AY Honors/Sheep Breeds/Shropshire

Shropshire

The Shropshire breed of sheep originated from the hills of Shropshire, and North Staffordshire, England, during the 1840's. The breeders in the area used the local horned black-faced sheep and crossed them with a few breeds of white-faced sheep (Southdown, Cotswold , and Leicester). This produced a medium sized hornless sheep that produced good wool and meat.

The breed's adaptability to most environments and their dual-purpose nature led to them quickly becoming a popular breed.

Today's modern Shropshire isone of the most numerous breeds of sheep (especially in the mid-west). Its 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 pounds for the females.