Table 1.
Distinguishing physical features and agro-ecology of Ethiopian sheep populations
| Physical features and their ecology | Population | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washera | Farta | Horro | Wollo | BHS | Arsi-Bale | Menz | Adilo | |
| Fiber type | Short-haired | Coarse wool | Short-haired | Coarse wool | Short-haired | Hairy fiber | Coarse wool | Hairy fiber |
| Tail phenotype | Short fat-tail | Short fat-tail | Long fat-tail | Short fat-tail | Short fat-rump | Long fat-tail | Short fat-tail | Long fat-tail |
| Coat color | Brown, white, white and brown | White, brown, black | Brown, fawn | Black, white or brown | White body, black head and neck | Brown, red, black, gray, white | Black, Brown, white | Brown, white, gray |
| Horn | Polled | Male short horned, most females polled | Polled | Male short horned, most females polled | Polled | Males and most females are horned | Horned | Male short horned, most females polled |
| Altitude (m) | 1600–2497 | 2000–3142 | 1400–2000 | 2000–3200 | 500–1500 | 2492–2810 | 2500–3000 | 1618–2043 |
| Agro-ecology | Wet, warmer mid- highlands | Sub-alpine | Wet highlands | Sub-alpine | Arid lowland | Wet highland | Sub-alpine | Wet highland |
| Use | Meat | Meat & wool | Meat | Meat &wool | Meat | Meat | Meat &wool | Meat |
| Management | Mixed crop-livestock | Mixed crop-livestock | Mixed crop-livestock | Mixed crop-livestock | Pastoral/agro-pastoral | Mixed crop-livestock | Sheep-barley | Mixed crop-livestock |
| Community | Amhara and Agew | Amhara | Oromo | Amhara | Oromo/Somali | Oromo | Amhara | Wolaita/Hadiya |