Breed Profile: Navajo Churro Sheep - MOTHER EARTH NEWS
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- www.motherearth...
The Navajo Churro sheep are descendants of Spanish Churro sheep that were originally brought to America as a source of meat for conquistadors and the missionaries that followed them. They were first used by Native Americans for the same purpose, but quickly came to be valued for their wool, and selection for fleece character along with the natural selection of the arid Southwestern deserts led to the development of the Navajo Churro. In the 1860s the Navajo Churro sheep population was nearly destroyed by government culling programs in an attempt to subjugate the Navajo. The remaining stock was diluted by efforts to “improve” flocks through the introduction of other breeds. The Navajo Churro Sheep Association and registry began in 1986 and includes the many groups of people who had historically been involved with the breed. The population is now stable and growing, and efforts to maintain breed purity and to return flocks to the Navajo continue. Navajo Churro sheep have a fine, soft inner coat and a long, coarse outer coat that sheds rain and snow and protects the inner coat from dust and dirt. The fleece is open and low in grease, making it easy to process, and can be found in a range of colors including white, silver, red, blue, brown, black and spotted. It has traditionally been used for Navajo rug weaving and tapestries, as it is primarily considered a carpet wool.
More on heritage sheep breeds from MotherEarthNews.com: The Karakachanska Ovca is a Serbian heritage sheep breed that is also being brought back from the brink of extinction. Originally developed by the Karakacani ethnic group, only one farm still bred and raised these sheep a few years ago. Now with support from the Serbian government and from people concerned about the agricultural biodiversity of the region, there are fifteen Karakachan breeders in the region and efforts are being made to develop the economic stability of the breed. For more information, visit the link above.
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My mom dad - both navajo I love the churro 🐏🐑 21 years old
You must be a spinner because you can't stop picking bits out of the wool. I love spinning and weaving with churro wool that I get on a yearly trip to various trading posts in northern New Mexico. I weave saddle blankets that I believe will outlast the horses that they are made for.
Thank you very informative Ive been researching for several months and you gave me a-lot in 5 minutes
thank you for the succint history grandmother
The Native Americans have had a raw deal when it comes to allowing them a way of life. The sheep do not appear to show any fat tail ancestry, they look very European. Well done with your project I hope your endeavours give the Navaho a positive sense of purpose.
@Jorge Monsalve try googling fat tail sheep.
Beautiful thank u.
I hope to share this information with my Grandchildren. Thank you very much!
Very educative! Thank you
I’ve met quite a few Navajo people here in Arizona I asked them about these sheep and they said they’ve never heard of them
Not everyone owns them. Have you read about the US government livestock reduction on the Navajo Nation? That act destroyed a lot of Navajo-Churros to the point where a small group of sheep researchers interested in the breed revitalized it after recognizing the breed’s heritage qualities.
I had not heard of Navajo Churros myself until I was 20. I’m Navajo. My family did not have any sheep at that point. We now have a mix of Merino and Suffolk now, but no Navajo Churro. When I move back from the city to my homelands, I would love a shot at raising Navajo Churro.
Yeah I'm Navajo and we raise regular Dorpers... the Churro was supposedly very hardy and adaptable...
I raise this breed of sheep and also Gulf Coast sheep, another heritage breed.
The meat is good as mature sheep too..
Hello. Who could help me obtain some Colostrum please. ? I am in California. 🙏
A shame they eliminated so many of these sheep.
Will they do well in USDA zone 4a?
They look like they could milk too...