Valais Blacknose

Valais Blacknose

Conservation status	unknown
Other names	Walliser Schwarznasenschaf
Country of origin	Switzerland
Use	dual-purpose, meat and wool
Traits
Weight	Male: 80–130 kg Female: 70–90 kg
Height	Male: 75–83 cm Female: 72–78 cm
Wool color	white
Face color	black
Sheep Ovis aries

The Valais Blacknose, German: Walliser Schwarznasenschaf, is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool.

History

The breed originates in the mountains of the canton of Valais – from which its name derives – and of the Bernese Oberland. It is documented as far back as the fifteenth century, but the present German name was not used before 1884; the breed standard dates from 1962. In the past there was some cross-breeding with imported sheep, in the nineteenth century of Bergamasca and Cotswold stock, and in the twentieth century of the Southdown breed.

Characteristics

The Schwarznasenschaf is a mountain breed, well adapted to grazing on the stony pastures of its area of origin. Both rams and ewes are horned.

Use

The Valais Blacknose is a dual-purpose breed, reared for both meat and wool. The wool is coarse: fibre diameter averages approximately 38 microns, and staple length is 100 mm or more. The annual yield is about 4 kg per head.

See also

• List of sheep breeds