There are three major classes of Nigeria’s indigenous sheep breeds. They are classified according to their sizes.
1. Large,long-legged, long tail breeds
This class has two breeds: Balami and Uda
Balami Breed
It is the dominant breed of the Northeastern Nigeria around Borno, Yobe States
Features of Balami Breed Sheep
• The breed is characterized by white hairy coat, convex head, long tail, large and droopy ears, and presence of large spiral horn in the male but not in the female.
• Balami is a large breed with average adult weight of 45-60kg for male and 35-40kg for females.
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| Balami Ram |
Uda Breeds
They are also called Fulani or Bali-Bali breeds because they are larger owned by Fulani pastoralists.
Features of Uda Breed Sheep
• Uda breed has two colours (black and white)
• Uda is a large breed with a mature weight of 45-55kg for males and 35-45kg for females. Average height at wither is 74.8cm for males while the females height are 71.5 – 83.0cm
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| Uda Sheep Breed |
2. Medium size breeds
This class has only one breed, Yankasa.
Yankasa Breed
This breed appears to be the dominant breed across Nigeria as it is many and widely distributed in Nigeria. It normally reared in Northern Nigeria
Features of Yankasa Breeds Sheep
They are medium in size when compared with Balami and Uda which are very large.
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| Yankasa Ram |
3. Small, short-legged, short-tail breeds
This class has only one breed called West African Dwarf or West African Forest Sheep.
West African Dwarf sheep
This breed is found in the Southern Nigeria with rainforest ecology
Features of West African Dwarf Breed Sheep
The West African Dwarf sheep is try panic tolerant breed
It has a small size, short legs and short tail.
Related article: How to Upgrade Nigeria's Indigenous Beef and Dairy Cattle Breeds