Easycare

Easycare is a breed of sheep developed in the 1960s in the United Kingdom for meat. It was originally bred by Iolo Owen in Angelsey by crossing Nelson Welsh Mountain sheep (a Welsh Mountain and Cheviot cross) which were crossed twice to the Wiltshire Horn, which is a wool-shedding breed. The progeny were selected for: wool shedding, no horns, and easy-care traits, reduced need for assistance at lambing, less flystrike and lameness. Some Easycare breeders are now selecting for sheep that need less worming. Most animals in the wild thicken up their coats in winter and then moult when spring comes, but many modern sheep breeds were selectively bred for thick coats which are retained for shearing. With the decline in the worldwide wool markets, a thick coat is now less desirable, especially where the cost of shearing is higher than the value of the wool produced. In this respect, the Easycare breed is an interesting reversal of centuries of practice in sheep breed development as the sheep naturally shed their coats in spring, a process called rooing. Unlike many other sheep breeds, Easycare sheep can live without the necessity of shearing.

External links

• Link to Easycare Breed Society
• Link to Scottish Agricultural College easicare initiative