The Tunisian sheep is an ancient breed of domestic sheep. As the name suggests, this American breed is related to the Tunisian stock on the northern coast of Africa.
It is one of the oldest breeds of sheep, descended from the ancient fat-tailed sheep mentioned in the Bible.
The breed is known by other names such as tunisian barbarism and American Tunisia. North African sheep were brought to the United States as a gift from the Bey of Tunis to George Washington in the late 1700s.
References to these sheep appear in the diaries, letters, and farm records of some of the leading farmers and citizens of the time.
From these cattle, a unique American breed of sheep was gradually created. Tunisian sheep were a recognizable breed from the late 18th century to the early 19th century.
And it’s one of the oldest breeds of cattle kept in America. The breed has spread throughout the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.
And it was well adapted to the heat and humidity of these regions. However, read below for more information on this ancient breed of domestic sheep.
Characteristics of Tunisian sheep
Tunisian sheep are a large breed with a thin head and droopy ears. Lambs are born strong and keep warm with a double coat that has a darker shade of red on the surface.
White spots are common on the tip of the tail and on the top of the head. They have a creamy white fleece that develops as the lamb matures.
The coat of these animals is shiny and long-fibred, ranging in size from four to six inches. Their head, ears and legs are usually red. Naturally, rams and sheep are questioned.
The average live weight of sexually mature Tunisian sheep ranges from 80 to 100 kg. And the weight of lambs at birth is 3-5 kg. Photos and information from The Livestock Conservancy and Wikipedia.
Advantages
The Tunisian sheep is a dual purpose animal. But today they are grown mainly for meat production.
Special Notes
The Tunisian sheep is a very obedient animal. They are known and appreciated for the very high quality of meat products.
The lamb market is economical to raise and produce very high quality carcasses with an excellent meat to bone ratio. They produce average quality wool that whitens during processing.
Sheep are excellent dairy cows, very prolific and prolific. They invariably give birth to twins and become caring mothers. They are good herd animals and easy to keep.
They are very well suited for animal feed production systems. Consult the complete profile of the Tunisian sheep breed in the following table.
| Breed name | Tunisia |
| another name | Known as tunisian barbarism and American Tunisia |
| Purpose of the breed | Meat |
| Special Notes | Very hardy and strong, docile, well known and valued for very high meat quality, excellent meat to bone ratio, produce average wool, ewes are excellent milkers, very prolific and prolific, good pasture and easy to maintain a good live fodder production system |
| Breed size | big |
| The weight | 80 to 100 kg |
| horns | Not |
| climatic tolerance | native climate |
| Color | White cream |
| scarcity | general |
| Country/place of origin | Tunisia |
