Kerry Hill sheep facts for kids
The Kerry Hill is a special type of domestic sheep that comes from Wales, a country in the United Kingdom. It gets its name from a small village called Kerry. These sheep are easy to spot because they have a very unique look.
Kerry Hill sheep have a white face with black spots around their mouth, eyes, and ears. Their legs are also white with black markings. Both male sheep (rams) and female sheep (ewes) do not have horns, which is called being "polled". Their wool is always white.
People first wrote about Kerry Hill sheep in the early 1800s. Today, you can find them in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. Even though there aren't huge numbers of them, they are no longer on the "rare breeds" list since 2006. These sheep are mostly raised for their meat.
There is a group called the Kerry Hill Flock Book Society. They keep records of all the purebred Kerry Hill sheep. They also share information about the breed, including where to see them at shows and buy them.
What Makes Them Special?
Kerry Hill sheep are medium-sized and strong. An average female sheep, called a ewe, usually weighs between 55 and 65 kilograms (about 120 to 143 pounds). Male sheep, called rams, weigh a bit more.
Their faces are white with black markings on their nose and around their eyes. Their ears are black, have no wool, and sit high on their head. Their legs are white with black markings. The wool is fine and white. It is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. An average fleece (the wool from one sheep) weighs about 2.75 kilograms (6 pounds).
Raising Kerry Hill Lambs
Kerry Hill ewes often have many lambs. They can have about 175% lambs, meaning for every 100 ewes, about 175 lambs are born. The ewes are good mothers and produce plenty of milk for their babies. This helps the lambs grow quickly.
Young lambs can be ready for meat when they are about 12 to 14 weeks old. At this age, they can provide about 16 kilograms (35 pounds) of meat. If they are kept through the winter, they can grow even bigger. By the next spring, they can provide 20 to 25 kilograms (44 to 55 pounds) of meat.
