Vicentina sheep

Last updated

Vicentina
Other names
  • Fodata
  • Foza
Country of originItaly
Traits
Weight
  • Female:
    83 kg
Wool colormostly white
Face colorwhite mottled with black
Notes
dual-purpose, meat and wool


The Vicentina is a breed of domestic sheep from the province of Vicenza in the Veneto, in north-east Italy. [1] [2] The origins of the breed are not clear, but it descends from the sheep of the Cimbrian cultural area of the Sette Comuni of the Altopiano di Asiago. It may share common origins with the Lamon, with which it was also cross-bred in the years after the Second World War. [2] The Vicentina is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. [3]

In 1598 there were 135,000 sheep on the Altipiano di Asiago, and in 1776 there were 200,000. In 1953 there were about 9200 Vicentina sheep; by 1991 the total had fallen to 61. [2] In 2013 the total number for the breed as recorded in the herdbook was 115. [4]

Related Research Articles

The Corteno or Pecora di Corteno is a breed of sheep from the Val Camonica, in the province of Brescia in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is raised in the comune of Corteno Golgi, from which it takes its name, and in the neighbouring comuni of Edolo, Malonno and Paisco Loveno, all lying within the Comunità Montana di Valle Camonica. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

Sarda sheep Breed of sheep

The Sarda is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to the island of Sardinia. It is raised throughout Italy, and in other Mediterranean countries, particularly Tunisia. The Sarda is considered to be among the best Italian breeds of sheep for production of sheep's milk; most of the milk is used to make pecorino sardo cheese. The Sarda is highly adaptable; it may be kept on lowland or on mountainous terrains, and is suitable both for intensive and for extensive or transhumant management. The long, coarse white wool is used for weaving carpets and other goods.

The Biellese is a breed of large domestic sheep indigenous to the province of Biella, in Piedmont in north-western Italy, from which it takes its name. It may also be known as the Razza d'Ivrea, after the town of Ivrea, or as the Piemontese Alpina. The Biellese is one of the seventeen autochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

Comisana Breed of sheep

The Comisana, also known as Faccia Rossa and Lentinese, is an Italian breed of domestic sheep indigenous to central and northern areas of the Mediterranean island of Sicily. Its name derives from that of the comune of Comiso, in the province of Ragusa. It is raised principally in the provinces of Caltanissetta, Enna and Palermo, but is found in many other Italian provinces and has also been exported to other Mediterranean countries.

Brigasca Breed of sheep

The Brigasca, French: Brigasque, is a breed of sheep from Liguria in north-west Italy and the département of Alpes-Maritimes in south-eastern France. It takes its name from the town of La Brigue, which was until 1947 in the Italian province of Cuneo. The Brigasca is raised in the provinces of Imperia and Savona in Italy, and neighbouring areas in France. It appears to have origins in common with the Frabosana and Delle Langhe breeds. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

The Brogna or Brogne is a breed of domestic sheep from the province of Verona, in the Veneto in north-eastern Italy. It is well adapted to the local upland environment. The name of the breed may derive from that of the suppressed comune of Breonio, now part of Fumane.

The Cornella Bianca is a breed of domestic sheep from the Apennines of Emilia–Romagna in central Italy. It is raised principally in mountainous parts of the provinces of Bologna, Modena and Reggio Emilia, where it is transhumant. Some are also raised in the plains around Ferrara, Rovigo and Vicenza. It is found particularly in the comuni of Minerbio, Baricella and Malalbergo in the province of Bologna and Argenta in the province of Ferrara.

The Finarda is a breed of large domestic sheep from the regions of Lombardy and Piemonte in northern Italy. It is heavy breed raised mainly for meat, although it also yields 4–6 kg of wool per year. It results from cross-breeding the Bergamasca and Biellese breeds. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. However, in 2008 the herdbook was empty, and may in fact never have been activated. Most data for the breed dates from 1983.

The Garfagnina Bianca is a breed of small domestic sheep from the historic area of the Garfagnana, the mountainous northern part of the province of Lucca, in Tuscany in central Italy. It shares common origins with the Cornella Bianca, Massese and Zerasca. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

The Matesina is a breed of sheep raised on the massif of the Matese and in the Valle Telesina, in Campania in southern Italy. It originates from the area of Dragoni, in the province of Caserta, and apparently derives from cross-breeding between the Appenninica and Gentile di Puglia breeds; the wool, like that of the Gentile di Puglia, is of fine quality. The Matesina is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.


