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 (377) Ghimi

1. General breed information

Species: 

Sheep

Breed Name/Strain :

Ghimi

Common Name/Synonym:

 

Breed Group Name:

Fat-tailed Coarse Wool (wavy wooled

Group Origin:

Fat-tailed coarse-wooled sheep in Africa were probably introduced to Africa about 3000 years after the thin-tailed breeds, via the Isthmus of Suez and the Bab-el-Mandeb straits on the Red Sea. The fat-tailed sheep replaced the original thin-tailed ones in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia whereas those entering Somalia and other parts of eastern Africa were ultimately taken by migratory owners to the southern parts of the continent. At present wavy-wooled sheep dominate the indigenous sheep genetic resources of Egypt as well as those of Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands. A separate coarse wooled sheep exists in Somalia by the name Somali-Arab (Mason 1967; Payne and Wilson, 1999). 

Breed Origin :

This breed is probably originated from crossing the fat-tailed Libyan Barbary with the thin-tailed Algerian Arab. The name Ghimi (or Chimi) comes from the same name of the relatively fine wool that the breed produces (Mason, 1966; Mason, 1996). 

Main Location:

This breed inhabits the Hon and Zella oases of the Fezzan in southern Libya (Mason, 1967). 

Special Characteristic:

It has relatively fine wool given that all other fat-tailed sheep are known to have coarse, wavy wool. Its body conformation is good and stands about 65cm at withers (Mason, 1967). 

2.trait data

2.1 Adult Wither Height (cm)

No.

Sex

Age

Trait Value

Location of Study

Management Condition

Source

1

Overall

 

Average: 65

Synthesized from different sources.

 

(1973)

2.2 Fleece Weight (kg)

No.

Sex

Trait Value

Location of Study

Source

1

Overall

Average: 1

Synthesized from different sources.

(1973)