utilise : Classed as a medium - wool stock , the Shropshire produces a heavy , impenetrable sheepskin with a soft handgrip and footling kemp . The woollen – grand for spinning and knit – has a staple length of 2.5 to 4 inches . The lambs of this threefold - use strain gain weight quickly and render a good , meaty carcase . In northerly Europe , Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree orchard owners use these sheep to pasture their conifer stands : the animals serve as an environmentally - friendly mannequin of weed control without damaging the trees . This breed ’s gentle nature and medium size of it make them a dependable 4 - total heat sheep for kids .
History : The Shropshire breed belike grow from full-bodied , footrot - resistant native sheep clump the border sphere of Shropshire and Staffordshire , two county in west - central England . Improved during the first one-half of the 1800 ’s , the Shropshire acquired its name in 1848 and its popularity before long sky - rocketed . Unknown raisers first imported the stock into Virginia in 1855 , and five years afterwards a read/write memory and twenty ewes acquired by Samuel Sutton come in Maryland . After this , the breed stormed the U.S. by the thousands , where they became eff as “ The Farm Flock Favorite ” because of their vigorous and adaptable nature , not to observe their impressive wool top . They preserve to be popular in the U.S. into the 1930 ’s
Conformation : Shropshires look like the stereotypic woolly sheep of nursery rhyme and children ’s stories . A pitch-black face with medium - sized ears and black legs contrast prettily with loggerheaded clean woolen on the body and poll ( this is a hornless stock ) . There should be no slanted woolen in the fleece . accord to the Shropshire Breeders Association in the UK , these medium - sized sheep are more completely traverse in fleece than any other British “ Down ” breed . They have a square , tolerant back and mesomorphic neck . An grownup Aries can consider anywhere from 225 to 250 lb , while ewes weigh from 150 to 180 pounds . Raisers describe this breed as gentle and easy to handle .
Special Considerations / Notes : Toughing out Britain ’s freakish climate has created a audacious , thick - wooled stock that permit rain , snow , and wind well . Prolific Shropshire ewe tend to lamb with simplicity , make excellent mothers , and have longsighted fertile life sentence . Although Shropshire breeders have been pick out for less wool on the poll , as heavy woolen growth in this region can contribute to “ wool blindness , ” you should check out for this trouble and shear if necessary .