The Pomarancina is a breed of domestic sheep from Tuscany in central Italy. It is raised mainly in the comune of Pomarance, from which it takes its name, and in the neighbouring comuni of Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina, Montecatini Val di Cecina and Volterra, all in the province of Pisa; some are kept in other parts of Tuscany, in the provinces of Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca and Siena. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

The Pusterese is a breed of domestic sheep from the autonomous province of Bolzano in northern Italy. It may also be called the Pustera gigante, Nobile di Badia or Gadertaler. It is raised mainly in the Val Pusteria (Pustertal), from which it takes its name, and in the Val Gardena; it has been reported also from the province of Belluno. The origins of the breed are unclear; it probably originates from the Tirol, but has also been influenced by the Lamon. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

The Sambucana or Demontina is a breed of upland sheep from the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte, north-west Italy. It takes its name from the comune of Sambuco in the Valle Stura di Demonte, the area where it is thought to have originated; the other name of the breed, Demontina, derives from the name of that valley. The Sambucana is also raised in the adjoining valleys, the Valle Gesso, the Valle Grana and the Valle Maira. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.


The Varesina is a rare breed of domestic sheep from the province of Varese in Lombardy, in northern Italy. It originates from the area of Biandronno and Travedona; members of the breed have been identified in the comuni of Albizzate and Arcisate. The Varesina is closely related to the Bergamasca and the Biellese, but is smaller. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

The Trimeticcia di Segezia is a modern breed of domestic sheep from Puglia in southern Italy. It is named for the town of Segezia, a frazione of Foggia, where it was created at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Zootecnia, an experimental breeding station of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. "Trimeticcia" means "three-way hybrid": the breed was created by cross-breeding Gentile di Puglia ewes with French Île-de-France rams, and then crossing the resultant hybrid with Württemberger rams; the resulting stock was selectively bred for adaptation to the climate and conditions of the area. The range of the breed is principally the plain of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, but extends also into Molise. The Trimeticcia di Segezia is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.

Tiroler Steinschaf Austrian breed of sheep


The Tiroler Steinschaf or Pecora della Roccia Tirolese is a breed of domestic sheep from the mountainous Tyrol area of Austria; a few are raised in Italy. The name means "Tyrolean rock sheep". It is raised in the states of Tyrol and Salzburg in Austria and in the autonomous province of Bolzano in Italy. It dates from the early 19th century and is the oldest Tyrolean sheep breed.

The Altamurana is a breed of sheep from the province of Bari, in Puglia in southern Italy. It takes its name from the town of Altamura, in the Murge. It is of Asiatic, possibly Syrian, origin. It is raised mainly in the provinces of Bari and Foggia. It was formerly considered a triple-purpose breed, yielding meat, milk, and wool; it is now kept principally for milk production. It yields approximately 65 kg of milk per lactation, with on average 7.5% fat and 6.5% protein.

The Laticauda is a breed of domestic sheep from Campania and Calabria, in southern Italy. It is a fat-tailed breed, which gives rise to the name Laticauda, "broad-tailed". It is raised mainly in its area of origin in the provinces of Avellino, Benevento and Caserta, but is also found in the provinces of Cosenza, Matera and Naples. Like the Barbaresca breed of Sicily, it appears to result from the hybridisation of local breeds with Barbary sheep of Maghrebi origin. It has been suggested that these were first brought to the area by the Bourbon king Charles VII of Naples.

The Gentile di Puglia is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to southern Italy. It originates from the Tavoliere di Foggia, a large plain in the northern part of Puglia, and is raised mainly in that region; a few are found in neighbouring regions. The Gentile di Puglia is sometimes known as the Merinos d'Italia, or Italian merino.

The Merinizzata Italiana is a breed of domestic sheep from southern Italy. It is a modern breed, created in the first half of the twentieth century or in recent decades by cross-breeding of indigenous Gentile di Puglia and Sopravissana stock with imported Merino breeds such as the French Berrichon du Cher and Île-de-France, and the German Merinolandschaf. The aim was to produce a good meat breed without sacrificing wool quality. The Merinizzata Italiana is raised mostly in Abruzzo, mainly in the provinces of L'Aquila and Teramo, with small numbers in neighbouring regions.

References

  1. Breed data sheet: Vicentina (Foza)/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN   9788850652594. p. 300–301.
  3. Vicentina (Foza): Standard Della Razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. Accessed September 2013.
  4. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza VI VICENTINA O FOZA Anno 2012 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed September 2013.