SHEEP of the Columbia Type Well Adapted to Intermountain Region
In the period between 1880 and 1890 the number of sheep in the United States reached its maximum. Transportation facilities were very poor in the West, and sheep were grown primarily for wool. Consequently the fine-wool type of sheep predominated. During recent years an increased demand for western lambs at the central markets has made the production of market lambs from Hampshire rams bred to crossbred ewes of the long wool, fine-wool type a very profitable practice in the intermountain region. This type of ewe is an excellent mother and the resulting lamb grown on the high summer ranges of our national forests reaches a marketable size and condition at an early age.
The black-faced ewe lamb is not desired, on the range, for breeding purposes; therefore it is a common practice to market both ewe and wether lambs. Under these conditions the producer is faced with the replacement problem. He must either maintain a flock of fine-wool ewes and raise his own crossbreds or he must purchase his replacement stock each year. Under normal conditions a crossbred ewe is a more economical producer than the fine wool, so that ewes of this type, breeding true, would readily find a place in the sheep industry. An attempt to solve these problems has resulted in the development of the Columbia type of sheep.
The Columbia is a crossbred type developed by the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture. The development work was begun at Laramie, Wyo., and since 1917 has been continued at the United States Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, Idaho. The purpose of this work was to develop a crossbred sheep, suitable to western range conditions, that would breed true to type. Work was begun on this problem in 1912, using Lincoln, Leicester, Cotswold, and Romney rams and Rambouillet ewes. After careful study of the type and production of these various crosses, the Lincoln-Rambouillet was retained for further development and the others discarded. Since that time the Lincoln-Rambouillet crosses have been bred together without the introduction of new blood lines. Most of the Columbias in the bureau’s flock trace back to a single outstanding Lincoln ram. Rigid culling has been practiced each year, eliminating all individuals that “throw back” to either of the original parent types, or show any other undesirable characteristics.
With only 15 years’ development the Columbia breed is not absolutely fixed, but variation is becoming less each year. The Columbia is a large, vigorous, heavy-boned animal, standing on rather long legs. (Fig. 206.) As would be expected, it does not show quite the quality to be found in some of the older established breeds. Ewes average about 135 pounds and rams up to 275 pounds under normal range condition. Columbia ewes are very prolific and also consistently yield long-stapled fleeces of ¼-blood quality. During a 3-year period the fleece weights of mature Columbia ewes, under strictly range conditions, averaged 11.27 pounds. For the same period the average per cent of lambs produced and weaned by these ewes was 75.74. These lambs averaged 78.02 pounds in weight at weaning time.
The farmer as well as the range man is interested in a sheep that will produce both a profitable fleece and lamb. In many localities in the Intermountain region, particularly on irrigated farms, a small flock of crossbred sheep of the Columbia or similar type should prove to be a paying venture. The ewe lambs from this type are very desirable to retain for breeding purposes, which is not the case when black-faced rams are used. It is reasonable to assume that the demand for crossbred types will continue and increase. In view of this probability the farmer may readily work up a sale for well-bred rams to neighboring range men, thus increasing the revenue from his flock.
