Country of origin | Italy |
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Distribution | province of Massa Carrara, in Tuscany |
Use | meat |
Traits | |
Weight |
|
Height |
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Wool color | white |
Face color | white, sometimes mottled with brown or grey |
Notes | |
meat | |
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The Zerasca is a breed of upland sheep from the province of Massa Carrara, in Tuscany in central Italy. [1] [2] It is raised almost exclusively in the comune of Zeri and the neighbouring comune of Pontremoli. [2] In the years after the Second World War, systematic use was made of Massese rams with the aim of improving milk yield; the result was a reduction in resistance to disease and ability to forage on poor terrain, an increase in mammary defects, an increase in colour variability, but little improvement in milk yield. [2] The Zerasca is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. [3]
In 2012 the total number for the breed was 951. [4]
Country of origin | Italy |
---|---|
Distribution | province of Massa Carrara, in Tuscany |
Use | meat |
Traits | |
Weight |
|
Height |
|
Wool color | white |
Face color | white, sometimes mottled with brown or grey |
Notes | |
meat | |
|
The Zerasca is a breed of upland sheep from the province of Massa Carrara, in Tuscany in central Italy. [1] [2] It is raised almost exclusively in the comune of Zeri and the neighbouring comune of Pontremoli. [2] In the years after the Second World War, systematic use was made of Massese rams with the aim of improving milk yield; the result was a reduction in resistance to disease and ability to forage on poor terrain, an increase in mammary defects, an increase in colour variability, but little improvement in milk yield. [2] The Zerasca is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. [3]
In 2012 the total number for the breed was 951. [4]