meat, milk, wool	Germany, British Isles, Scandinavia, Russia
North Country Cheviot	Meat, wool	Scotland
O
Oxford Down	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Ouessant	Wool	France
P
Pelibuey	Meat	Mexico
Panama	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Perendale	Meat, wool	New Zealand
Pinzirita	Meat, milk, wool	Italy
Polwarth	Meat, wool	Australia
Polypay	Meat, wool	United States
Portland	Meat	United Kingdom
Poll Merino	Meat, wool	Australia
Polled Dorset	Meat	United States
Pomeranian Coarsewool	Meat	Germany
R
Racka	Meat, milk, wool	Hungary
Rambouillet	Meat, wool	France
Red Maasai	Meat	East Africa
Rideau Arcott	Meat, wool	Canada
Romanov	Meat	Russia
Romney	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Romeldale	Meat, milk, wool	United States
Roslag	Meat, wool	Sweden
Rouge de l’Ouest	Meat, milk	France
Rough Fell	Meat	United Kingdom
Royal White	Meat	United States
Ruda	Wool	Albania, Croatia
Rya	Wool	Sweden
Ryeland	Meat	United Kingdom
S
Santa Cruz	Wool	United States
Sarda	Milk	Italy
Scottish Blackface	Meat	Scotland
Serrai	Meat, milk, wool	Greece
Shetland	Meat, wool	Scotland
Shropshire	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Skudde	Meat	Germany
Soay	Meat	Scotland
Sopravissana	Meat, milk	Italy
Southdown	Meat	United Kingdom
Soth African Meat Merino	Meat, wool	South Africa
Spaelsau	Meat, milk, wool	Norway
St. Croix	Meat	United States
Suffolk	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Swaledale	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
T
Targhee	Meat, wool	United States
Teeswater	Meat, wool	United Kingdom
Texel	Meat	Netherlands
Tiroler Steinschaf	Meat, wool	Austria
Tunis	Meat, milk	Tunisia
U
Uda	Meat	Africa
V
Valais Blacknose	Meat	Switzerland
Van Rooy	Meat	South Africa
Vendeen	Meat	France
W
Welsh Mountain	Meat	Wales
Wensleydale	Meat	United Kingdom
West African Dwarf	Meat	Southwest to central Africa
White Suffolk	Meat	Australia
Whiteface Dartmoor	Meat	United Kingdom
Whitefaced Woodland	Meat	United Kingdom
White Horned heath	Meat, wool	Germany
White Polled Heath	Meat, wool	Germany
Wiltipoll	Meat	Australia
Wiltshire Horn	Meat	United Kingdom
Z
Zwartbles	Meat, milk	Netherlands
Zulu	Meat	South Africa