Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Because their faces are partly open, there is no tendency toward wool
blindness.
These sheep are most valuable as a sire breed. Rams weigh up to 300
pounds (136.1 kg); they contribute size and muscle to the offspring. Because
they are easily handled in small pastures, Oxfords are well suited to farm rais-
ing and thrive when given good feed. The ewes are docile, heavy milkers, and
because the breed has a small head, lambs are born easily.
Panama
As a crossbreed of Lincoln ewes and Rambouillet (see page 78) rams, the
original Panama stock has the reverse parentage of the Columbia, which are
Lincoln rams crossed with Rambouillet ewes. Breeder James Laidlaw wanted
to replace the small Merinos that were common in Idaho. His goal was to
develop more-rugged sheep with fi ner wool and better herding instincts than
those of Columbia sheep, and he felt that the ram had more infl uence on the
offspring than the ewe, although this view is controversial.
Laidlaw made the fi rst cross in 1912, starting with 50 rams and 1,600
ewes. With this large number of animals, he was able to avoid the inbreeding
problems that often arise in the attempt to start a new breed. After 3 years, he
switched from Rambouillet to Panama rams. After 5 years, Laidlaw sold the
remaining Lincoln ewes.
The registry started in 1951 and required that all animals be direct descen-
dants of the original Laidlaw fl ock, but it did not remain active, so today the
breed is a bit of an enigma. The University of Idaho still maintains a small
fl ock of foundation animals, but most others are classifi ed as Panama-type,
because no one really knows whether they are still purebred. The Panama-
type animals that are still found around the region are good-sized, hardy,
polled sheep that perform well under range conditions. Ewes are good moth-
ers that produce plenty of milk. Their heavy fl eece weighs 9 to 14 pounds
(4.1 to 6.4 kg) and is medium to fi ne.
Perendale
The Perendale is a cross of Cheviot rams on Romney (see page 82) ewes.
Developed in New Zealand, they were fi rst imported to the United States in
1977 and are growing in favor with shepherds.
Perendales have clean faces and legs and dense, usually white wool of a
4- to 5-inch (10 to 12 cm) staple. Perendale wool is prized by handspinners
who dye their own wool, is easy to spin, and makes good garments.
