UPDATE: We will have All Natural Organic Grass Fattened Dried Aged Lamb Meat For Sale Late October/ Early November 2010!!!! Place your orders early for this wonderful holiday treat!
Here at Riverplains Farm we have been raising Mouflon's for over 15 years. Originally we let them run wild on our farm and prosper for many years. Then a few years ago the coyote population increased and now we have to keep them in a large fenced in field to keep them safe. Over the years we have sold most of our males and a few ewes. We have raised many on bottles and found them to be very tame until they matured, then they would go back to being wild. Currently we do have a older semi-tame mouflon male for sale as well as young stock. Email for prices and availability.
The European mouflon is a wild breed of sheep that is thought to be one of the two ancestors for all modern sheep breeds. Originally, these Mouflon and Mouflon cross sheep were primarily used for "Trophies" due to the rams' beautiful horns.
More Information:
Mouflon Sheep are found running wild in a few locations throughout the world but have dwindling populations in some places. Mouflon sheep are a shedding sheep which shed a woolly undercoat during the summer leaving a sleek, slick coat. These sheep are considered by many to be one of the two original wild sheep from which the domestic breeds of sheep descended. The other sheep is called the Urial. Research is showing that the need for shearing of sheep (because the “wool” sheep do not naturally shed their wool) is a result of selective breeding through the years by folks to increase and improve wool for use in fabrics.
Eventually, Mouflons made their way into several zoos in the United States. After several years, the zoos released some of the Mouflons to large ranches with a concentrated release in Texas. Here in the United States,after 1946, the wild Mouflon Sheep crossed with the more well known wool sheep breeds as well as the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep and the Corsican Group of Sheep were born.
COAT:
Mouflon Sheep are considered a hair or shedding sheep. These sheep actually have two coats: a hair type coat and usually a more wooly undercoat. The undercoat may
resemble a thicker hair to a more wool type look and texture. This undercoat grows during cool weather and will naturally shed off when warmer weather arrives.
In colder climates, some sheep may exhibit a fuller winter undercoat; however, the undercoat should completely shed off without shearing when warm weather arrives
with the exceptions of lambs and some yearlings.
The ability of the sheep to grow and shed the undercoat, may lead to only partial shedding for a time in various climates. A complete shedding generally occurs by May,
June or early July. The exact time for a complete and natural shedding depends on the climate. Lambs and some yearlings may not shed totally till the next year.
Mouflon sheep may have a slight shedding of coarse guard hairs in the fall, dependent of the climate.
The complete and natural shedding ability is important in maintaining ease of care and a lack of such shedding may be indicative of parent breeds in the background
that are not desirable or of having wool parent breeds in the recent background.
COAT COLORS:
Variations of Brown from Fawn, Mahogany to Cinnamon with black hairs mixed in at times. Inside of ears may take a a grayish color or be white. The underside should be
white and the area underneath the tail and surrounding the tail (the tail patch) should also be white.
The sides may have a defined black line separating the white underside and the main body color. This is seen especially on the rams.
Black on top of forelegs will vary in amount among individuals with cream to white on the bottom of the legs.
Rams will display light gray to white saddle patches in winter. Saddle patches are areas of color located in the middle of the side of the sheep and flowing over the back
as shown in the picture to the left. Winter colors may be darker with the ram developing more black in the chest area. Ewes will not display a white saddle patch
nor develop as much black in the chest area.
The nose will show light gray to white around the nose pad. As the Ewes age, the lighter area may spread out. As they age, rams’ winter saddle patches may brighten
from light gray to totally brilliant white also.
