American Blackbelly

It was developed in Texas by crossing sheep of the Barbados Black Belly and Rambouillet breeds with Corsican mouflon. This produced a horned animal with a heavier carcase and increased muscle mass compared to the original black-bellied breed. It is closely similar to the Barbado, another Texas hybrid with similar origins.

Characteristics

The American Blackbelly has the coloration of the Barbados breed – a brown hair coat ranging from light fawn to deep mahogany, with black underbelly and black insides of the ears and legs. Rams are horned, sometimes heavily so; ewes are usually polled, but may also be scurred or horned. It is a small sheep, with heights and weights closely similar to those of the Barbados BlackBelly: ewes weigh some 34–43 kg and stand 60–70 cm at the shoulder; rams weigh from 50 to 64 kg with a height of some 76–81 cm.