Press Information

The Nolana-Project – Breeding and Husbandry of Hairsheep in Germany

Sheep production in Germany suffers from very low and heavily fluctuating revenues from raw wool of 0,20 – 0,80 €/kg. Already for many years, in Germany, wool could not be produced cost effectively (costs of wool production: parasite prevention ca be up to 6,00 €/sheep/year; shearing; maintenance of the wool while still on the sheep and all inputs associated with the marketing of the raw wool). Thus, it can be said, that wool production under these conditions is no longer lucrative.

The textile industry is suffering from a fast structural change and covers it’s wool supply currently from overseas imports. Only rarely are process operations such as washing, preparing and processing the wool still carried out in Germany. For this reason, Dr. Rolf Minhorst proposed in 1997 to breed hairsheep on a broad scale and presented this project idea to the public for the first time as “Nolana-Project” in the agricultural press. Since then, the “Nolana-Project” organized breeders and agricultural experimental stations are breeding a new hairsheep for meat-production. These Nolana-sheep have a short haircoat, like a goat, and don’t produce a woollen fleece therefore not needing to be shorn. These extra costs which arise from the wool production no longer apply and therefore don’t burden the sheep production additionally.

Project Objectives

In view of the price decrease of raw wool, by providing a new and high performing breed of hairsheep (Nolana-breed), the German sheep industry shall be given a new perspective.

  • Back-crossing flocks of woolly sheep into hairsheep, using rams of the breeds Wiltshire Horn, Dorper and Barbados
  • Providing of hairsheep for meat production and for landscape conservation programmes.
  • Advising the interested sheep breeding public with regard to the breeding strategy of their flocks
  • Contribution to the development and profitability of the German sheep industry
  • Promotion of the use of sheep in landscape conservation and in the protection of nature
  • Supporting a landscape development which for economic reasons uses animals

Why the label „Nolana-sheep“?

  1. The name „Nolana“ was introduced for the arising new, synthetic breed. Nolana is a Latin artificial word and means “no wool”. Meanwhile, this name has become well established and is used by breeders and breeding associations for the new registries. Overseas, this name is also well understood and associated with a hairsheep.
  2. As the crossbred-population is not genetically consolidated for a long time yet, in the first stage the term “Nolana” means only a “type of hairsheep”. The genetic consolidation began in 2003.

How does the Project work?

In lack of public funding, it was suggested to organize the breeding from woolly sheep towards hairsheep. This was achieved by means of simple back-crossing towards Wiltshire Horn until the R1- or R2-generation is reached. Then inter-se-mating takes place followed by the selection for the desired type. Due to the lack of funds, the project could not be carried out on an experimental level. It is being carried out in cooperation with sheep farmers on their farms.

In order to provide the desired crossbred-sheep until the R1- and R2-generation, the farmers used registered and geno-typified Wiltshire Horn rams from different flock-books. They proceeded as the beef-farmers did with the making of the German Angus cattle. Since the end of the 1960’s, the dairy-farmers who wished to change from dairy to beef production, used pure bred Angus bulls on their local dairy cows. Only when they reached a sufficient number of crossbred cattle nationwide, did they begin the genetic consolidation. Thus the “German Angus Cattle” was born, which is now a recognized breed of beef cattle.

Since October 1999, the secretaries of the three big sheep breeding organizations in the northwest of Germany have been cooperating with the Nolana-project. In July 2000, Dr. Brüggemann, secretary of the SZV Westfalen-Lippe, requested the authorization of the Nolana-breeding experiment with the local government in Düsseldorf. After the authorization by the end of 2000, a Nolana-registry was established and adopted by the breeding organizations in the other German federal states.

The preliminary breeding aim is defined and can be downloaded from this website.

For the Nolana-meat sheep the following parameters apply:

Adult rams 115 – 130 kg LW; yearling rams 90 – 110 kg LW
Adult ewes 75 – 90 kg LW. Young ewes 55 –65 kg at 8 months (first mating)
Birth weight 4 – 5 kg
Weaning weight at 4 months min. 40 kg
Two oestrusses per year, high share of twins
True hairsheep with winter-coat (4 – 5 cm) and natural shedding in springtime
Both sexes must be polled

For the Nolana-hill sheep the following parameters apply:

Adult rams 75 – 100 kg LW; yearling rams 50 – 70 kg LW
Adult ewes 55 – 75 kg LW); yearling ewes 45 – 55 kg LW
Birth weight 3,5-4,5 kg LW
Weaning weight at 7 – 12 months 40 – 45 kg LW
Two oestrusses per year, high share of twins
True hairsheep with winter-coat (4 – 5 cm) and natural shedding in springtime
Pigmentation predominantly brown, black and spotted
Both sexes must be polled