A black and white sheep is generally a sheep that has a wool pattern featuring both black and white colors. Most of the sheep are solid in color, or have variations within a single color. Only a few breed have distinctive black and white patterns.
Jacob and Valais Blacknose sheep are two such breed that exhibits black and white color combination. Jacob sheep are a breed with beautiful and unique appearance. They often have a mix of black and white wool. And the Valais Blacknose sheep have white body with black face. Herdwick and Oxford Down sheep often have black and white patterns.
Black And White Sheep Breeds
The black and white sheep are easily distinguished by their wool color patterns, which feature a combination of black and white colors. Most of the sheep breeds available throughout the world are solid in color, or have some variations within a single color. There are only a few distinctive black and white sheep breed available. Here we are shortly describing about this two black and white sheep breeds.
Valais Blacknose Sheep
The Valais Blacknose is a Swiss sheep breed originated from the mountains of the canton of Valais region of Switzerland. They got their name form their place of origin. Today, the breed is available in many countries around the world such as Austria, Germany, Holland and New Zealand.
The Valais Blacknose sheep are large animals which is mainly white in color. But as the name suggests, they have black nose and face. Both gender have horns. Average body height of the mature rams is between 75 and 83 cm, and between 72 and 78 cm for the ewes. Average live body weight of the mature ewes is between 70 and 90 kg. The rams are much heavier and their average body weight can vary from 80 to 130 kg.
Jacob Sheep
Jacob is a Middle Eastern sheep breed, although exact origins of the breed is still unclear. It is a very old breed and probably descended from an ancient Old World sheep breed. Jacob is a medium-sized sheep breed with very beautiful and distinctive appearance. They may have 2 to 6 horns, but most commonly have four horns. Average body weight of the Jacob rams vary from 54 to 82 kg. And average body weight of the ewe is between 36 and 54 kg.
Herdwick Sheep
The Herdwick sheep is native to the Lake District in England. Not all the Herdwick sheep are black and white in color, only some sheep exhibit these two color combinations. They are raised for both meat and wool production purpose.
Oxford Down Sheep
The Oxford Down sheep breed was developed in Oxfordshire, England. The breed was created by crossing Southdown and Hampshire sheep. They can have black faces and legs with white bodies. They are valued for their meat and wool.
Sheep are very beautiful farm animals, and they come in a variety of breeds with distinct characteristics. Among these breeds, the black and white sheep are very beautiful mainly for their striking appearance and unique color patterns. If you like black and white sheep, then you can consider raising any of these 4 sheep breeds.
