AY Honors/Sheep Breeds/Shropshire

The Shropshire breed of sheep originated from the hills of Shropshire, England during the 1840's. The breeders in the area used the local black-faced sheep and crossed them with a few breeds of white-faced sheep (Southdown, Cotswold, and Leicester). This produced a medium sized sheep that produced good wool and meat. In 1859 the breed was officially recognized by the Royal Agricultural Society as being a distinct breed.

The popularity of the Shropshire breed grew rapidly in England and by 1884 more Shropshires were exhibited at the local shows than all other breeds combined. In 1855 the first Shropshires were imported into the United States(Virginia). The first documented flock (one ram and twenty ewes) was brought to Maryland in 1860 by Samuel Sutton. Thousands of Shropshires were brought into the states after that. The breeds adaptability to all environments and their dual-purpose nature led to them quickly becoming a popular breed. In 1884 the American Shropshire Registry was formed and by the turn of the century the Shropshire was the most numerous breed of sheep in the United States.

By the 1930's the Shropshire had been dubbed "the farm flock favorite". But in the 1940's the breeders began producing Shropshires with more wool cover and decreased size. This lead to the breed having increased wool cover around the eyes, and thus needing to be trimmed around the eyes for better sight. This hindrance and overall loss of size led to the numbers of the breed decreasing among American farmers. They were no longer the most popular breed of sheep and became increasingly rare around the world.

In the 1950's some progressive Shropshire breeders began going back to the original traits that made the breed so popular. The imported some select open faced Shropshire rams from England with larger size. They helped to once again produce a breed of sheep with medium size and good wool and meat production. The Shropshire again became an increasing popular breed among farmers with their ability to adapt to varying environments.

Today's modern Shropshire is once again one of the most numerous breeds on sheep (especially in the mid-west). It's gentle nature and medium size makes it very popular with 4H exhibitors. The mature weights for Shropshire rams is between 225 to 250 pounds and between 150 to 180 for the females.

References

• The American Shropshire Registry Association, Dale E. Blackburn - Executive Secretary, PO Box 635 Harvard, IL 60033

• Breeds of Livestock, Oklahoma State University web site