The Canadian Arcott is a 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 ...

native to Canada. The latter half of its name is an acronym for the Animal Research Centre in Ottawa, where it was developed along with the

Rideau Arcott The Rideau Arcott is a breed of domestic sheep native to Canada, one of only a few livestock breeds native to the country. History The Rideau Arcott was produced from a breeding program that was created in 1966 by Agriculture Canada’s Animal R ...

and the Outaouais Arcott. This breed was a result of a

crossbreed 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 mai ...

ing program of Suffolk (37%),

Ile de France Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Another ...

(28%), Leicester (14%),

North Country Cheviot North Country Cheviot is a common breed of 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 e ...

(7%) and Romnelet (6%); the remaining 8% was contributed from

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, Southdown Dorset, East Friesian,

Finnsheep The Finnish Landrace, Finn or Finnsheep is a breed of domestic sheep native to Finland. It is one of several Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds, but is notable for its high incidence of multiple births – it is common for a ewe to ...

and

Corriedale The Corriedale is a New Zealand breed of sheep. It was bred from about 1882 in the South Island by James Little, who cross-bred Merino and Lincoln Longwool sheep. The breed was officially recognised in 1911. It has been exported to Australi ...

. This breed was developed to exhibit strong meat characteristics. Mature individuals are medium-sized as well as short and thick. These animals are able to adapt to pasture or confinement systems with ease.

Physical characteristics

Canadian Arcotts have white or mottled faces that are free of winkles and wool. This breed is described as having a soft and lustrous fleece of medium grade. They have heavily muscled legs and a long narrow tail that is covered with wool. Mature rams typically weigh between 80 and 100 kg; ewes between 75 and 95 kg, lambs weigh 4 kg when born and reach a market weight of 37 kg at 118 days of age.

Reproduction

Ewes reach sexual maturity at 230 days old and weigh approximately 49 kg. Ewes lamb at eight-month intervals in February and October; the length of gestation is typically 147 days. About 65% of ewes produce multiple births. Ewes lamb without difficulty. Lambs grow at rapid rates and produce excellent carcass meat. Rams are used in many breeding programs to improve the meat characteristics of other breeds.

References

External links

Canadian Arcotts
Canadian Sheep Breeder's Association Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in Canada {{sheep-stub

Physical characteristics

Reproduction

See also

References

External links