The Massese is an Italian
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 ...
from the
Alpi Apuane
The Apuan Alps ( it, Alpi Apuane) are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to the northwest, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, with a total length of approximately .
...
mountains of the
province of Massa Carrara, in
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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in central Italy. It takes its name from the town of
Massa. It is raised throughout most of Tuscany, and also in
Emilia–Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
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,
Liguria
it, Ligure
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and
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
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. It has common origins with the other indigenous sheep breeds of the
Apennines.
History
The Massese has common origins with the other indigenous sheep breeds of the
Apennines. It is one of the seventeen
autochthonous
Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to:
Fiction
* Autochthon (Atlantis), a character in Plato's myth of Atlantis
* Autochthons, characters in the novel ''The Divine Invasion'' by Philip K. Dick
* Autochthon, a Primordial in the ...
Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical
herd-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 breeders ...
is kept by the
Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia
The Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, or roughly "national association of pastoralists", is the Italian national body responsible for the administration of sheep- and goat-breeding. It maintains the herd books for more than a hundred in ...
, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. The herd-book was established in 1971. In 1986 total numbers for the breed were recorded as , of which 66% were in Tuscany and 27% in Emilia–Romagna. In 2006 the population was estimated at , of which were registered in the herd-book; in 2013 the number recorded in the herd-book was .
Use
The Massese remains in
oestrus
The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous ...
throughout the year, and normally lambs three times every two years; this, coupled with a twinning rate of 135%, allows production of two lambs per year. The lambs are slaughtered at a weight of .
The
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
yield is about per lactation for
primiparous
In biology and human medicine, gravidity and parity are the number of times a woman is or has been pregnant (gravidity) and carried the pregnancies to a viable gestational age (parity). These terms are usually coupled, sometimes with additional te ...
, and for
pluriparous, ewes; it may reach per lactation. The milk has on average 6.2% fat and 5.3% protein.
References
{{Sheep breeds of Italy
Sheep breeds originating in Italy