ABOUT THE ROMANOV SHEEP BREED

Description

In Russia in 1918, there was a settlement called Romanov-Borisoglebsk which was separated by the Volga River. Romanov on the right side of the river bred a species of domestic sheep aptly named Romanov sheep. The popularity of this breed grew and they were soon imported into Germany and France. In 1980, the Canadian government imported 14 ewes and 4 rams from France for testing. After 5 years in quarantine, they were released for commercial breeding. All of the Romanovs in North America today are descendants of those original 14 ewes and their offspring.

What makes the Romanov an exceptional breed is its superior reproductive performance, manifested by early maturity, excellent prolificacy and superior mothering ability. These sheep are unique in the animal kingdom because the ewes will breed in any month of the year. The lambs are all black at birth and then turn gray as a result of a mixture of black and white wool fibers. Males have a mane of long black hair around the neck and chest. The head is small and angular, ears are upright and mobile. The eyes are voluminous. Males have a more convex forehead than females and a wider and shorter head. The body is of medium size and the ribs are rounded. The Romanov animal is high on its legs. The tail is short and very characteristically pointed. The average body weight of the mature animal is 100 - 150 lbs for the ewes and 150 - 180 lbs for the rams.

Known for their early sexual maturity, rams and ewes are fertile by the time they are three months old and ewes will breed any month of the year. This out-of-season breeding ability, combined with the multiple birth ability allows the high production of a Romanov ewe. Lambing every eight months, these high performance ewe lambs three times in two years, with three to five lambs each time. Therefore, impressive lamb crops are possible. Purebred Romanovs are born black and lighten to a soft silver grey as they make their fleece.