Description

Small Sheep with long, coarse and fringed wool. Fleece colour is mainly white, characteristic feature of this breed are black points or dots on the face and the legs. Woolly parts of the body are seldom spotted. The tail is unusually long and reaches down to only few cm above the ground. Some rams have extremely large and wound horns. Females occasionally carry horns; they are, however, shorter.

General and History

The breed belongs to the autchthonous breed of Slovenia. A herdbook for the breed is kept.
The breed is particularly well adapted to the rough conditions and meagre feed of the Karst region. The rough wool serves as protection against cold and rain.

Distribution in the past and today

It was originally found on both sides of the river Kolpa, amongst others in the Karst Mountains in the region of Bela Krajina.

Utilization

Animals are mostly kept by hobby or part-time farmers and used for pasture management and meat production.

Keeping

The breed is particularly well adapted to the rough conditions and meagre feed of the Karst region. The rough wool serves as protection against cold and rain. They stay on pastures during the summer, during wintertime they are housed for approx. 6 months.

Performance

Body weight: 65-75kg (m), 45-55kg (w)
Withers height: 70cm (m), 60cm (w)
Fleece weight: 2.5kg (m), 2.0kg (w)
Lambing percentage: 173%

Literature

Schafrassen in den Alpen, Antje Feldmann, Ursula Bietzker, Dr. Christian Mendel, Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen e.V. - GEH.

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