DENVER, Colo. Ñ A pen of Karakul sheep at the national western stock show was worth a second look, even for veteran breeders.
“These have been the most popular ones at the show,” said Marty Bond of Willdona, Colorado, who owns a flock of 15 Karakuls with his wife Amy and her parents, Larry and Karen King.
The ancient breed works well on the Bond’s high elevation farm, where they are raised for breeding stock, meat and specialty wool.
The wool is a long, hair-like fleece that comes in a variety of colours from black to grey to white.
Read Also
Calf hormone implants can give environmental, financial wins
Hormone implants can lead to bigger calves — reducing greenhouse gas intensity, land use intensity and giving the beef farmer more profit, Manitoba-based model suggests.
“It is very unusual to get a silver one,” Amy said.
The staples are up to 30 centimetres long and the fleece lacks a high grease content. It is easily spun and produces a superior carpet yarn for rugs and saddle blankets, outer garments and wall hangings, and has an excellent felting ability.
The lambs are born black with a short, curly coat that grows out to fibre that would reach the ground if the animals were not shorn twice a year.
Amy’s brother is serving with the American military in Afghanistan and saw the same sheep grazing the hillsides there.
“It was nothing new to him,” Amy said.
The breed dates back to 1400 BC, when they were used for milk, meat, tallow and wool, a strong fibre that was felted into fabric or woven into carpeting in the Middle East.
The breed was named after the village of Karakul in the Amu Darja River Valley in the former emirate of Bokhara, West Turkestan.
The Karakul is considered a rare breed in the United States, with a population estimated at 1,300 animals. Large flocks are still found in Central Asia and South Africa.
“We feel it is important to keep them going,” Marty said.
The breed was imported to the U.S. nearly 100 years ago and was almost lost to crossbreeding.
The Bonds have found that as an old breed, the sheep are nearly disease resistant and are very hardy, surviving well on marginal pastures.
Karakuls breed out of season, producing three lamb crops in two years. Single lambs are the rule, although twins are born occasionally.
The breed differs in conformation from many other breeds. The animals have fat, broad tails, in which fat is stored as a source of nourishment, similar to the camel’s hump.
Karakuls are medium-sized with rams weighing between 175 and 225 pounds and the ewes from 100 to 150 lb. They stand tall, with a long, narrow body. The head is long and narrow, slightly indented between the eyes and often exhibiting a Roman type nose. The long ears are always pointed downward and slightly forward and vary from a long U shape to small V shape. Rams can be polled or horned. The horns vary from short to large outwardly curved spirals.
