What is a Texel sheep? (Texel sheep)

The Texel sheep is originally from the Dutch island of Texel. It is a true Dutch breed of sheep and also the most famous sheep breed in the Netherlands. In addition to the Netherlands, this sheep breed can now also be found in other countries such as America, Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay. It is a woolly sheep with wool lengths varying from 3 to 12cm. The sheepskin comes in different colors such as white, brown, black or fur (two colors).

What are characteristics of the Texel sheep?

The Texel has a medium weight and is well muscled. The breed has a short but broad body and no horns. The wool of the sheep is fine and closed and contains no excess wool grease. The sheep are sheared once a year, the wool yield is then ± 5 kilograms. The head and legs of the Texel have no wool but short, fine hairs.

An adult ram has a weight of about 95 kilograms and a withers height of ± 70cm. An adult ewe has a weight of about 75 kilograms and a withersheight of ± 70cm, just like a ram. At birth a lamb weighs 4 to 5 kilograms. The gestation period for sheep is about 5 months. A ewe can give birth to two lambs at a time (sometimes more), but only once a year. When a ewe is a year old, the first litter can already take place.

The history of the Texan

The Texelaar owes its name to the place where it comes from called Texel, Netherlands. Writings have shown that there were sheep on Texel as early as 1447. The Texelaar stems from the Pielsteert, which was also called the small Texel short-tailed sheep. Until about 1860 there were Pielsteert sheep around. The Pielsteert sheep were crossed around 1860 with various English sheep such as the Lincoln, Leicester and Wensleydale sheep. Through this crossbreeding a good stable breed was developed and the meat and wool quality improved considerably.

In the year 1933 the Texel was introduced in France and is mainly found in the Northern provinces. And in the year 1970 the British became acquainted with the Dutch Texel. England wanted to see what the Texel could mean to them in comparison to their own livestock and soon came to the conclusion that the Texel provided excellent wool and meat. Today, the Texel is one of the better known breeds of sheep in the Netherlands and also one of the most important.