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Introducing
Tunis sheep - a breed apart.
The first, and most striking thing you will
notice about Tunis sheep is the beautiful red color set on an attractive sheep
with long pendulous ears and a calm disposition. These sheep are quickly
becoming favorites with everyone who tries this unique breed, from showmen to
commercial farmers.
 Within this
medium-sized package is found a very productive sheep. Tunis are very feed
efficient, requiring less feed than larger breeds to produce marketable
lambs at the same weights within similar timeframes. The ewes are
excellent mothers who have a high rate of twinning, are heavy milkers, are
productive for much of their long lives, and are easily handled with very docile
temperaments. The Tunis lambs are vigorous at birth and are warmed by a double
coat of red fibers. An extended breeding season can be expected - in fact
some Tunis will breed out of season producing fall lambs.
Tunis carcasses
yield a high percentage of meat thanks to the breed's fine but strong bone
structure and length of hind-saddle. And the Tunis sheep breed excels on pasture. In fact, due to their desert ancestry, Tunis will survive where many other
breeds would starve and are very heat tolerant. The rams are also noted
for their libido, being quite active when young and even during hot weather.
 Our
modern Tunis sheep originated by combining Middle-Eastern fat-tailed sheep
imported from Tunisia, on the Northern coast of Africa, with sheep locally
available in America around 1799. This makes them among the oldest breeds of
livestock developed in America. The first known imported pair, a gift from the
Bey of Tunis, was placed with Judge Richard Peters of Belmont, PA, who made rams
available and gave away lambs to spread the breed. Throughout its long
history in America the breed has been associated with many prominent figures
like George Washington Custis, Judge Richard Peters, James A. Guilliams, Maynard
R. Spigner, Colonel Washington Watts, and Charles Rountree. It is not
insignificant that many of these men were members of the Philadelphia Society
for Promoting Agriculture.
 The
Tunis offers some very unique potential for those using it in an out-crossing
program. The Tunis has the ability to stamp its feed efficiency onto its
crossbred offspring; half Tunis lambs are noted for great weight gains, great
feed conversion rates, and fast finishing. In particular, the Tunis-Dorset
cross produces one of the best market lambs obtainable. Also, retained ewe
lamb from this cross can be bred anytime of the year and seem to excel in
mothering traits above even pure Tunis or Dorset ewes (two of the best breeds
for mothering characteristics).
Tunis
sheep are also noted for the fine flavor of their meat. It is said that Tunis
mutton tastes as good as lamb of other breeds. Many find Tunis mutton
superior. Tunis lamb has a long history of being sought after for its
delicate and fine flavor. In fact, in the early 1800s Tunis lambs were the
most sought after in the hothouse lamb markets around Philadelphia.
Another bonus of Tunis cross lambs is that they inherit the improved flavor of
meat that the Tunis is uniquely noted for.
Feed
efficiency, long lives, easy birthing, high rate of twinning, excellent
mothering, heavy milking, docile temperament, high carcass yields, fine flavor,
extended season, heat tolerance, and vigor, Tunis have a lot to offer!
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