California Variegated Mutant

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The Romeldale breed of sheep was developed by A. T. Spencer. In 1915, he bought Rommey rams from New Zealand and brought them to California. By crossing the Rommey with his existing stock of Rambouillet sheep, he thought an improved breed would emerge. After many years of selective breeding, an improved carcuss and wool yield was found that was far better then the other white breeds of his time.

Glen Eidman, during the 1960s, found a unique pattern in one of his Romeldale ewes. After subsequent breedings, the same pattern was found in one of his rams. After many attempts and selective breeding of the two sheep, a consistent color pattern was found and the C. V. M. sheep breed was born. Mr. Eidman bred sheep for over 15 years without selling off any stock.

However, in 1982, Mr. Eidman's flock of 75 sheep were dispersed to many different buyers throughout the United States. Different farms had different breeding goals. Thus, only a hand full of farms kept the breed pure, without crossing them to other sheep breeds.

1 Body
2 Personality
3 Fleece
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Body

Except for a very fine layer of wool, the head is essentially bare. The C. V. M. should have a strong, long and straight back. Like most sheep breeds, the rams should look masculine and the ewes should look feminine in appearance. The eyes should be clear and alert with no milkiness to them. The ears should be short. The shoulders and neck should be basically smooth. The feet should be black. The C. V. M. should move freely while walking with no studder or limp.

[edit] Personality

Rams that are sexually mature and grown to maturity can be between 150 to 200 pounds. Rams can be aggressive during mating season. Ewes weight between 120 to 150 pounds. Ewes with lambs can also be aggressive when protecting thier young.

[edit] Fleece

This breed's color pattern varies greatly from white to brown to black. Unlike other sheep breeds, the C. V. M. darkens from brith to about one year of age. Also, the color pattern displayed does not fade with age unlike other sheep breeds.

After 12 months of fleece growth, the C. V. M. produces approximately 4 to 6 inches of wool. During that year, this breed will produce approximately eight pounds of raw wool. ^[1]