The Tunis is a medium sized sheep, that is naturally hornless, with cream-colored wool and a cinnamon-red face and legs. This breed is raised primarily for meat.

Characteristics

The head is slender with pendulous ears. Tunis lambs are robust at birth and are warmed by a double coat, which is mahogany red on the surface. White spots on the top of the head and tip of the tail are common. The creamy white fleece

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

 appears as the lamb matures. Tunis wool is lustrous and long-stapled, four to six inches. Tunis ewes are heavy milkers—heavy enough that some are used in sheep dairies. Twins are more common than not, and Tunis are known to breed out of season, which makes them valuable for fall lamb production. Tunis also are known for disease resistance and the ability to tolerate both warm and cold climates. The meat from the Tunis sheep is tender and flavorful without having a strong mutton taste.

At birth, Tunis lambs weigh 7 to 12 lb (3.2 to 5.4 kg). Mature rams in breeding condition weigh between 175 and 225 lb (79.4 and 102.1 kg) and measure 28 to 30 in (71.1 to 76.2 cm) at the withers. Mature ewes should be 25 to 50 lb (11.3 to 22.7 kg) lighter and 2 to 4 in (5.1 to 10.2 cm) shorter.

History

The Tunis is one of the oldest breeds of sheep, having descended from ancient fat-tailed sheep referred to in The Bible. As the name indicates, the Tunis originated in Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 on the Northern coast of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. The earliest documented importation to the U.S.A.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 occurred in 1799, a gift from the ruler of Tunisia and entrusted to the care of Judge Richard Peters of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. One of the largest advocates of the Tunis breed was Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

, who owned a fairly large flock.

The Tunis popularity spread quickly and flocks were started primarily on the East coast and New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

, where many remain today. Because of their flavorful meat most of the Southern flocks were wiped out during the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

The National Tunis Sheep Registry, Inc. has experienced continuous growth in registrations and transfers, moving from the threatened status to the watch list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting genetic diversity among rare breeds of livestock...

(ALBC) Conservation Priority List.