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Columbia sheep were developed by the United States Department of Agriculture as
a true breeding type to replace crossbreeding on the range. Columbias are the
largest white-faced sheep in the world. In 1912, long wool breed rams were
crossed with high quality Rambouillet ewes to produce large ewes yielding more
pounds of wool and lamb. The Lincoln-Rambouillet cross produced a true breeding
strain with characteristics of the superior crossbred line. While they were
originally developed for range conditions, they have performed exceptionally
well for farm flocks of the Midwest, East, North and South. Columbias have good
longevity, and produce hardy, fast-growing lambs. Ewes are heavy milkers and
have a good twinning percentage. They make excellent mothers and are easy
lambers. Columbias produce very heavy fleeces with long staple length. The wool
has an excellent spin count of 50's - 60's, and is classed as medium wool. They
have a natural herding instinct. The Columbia lambs are strong and vigorous.
They grow into long, lean, large, and meaty lambs. |
