Tunis sheep spread throughout the mid Atlantic and southeastern United States and were well adapted to the heat and humidity of these regions. Characteristics. The head is slender with pendulous ears. I will always have the “red-heads” on my farm. : 155 Two reached the Belmont estate of Richard Peters in Pennsylvania. Tunis Fleece Quality Tunis wool is lustrous 24 to 30 microns, long-stapled 4 to 6 inches. A total of 84 sheep were used in this study. Fiber characteristics of different ages and various sheep breeds were studied. We have found them to be very heat tolerant with strong parasite resistance. Light, fun yarn that looks like a soft spun single, but is actually two pencil rovings softly twisted together. Good for hats, scarves, throws, vests etc. Tunis have a creamy colored wool that is set off by a solid tan to cinnamon red colored head and legs. Suffolks are prolific, early maturing sheep with excellent mutton carcasses.They are energetic, and the whole carriage is alert, showing stamina and quality. In 1799, the Bey of Tunis, Hammuda ibn Ali, sent ten Tunisian Barbarin sheep as a gift to George Washington. Our goal is to conserve these characteristics while selectivey improving performance as it relates to meat and wool quality. Along with wool production, the breed is also pretty good for the production of lean meat. It is raised primarily for meat.. History. Results show that the factor 'breed' had a highly significant effect on all controlled parameters accept scoured yield and fibre length. Wool of these animals is of very good quality, and the term ‘merino’ is widely used in the textile industries. The breed is not desirable for wool production. This experiment was aimed to identify wool quality of Tunisian sheep breeds. Tunis wool is considered to be a down fiber which produces pliable and soft yarns. The Tunis wool is sufficient for all common purposes, and be applied without mixture with other wool, to more uses than that of the Merino or any other sheep known here. Ewes generally produce a fleece weighing 8-10 pounds and a ram’s fleece will weigh 12-15 pounds with a 56 to 58 spinning count wool. Characteristics The Tunis is a medium sized sheep with a very distinctive look. The creamy white fleece appears as the lamb matures. noted for wool… Tunis sheep have a slender head, very expressive eyes and long pendulous ears. https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/tunis And while the wool processed by itself does not have quite as many applications, if you blend Tunis (or Cheviot or even Suffolk) with other wool, you get a great loftiness and bounce that can be very desirable. Tunis are born either a tan or red color. Tunis is a Medium wool…perfectly named: it is medium strong, medium soft with a medium staple length. The Tunis was the mainstay of sheep production in the upper South and mid Atlantic regions until the Civil War, when nearly all Southern stock was destroyed. Breed was the most important factor. Tunis wool is lustrous and long-stapled, four to six inches. See our Wool Page for more information on fleece and roving. Tunis lambs are robust at birth and are warmed by a double coat, which is a darker shade of red on the surface. The American Tunis or Tunis is an endangered American breed of fat-tailed sheep.It derives from Tunisian Barbarin sheep imported to the United States from Tunisia in 1799. Not super strong, but easy to knit and wear. The average weight of fleeces is from five to five and a half, and I have known some flocks to average six pounds: I speak of a selected flock, well fed, and attended to with care. However, review full breed profile of the Merino sheep in the following chart. White spots on the top of the head and tip of the tail are common. 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