another sheep question

[Guest pax]

Do lighter coloured sheep have a higher tolerance for being out in the sun?

 

My darker sheep head for the shade first, but they are not normally the leaders, so I'm wondering if it's a colour thing because it's been so extraordinarily bright and hot the last couple of days.

[hsnrs]

Our sheep are white and lay out in the sun most of the day so you might be right.

[juliepoudrier]

I have both light and dark sheep (and all shades in between), and aside from the light sheep seeming to get a bit sunburned after shearing, I haven't noticed any one group heading to or leaving the shade any faster than any other group. IOW, they *all* seek shade during the hottest part of the day.

 

J.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

My oldest head for shade first. I've got one old black ewe that stays out and grazes no matter how hot it it, but she's got the highest concentration of hair sheep in my flock except for a couple others. Those other almost purebred hair, and a couple of ewes that inherited hair coat, have quite low tolerance for the heat.

 

I suspect some of it has to do with the construction of the fleece. If it is just right, it will shade the skin but release heat away from the body, similar to an Arab thobe. That black ewe has very light fleece, but not hair. Most of my flock, in fact have extremely light fleeces, so much so that one time a shearer came out and refused to take the full fee because he felt he hadn't done enough work!