Category:Apennine Sheep

The Apennine Sheep (also known as Appenninica, Bariscianese, Chietina Varzese, and Perugina del piano) is a breed that was found in the 70's in central Italy, mainly in the Toscana, Emilia, Umbria, Arche, and Abruzzi regions. Crossbreeding the local breed with other Italian or exotic breeds, such as Bergamasca and Ile-de-France, was done at some point. It is a medium wool breed kept primarily for meat production. There are an estimated 250,000 heads, spread out over central and southern Italy.

The breed is reared in small or medium size flocks, that usually are not the only economic source of the farm. Their wool has a fiber diameter of 30-35 microns, and rams produce 3.5 kg of fleece, while ewes produce 2.5 kg. Lambs are often raised as a source of meat, reaching a live weight of 15-22 kg at 50-60 days of age.

Characteristics
Rams and ewes are polled, and they have semi-lopped ears. Rams weigh approximately 78 kg, with a withers height of 77 cm, and a trunk length of 79 cm. Ewes weigh approximately 56 kg, with a withers height of 69 cm, and a trunk length of 73 cm.