The Oxford Down is a British breed of domestic

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

. It was developed in the 1830s by

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

of Hampshire Down and Southdown ewes with

Cotswold The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jura ...

rams. It is reared primarily for meat.

History

The Oxford Down developed from about 1830, when Hampshire Down and Southdown ewes were put to

rams. Much of this breeding took place in the area of

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...

in western Oxfordshire, and this gave rise to the breed name. A

breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members of ...

, the Oxford Down Sheep Breeders Association, was formed in 1889 and a

flock-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breede ...

was published in the same year. In the twenty-first century it is an

endangered breed In modern agriculture, a rare breed is a breed of poultry or livestock that has a very small breeding population, usually from a few hundred to a few thousand. Because of their small numbers, rare breeds may have a threatened conservation status ...

in the United Kingdom, and is listed as 'at risk' on the watchlist of the

Rare Breeds Survival Trust The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to pres ...

. A population of just over head was reported to

DAD-IS DAD-IS is the acronym of the worldwide Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, within the FAO's management of animal genetic resources programme.Domestic Animal Diversity Infor ...

in 2021. Outside the UK, it is distributed ten other European countries and in Canada and the United States; the global population is estimated to be some head, and its international

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservatio ...

is 'not at risk'.

Characteristics

The Oxford Down is a very large sheep, the largest of the Down breeds, robust and powerful. Rams weigh some and ewes . It is a shortwool breed, white on the body with brown or black wool on the face and lower legs. It produces the heaviest fleece of any of the Down breeds. Its capacity to produce a large, meaty carcase for further processing has stimulated interest from the

meat industry The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry is ...

, and it also grows the most wool of any of the terminal sire breeds.

References

External links

Oxford Down Sheep Breeders' Association UK official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxford Down Sheep breeds History of Oxfordshire Culture in Oxford Sheep breeds originating in England Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist