The Suffolk is a British

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

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 sh ...

. It originated in the late eighteenth century in the area of

Bury St. Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, as a result of

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 ...

when Norfolk Horn ewes were put to improved Southdown rams. It is a polled, black-faced breed, and is raised primarily for its

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

. It has been exported to many countries, and is among the most numerous breeds of sheep worldwide.

History

The Suffolk originated in the area surrounding

in the late eighteenth century, as a result of

when Norfolk Horn ewes were put to improved Southdown rams. They were at first known as Blackfaces or Southdown-Norfolks; the first use of the name "Suffolk" for these sheep dates to 1797. In 1810 it was recognised as distinct breed, but was not known by the present name until 1859. 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 English Suffolk Society, was formed in 1886; 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 ...

published in the following year recorded some ewes. By the end of the nineteenth century the Suffolk had displaced the

Oxford Down The Oxford Down is a British breed of domestic sheep. It was developed in the 1830s by cross-breeding of Hampshire Down and Southdown ewes with Cotswold rams. It is reared primarily for meat. History The Oxford Down developed from abo ...

as the principal

terminal sire Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together * Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devic ...

used on

cross-bred 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 ...

ewes in Scotland. By the 1980s breed numbers in the United Kingdom had risen to some head, but later fell; in 2020 a total population of was reported. The Suffolk has been exported to many countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the United States, and has become one of the most numerous sheep breeds in the world. It was introduced to the United States in 1888 by one G.B. Streeter of

Chazy, New York Chazy is a town in northeastern Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 4,284 at the 2010 census. The closest city is Plattsburgh, to the south. Chazy is south of the Canada–United States border. The ZIP code is 12921 ...

. A large and long-legged sub-type has developed there; it is fast-growing, but the carcase is of lower quality.

Characteristics

The Suffolk is a large sheep, white-woolled and polled, with a black face and black legs free of wool.

Spider lamb syndrome Spider lamb syndrome, also known as spider syndrome and more formally as ovine hereditary chondrodysplasia, is a homozygous recessive disorder affecting the growth of cartilage and bone in sheep. The name derives from the limbs of afflicted animal ...

may occur in the Suffolk breed.

Use

Suffolk rams are commonly used as a

on cross-bred ewes to produce fast-growing lambs for slaughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suffolk Sheep Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in England