The Chios is a breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of domestic sheep

Domestic sheep

Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...

 with specific unknown origins. It is classified as a semi-fat tailed breed. The Chios are bred mainly for their milk

Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

 production. Although there is speculation that this breed has been crossed with Kivircik and Dagliç

Dagliç (sheep)

The Dagliç is a breed of sheep found primarily in western Anatolia in Turkey. They are a carpet wool breed used for both meat and dairy production. Sheep of this breed typically have black spots on the head and legs, the rams are usually horned and the ewes are polled...

, it is commonly accepted that this breed may have originated from the Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 island of Chios

Chios

Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...

.

Characteristics

This breed typically has black spots on the ears, nose, belly, legs and around the eyes. Brown spots have been observed also. Mature ewes weigh 105 to 155 lb (47.6 to 70.3 kg) and mature rams weigh 145 to 200 lb (65.8 to 90.7 kg). Both sexes are horned; however, ewes can also be polled (hornless). Horns of the rams have a large spiral. If ewes have horns, they are small like a knob.

Ewes can have two crops of lambs per year with an average of 1.5 to 2.3 lambs per litter. Average weight at birth is 8 to 8.5 lb (3.6 to 3.9 kg). At 45 days, lambs weigh on average 32.5 to 35 lb (14.7 to 15.9 kg) Ewes can produce 265 to 600 lb (120.2 to 272.2 kg) of milk per lactation. The average lactation period is 210 days. The milk is used to produce many typoes of cheeses such as Feta, Batzos, Manouri and many others. The highest recorded milk production was 1317 lb (597.4 kg) with a 272 lactation period.

Wool diameter is 27 to 35 micrometres with a spinning count 44's to 56's. The staple length is 8 to 13 cm (3.1 to 5.1 in). A raw fleece weighs about 2.6 to 5.5 lb (1.2 to 2.5 kg). There is considerable variation between individuals in regards to fleece quality. However, the quality of fleece of an individual is typically consistent.

From 1983 to 2007, the world population of the Chios has increased from 16,000 to 51,860 respectively.