Bannur Sheep or Bandur sheep primarily raised for superior tasty meat. The origin of the breed is from ‘Bandur’, located in the Mandya district, India.
Bannur Sheep Farming is easy, and these sheep are purely reared so as to retain the quality of meat. Though the breed characteristics and weight gain rate are not better than other sheep breeds, because of the superior taste and quality of its meat, this breed has a huge demand in the meat market.
Bannur sheep breed information
- Bannur Sheep are relatively small animals.
- Bannur comes in white color, but in some cases face is light brown, and this color may extend to the neck.
- Compact body with a typically reversed U-shape confirmation from the rear.
- Bannur ears are long, leafy and drooping.
- Bannur’s chest girth of 65-79 cm.
- Tail is short and thin in the Mandya sheep breed.
- Most of Bandur Sheep carry wattles.
- Slightly Roman nose.
- Horns are twisted and semi-circular in Bannur sheep.
- The coat is extremely coarse and hairy.
- Evenly placed short and stumpy legs and wide apart hipbones indicated a square type meaty conformation of the breed.
- Bannur sheep average body weights at birth are 2kg, at three months the weight is 9.5 kg, at six months the weight of Bannur is 14.5 kg and at 12 months it can reach 22kg weight.
- Average 6-monthly greasy fleece weight was 298 g(wool weight)
- Adult Bannur Ram body weight is around 30kg to 33kg.
- Adult Bannur Ewe body weight is around 20 kg to 23 kg.

Things to know
- Bannur sheep is adaptable to all types of climates from hot tropical to cold climates
- Superior taste and quality of its meat, Bannur breed has a huge demand in the meat market.
- The quality of the meat is juicy and tender, which makes the taste excellent.
- The dressing percentage (live weight basis at 1 year of age) in the Bannur sheep is about 48%.
- The price of a single one-year-old Bannur can be between INR 10,000-25,000.
- During the Bakrid month, the price of Bannur sheep is around 50,000 to 1,50,000 rupees.
Brief characteristics of Bannur sheep
Breed Name | Bannur |
Other Name | Mandya sheep, Bandur, Bakrid sheep |
Country/Place of Origin | Bannur(Mysore,India) |
Breed Purpose | Famous for tasty Meat |
Breed Size | small to medium |
Weight Ram(Male) | 34 kg |
Ewe(Female) | 23 kg |
Kidding | one |
Good for Stall Fed | open grazing and Stall-fed |
Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
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.
Hello Mr Siddartha,Iam a chef who has been 40 yrs away and so I was curious about the Bannur Sheep.Do you have more information about the breed and what are the other breeds in Karnataka?Thank you.
Hi Gautam,
Breeds which are most bred in Karnataka are Bannur, Bannur white, Nari Suvarna, local Bellary breed. Few are feral, those don’t have any perticular names.