Bluemink sheep are a specialty, historic breed of sheep from Northern Sedia. Considered rare, these sheep are carefully herded by shepherds, predominantly from the towns of Tarbury, Erona and Norheath.
Description
Bluemink sheep are notable first and foremost for their colouration. The steel blue colour of their wool and fur is the trademark of their breed. Bred from sheep that once exclusively had black wool, the gene responsible for the iconic blue colour dilutes the fur into a brighter shade. The gene also alters the colour of the eyes and skin. The skin is pink and mottled beneath the wool, and the eyes are a striking hazel green-brown. This impressive colour is now so important to the breed standard, that lambs born with black fur are marked for market as "darklambs" and are culled as soon as they are heavy enough to be eaten. Bluemink sheep are not excellent meat animals, as their meat tends to be stringy and tough. They have adequate quality meat if killed at a young age, but it is not beneficial for a farmer to do as his sheep is much more valuable to him in wool than in meat. Usually, bluemink are only eaten if they are born black in colour, or if they are injured or otherwise have to be put out of their misery.
Bluemink wool is incredibly fine and dense, allowing for it to be made into warm and plush fibres for cloth and weaving. It has fantastic lustre, and is prized by textile spinners for its colour and quality.
Taller than many other breeds of sheep, bluemink sheep have long legs. This was a trait bred into them to allow them to be more easily spotted in the long grasses of the Sedian plains they inhabit. They also have upward-angled ears, and rams carry horns which twist and bend backwards and upwards, which again allows them to be more obviously spotted in long grass.
The live weight of a mature bluemink ram is in the range of 140–175 kg and a mature ewe 90–120 kg.
History
The history of bluemink sheep starts in the town of Norheath from stock of Skypiros meat sheep. These sheep were cheap, bought primarily for meat at a low price, knowing that in the long grass they were likely to lose large numbers to predators. It took thousands of years to select the sheep that thrived the best in the long grass, selecting for longer legs, taller ears and graceful horns. It's unknown where their blue colouration came from, though it was probably a random mutation that occurred and was desirable and marketable. The blue wool is sold in large amounts as a luxury clothing textile, especially to towns like Brixton where high-grade textiles in blue-greys are always in fashion. Breeding for wool quality is thought to be an afterthought following the emergence of the blue colour. Breeders seem to have noticed that spinners were after the wool for its colour, giving incentive for breeding higher-quality wool. Now, the sheep are rarely eaten and used almost exclusively as wool sheep.
Still a rare specialty breed, bluemink sheep exist only in Western Sedia at this time, and their population is thought to be around 2500 total individuals.
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