New Mexico Dahl Sheep are an almost
extinct Spanish Colonial heritage hair sheep breed under development at Terra
Patre Wildlife Preserve and Teaching Farm in Colorado and New Mexico. The goal
in developing these unique sheep was to produce a truly multi-marketable,
low-maintenance product. These hardy, no-shear sheep are beautiful and majestic
with the rams supporting magnificent horns. They are also very excellent
sources of lean, less mutton-tasting meat.
NM Dahl is taking this one step
further and wanting to increase the meat marketability along with increasing
the growth of the horns not only on rams but also on the ewes for even better
future horn genetics. With this in mind, New Mexico Dahl Sheep are hybrids of
the best horned and meat hair sheep.
Beginning with the descendants of
hair sheep brought to the USA in 1598 by the Onate Spanish Colonists, and not
being limited to breeding within the Corsican Sheep family (Texas Dall, Black
Hawaiian, and Painted Desert Mouflon crosses), breeding is based solely on a
focus of easy care, big horns, and heavy meat carcasses, as well as maintaining
the shedding ability in these wonderful hybrids.
About New Mexico Dahl Sheep
