Appenninica Sheep is from the central Apennine mountains of Italy. They are mainly raised for meat, though medium-coarse wool produced.
The breed is not an old breed; it came into existence in central Italy in the early ’70s. The crossbreed from Bergamasca and Ille-de-France – a local breed and an exotic Italian breed resulted in the Appenninica sheep breed.
Appenninica Sheep Characteristics
Sheep is medium to large, white.A medium wool breed.
Appenninica Rams at maturity weigh around 78 kg (171 lb), and ewes weigh about 56 kg( 123 lb).
The Rams height at withers is 77 cm, and ewes around 69 cm.
Rams and ewes are polled (no horns).
Lambs weighed around 15 to 22 kg when they sent to the slaughterhouse at the age of 60 days.
Wool diameter is 30 to 35 microns—fleece weight around 2.5 kg from a ram and 1.5 kg from ewes per sheering.
Things to know
There are an estimated 250,000 heads of Appenninica, spread out over central and southern Italy.
Today it is mainly distributed and raised in Abruzzo, Marche, Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Umbria.
The Appenninica sheep breed officially recognized in 1980. And a herdbook for the breed established in 1981.
Brief characteristics of Appenninica Sheep
| Breed Name | Appenninica Sheep |
| Other Name | – |
| Country/Place of Origin | Italy |
| Breed Purpose | Meat |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Weight Ram(Male) | 78 kg (171 lb) |
| Ewe(Female) | 56 kg (123 lb) |
| Kidding | single |
| Good for Stall Fed | open grazing |
| Climate Tolerance | Native Climates |
Reference:
Asso.Na.Pa. 1997. Caratteri tipici ed indirizzi di miglioramento della razze APPENNINICA. Asso.na.pa, Roma (Italy).
Prof. Francesco Panella, Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche dell’Università degli Studi di Perugia.
Hello, I am Siddartha Reddy . A fulltime farmer and blogger who love to share all his farming experiences. Also, a strong supporter of sustainable farming practices. Thanks for visiting our site, let’s make this world a better place to live. Say No to Chemicals and plastics.
