Shropshire (sheep) - 1900s

1900s

By the 1930s the Shropshire had been dubbed in the USA as "the farm flock favorite". But in the 1940s US breeders began producing Shropshires with more wool cover and decreased size. This led to the breed having increased wool cover around the eyes, and thus needing to be trimmed around the eyes for better sight. This hindrance and overall loss of size led to the numbers of the breed decreasing among American farmers. They were no longer the most popular breed of sheep, and became increasingly rare around the world, even in its homeland.

In the 1950s, some progressive Shropshire breeders began going back to the original traits that made the breed so popular. They imported some select open faced Shropshire rams from England with larger size, which helped once again to produce a breed of sheep with medium size and good wool and meat production. The Shropshire became an increasing popular breed among farmers with their ability to adapt to varying environments.

Despite its popularity in the early 1900s, today the traditional Shropshire sheep is considered a rare breed in most countries. However the modern Shropshire is rising in popularity as a show sheep, especially in the mid-west. Its gentle nature and medium size makes it very popular with 4H exhibitors. The mature weights for modern Shropshire rams are between 225 and 250 pounds and between 150 and 180 pounds for the females. The long-legged, long-necked modern American Shropshire bears little resemblance to the breed type and character of the heritage type Shropshire sheep.