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What can I see?
The five most common breeds in Canada are represented here at the Agriculture Museum:
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- Suffolk
- mainly a meat breed
- they have a black face, white
wool bodies, and are polled
(hornless)
- Hampshire
- mainly a meat breed
- they have a black face with
some white wool on it
- Polled Dorset
- mainly meat breeds
- they have white woolly faces, white wool bodies and can be polled or horned
- known for producing many, fast-growing lambs
- North Country Cheviot
- a "medium wool breed"
- they have white faces with short wool, shorter white wool on their bodies and
are polled
- known as a hardy breed and one that produces many lambs
- Border Leceister
- a "long wool breed", raised for wool more than for meat
- they have long white curly wool on their body, no wool on their face and are
polled
- known for having twins more frequently than single lambs
- Arcott
- this breed was developed here in Ottawa at the Animal Research Centre,
Ottawa (hence the name)
- they have white wool, no wool on their faces but a bit of brown colouring on
faces and legs
- it was developed to be a prolific sheep; ewes often produce triplets
Jacob
- origin unknown, first arrived to North America at the turn of the century
- wool colour varies from almost brown to nearly white, multi-horned (2, 4 or 6)
- slender-boned; small in stature, but not in character
- intelligent, with natural instincts intact
- hardy, versatile, resilient, thifty
- excellent mothers; ease in birthing, very protective
- ideal breed for the small flock owner
- Jacobs are named Jack (ram), Nan and Daisy (ewes). The lambs are Meg, born March 20
to Nan, and Marigold and Rose born on March 13 to Daisy.
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The Canadian Perspective:
- the main sheep areas in Canada are Ontario and Alberta
- there are approx. 1 million sheep in Canada on about 13,000 farms
- we produce about 40% of our needs in lamb, the balance is imported from Australia
and New Zealand
- we export most of our raw wool; in 1991 we exported 1.4 million kg of wool mainly
to the US and UK; we imported 7.3 million kg of processed wool, mostly from the
US, UK, Australia and New Zealand
- sheep eat forages and small amounts of grains; in summer, ours spend the days
outside and graze on grass
Uses:
- in Canada we raise sheep mainly for meat, the wool is simply a by-product
- some breeds are also raised for their milk which is made into cheeses
- in some countries, sheep are raised primarily for their wool (Merino sheep in New
Zealand and Australia for example)
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What can I see?
The most common beef breeds in Canada used to be represented here at the Farm. Due to
a fire on August 30, 1996, we only have at this time the Hereford and the Limousin breeds.
- Hereford
- can be polled (hornless) or horned
- they are primarily red with white faces
- the most popular breed in Canada
- Limousine
The Canadian Perspective:
- there are approximately 3.7 million beef animals in Canada, with 2 million in Alberta
and Saskatchewan alone
- these provinces have high numbers due to the topography of the land ie. large areas of
rangelands or pastures available at a low price
- an average Canadian beef herd has about 25 cows; there are many part-time beef
farmers, or farmers that have a few head of cattle to supplement grain or dairy farming
- a farmer needs 75-100 cows, at least, to make a living just from beef cattle
- beef today is very lean; there is still some fat in it, however, so that the meat will be
tender
Uses:
Beef cattle are raised primarily for meat. They also provide many by-products, such as
leather, lard, fats for plastics, rubber and cosmetics, gelatin, etc.
Beef Cattle and Beef
Beef Information Centre
2233 Argentia Road, Suite 100
Mississauga, Ont. L5N 2X7
Phone: (905) 821-4900
Fax: (905) 821-4915
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What can I see?
Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pigs
- pigs get sick quite easily; they can even catch a cold
from people and then spread the cold to the rest of
the herd; they also are easily stressed by noise and
handling and separation from their group
- we use our Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pigs for teaching
- they are not a commercial breed in North-America
(too fat) although in Asia they are raised for pork
- they have a much stronger immune system than our
commercial breeds
- they are a pet breed and can be litter trained, come
when called, walk on a leash, etc...
You may see a sow and litter from our other breeds,
including Yorkshire, Landrace, Duroc and Hampshire.
The Canadian Perspective:
- The main swine producing regions of Canada are Ontario and Quebec.
- In 1991, there were 10 million pigs on 30,000 farms, with 60% of these in Eastern
Canada.
- Four of the five most popular breeds of swine in Canada are represented in our swine
barn.
- On commercial farms, most pigs are cross-bred since this capitalizes on "hybrid
vigour" (pigs grow faster, have better feed-to-weight conversion). We are now mostly
cross-breeding our pigs.
Uses:
Pigs are raised primarily for meat. There are many by-products from pigs, including leather,
bristles for brushes, fats for many industrial uses (rubber, plastics, etc.) and pharmaceuticals.
Pigs and Pork
Ontario Pork
P.O. Box 740
Etobicoke, Ont. M9C 5H3
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