Hampshire sheep

Description

The Hampshire breed was established in 1815 in the United Kingdom. Hampshire sheep are famous for early maturity and carcass quality. A fully grown ram weighs about 90 kg and a ewe, 63 kg. Under good management, lambs will gain 0.45 kg daily from birth to four months, reaching a weight of about 40 kg at four months. They are also known to produce good wool with an average staple length of 9 cm. The breed is widely used for crossbreeding throughout the world to produce top quality lambs for production.

This breed was crossed with Menz sheep at Debre Birhan and Amedguya Sheep Breeding and Multiplication Centers in the 1970’s, 1980’s and early 1990’s. Crossbred animals appeared to have no adaptability problems. However, in all cases, farmers complained that the Hampshire crosses produced poor quality skins. This has not been substantiated through studies. Hampshire crosses are reported to still exist in some parts of Wollo, and the north-central highlands. All pure and crossbred Hampshire sheep were sold out from both sheep breeding centers in the late 1990’s.