 Karakul sheep Breed of sheep native to Bukharka in Central Asia the new born lambs usually have tightly curled black fur and are skinned before they are three days old to provide commercial lambskin for which to sheep are raised. The finest pelts are often obtained from new born lambs. A large percentage of lambs skin is classified as Persian lamb, though it may also be called Caracal, Broad tail, Krimmer , or Astrakhan , depending on the quality and tightness of the curl.
These lambs grow rapidly and produce meat but are seldom used for this purpose. The grown sheep is medium-sized and broad tailed; its wool is a mixture of course and fine fibers, varying in color from black to shades of tan and gray, used in making carpets and other heavy fabrics. Karakul sheep are raised in several countries of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. In the United States they are raised on a small scale chiefly in Texas . |
