Painted Desert Sheep and other breeds of Hair Sheep

We will start with some of the other hair sheep breeds that were
developed here in the United States. The Painted Desert Sheep was
developed from some of these breeds.

The Corsican Sheep: The Corsican is most often the result
from crossing Mouflon with Barbados, domestic sheep have also
been used. Mouflons have been crossed with argalis, bighorns,
and Dall sheep , resulting is a great variety in coloration, body size,
horn size and horn configuration. Large and spectacular horns can
result from carefully managed breedings. Other examples of
Coriscan sheep are the white "Texas Dall", "Black
Hawaiian", and "American Blackbelly". These breeds are
listed below.

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American Blackbelly: The Blackbelly sheep originated in
Texas. They vary in shades of brown with black markings, hence
the name "blackbelly". The breed originated from Barbados
Blackbelly sheep which were crossed with Rambouillet and
Mouflon. The American Blackbelly should not be confused with
the original Barbados blackbelly sheep that originated in the
Barbados islands in which both sexes of the Barbados blackbelly
are polled, while the American Blackbelly rams are horned but
the ewes are usually polled. The American blackbellies are
considered a Corsican Sheep.

Texas Dall: The Texas Dall is more or less a white Corsican
and has no relation to the Alaskan Dahl. They have Mouflon,
Merino, and Barbados influences. Although most are totally white,
they can range in color from white to blonde or pale champagne.
Some even have spotted markings usually in a fawn color.

Black Hawaiian: There is some controversy on how this
breed was started. Some say the Black Hawaiian is believed
to be a cross of Mouflon and Black Hair sheep from the
Hawaiian islands. While others say they are Barbados with a
dilution of the red color gene making them black. And some
even say they are strictly black Corsican sheep.

PAINTED DESERT SHEEP: It is said that some of
the very first Painted Desert Sheep were developed at the
YO Ranch in Texas. Thanks to all of the dedicated
breeders over the years this sheep became a Breed in
1997, when the PAINTED DESERT SHEEP
SOCIETY was founded by Anita Garza. The Painted
Desert Sheep, has become a very popular breed. You can
find several different breeds in it's background. Merino,
Rambouillet, Navajo Churro, Mouflon, Corsican, Texas
Dall and Barbados, Black Hawaiian, and Jacob. They are
very adaptable to extremes in weather and are more
parasite resistance than the wool breeds. They are also
known for their ability to grow a trophy-class set of horns
along with their wild and colorful markings. And with their
natural "spring shedding" that means no shearing. For more
information on the Painted Desert Sheep Society and
registering your sheep visit the Painted Desert Sheep
Society website call: 979-793-4207