History of the Oxford Breed in America

EARLY DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION

Original text by Merril Neary Updated by Wayne O’Brien

Oxfords were developed in the 1830s in Oxford County, England. The land in this area is very fertile and abundant crops and forages are produced. The progressive farmers of Oxford County needed a large sheep capable of converting the ample supplies of feed into wool and meat.

Howard Kimmerly, Ohio, Champion Oxford Ram at the 1956 Chicago International.

At that time, the Hampshire breed was being developed in a neighboring county. The Hampshire of that time was a large, hardy, bare-faced breed that was being improved in its caucus quality by the careful addition of Southdown bloodlines. It was felt by the founders of Oxfords that the Hampshire was not large enough to fully utilize the feeds available in their region and its wool, while of good quality, was low in quantity. To the west of Oxford Country lay the country of Cotswold, which contained the massive, longwool breed of the same name.

A deliberate cross was made between these two breeds to take advantage of the hardiness, muscling and wool quality of the Cotswold. This resulted in a sheep ideally suited to the area. After 1850 little crossbreeding was done and efforts were made to establish Oxford breed type through line breeding and selection. The Oxford was recognized as a true and distinct breed at the Royal Agricultural Society Show in 1862.

The impressive qualities of the new breed caught the eye of American importers. The first Oxfords came to North American in 1846. Several other importations continued to be made until 1900 and to a limited extent afterwards. The American Oxford Down Record Association was founded in 1882 at Xenia, Ohio.

Oxfords imported prior to 1900 were very large, rectangular, upstanding, strong topped, wide backed, long bodied, stylish, and nearly black in color with only a small amount of wool on the head and legs. Mature rams were known to have weighed over 400 pounds. The breed at this point tended to lack somewhat in hindquarter muscling. The fleece weight was 12-20 pounds in a year’s clip. Some individuals had coarse or loose fleeces.

Breeders of that time continued to breed a similar type sheep while striving to improve the fleece quality and muscling. The breed spread rapidly into Eastern Canada, the Great Lakes States, and the Cornbelt. Farm flock owners of that time sought the massive Oxford rams to use on their native ewes to improve the growth rate and carcass quality of the lambs. The Oxford lambs grew rapidly and continued to grow efficiently at heavier weights without becoming overly fat. The Oxford cross ewe was valued for her heavy milking qualities, twinning ability, docile disposition, heavy shearing, and overall size and large structure.

Oxfords were used with success by a number of western commercial sheep producers to cross on finewool ewes. However, they did not enjoy the widespread acceptance in that area that they did in the farm flock region.

Oxfords continued to expand in numbers into the 1900s despite strong competition from Shropshires and Hampshires. In the early 1900s Oxfords were the third most numerous breed of sheep registered in America. At this point the breed had changed very little since its early importation. The color had been lightened to include a white spot on the nose in some flocks. Perhaps the breed was slightly smaller and heavier muscled. However, without a doubt, Oxfords were the largest size of any of the Down breeds by a good margin.

Champion Oxford Ewe at the 1961 Chicago International. Bred by Crandell and Ludlow, Mich. Owned and shown by I.H. Kimmerly, Largo, Fla.

Tom Durham, Champion Ram at the 1968 Illinois State Fair

CHANGING TYPE

During the 1930s a movement developed toward a more compact, round type of sheep. The goal was to produce a fattened market lamb at an 80-85 pound weight. Educators, breeders, associations, and packers put their efforts toward changing the type of all breeds. Oxford sired lambs were widely criticized for being too large, growthy, and failing to carry enough fat at the desired market weight. A strong, but not uniform, effort was made by Oxford breeds to reduce the size of the Oxford conformation to that type being proposed by industry leaders.

A deliberate cross was made between these two breeds to take advantage of the hardiness, muscling and wool quality of the Cotswold. This resulted in a sheep ideally suited to the area. After 1850 little crossbreeding was done and efforts were made to establish Oxford breed type through line breeding and selection. The Oxford was recognized as a true and distinct breed at the Royal Agricultural Society Show in 1862.

Much has been said for and against this changing of the traditional Oxford type from the big, almost black Oxfords originally imported from Europe and the British Isles. The pictures contrasting the two types speak for themselves. To this day breeders in the ’30s to ’50s have been strongly criticized for reducing the size of the Oxford while attempting to develop an earlier maturing, heavier muscled sheep. This was the trend in all breeds and was the path of least resistance. If this change in type had not been carried too far, the breed would have been improved. The movement toward small sheep with more wool covering continued through the ’40s and reached its peak in the late 1950s.

The reduction in size of Oxfords during the ’30s-’50s was accompanied by a parallel action to change the color of the Oxfords to a light gray or white. Entire breeding programs of some flocks were based on the goal of lightening the face coloring. Outstanding individuals were rejected by breeders and judges because they were “too dark.”

The merit of changing the size, face covering, and coloring of the Oxford sparked controversy and debate from the time Oxfords were downsized and face color and wool cover was changed. It is unfortunate but the fact remains that as Oxfords became smaller and lighter in color, their popularity dropped drastically. Oxfords, as with many breeds, let the show ring, rather than the economics and practical quality of the breed dictate type.

It is to the everlasting credit of the Oxford breed that it remained a useful sheep through this period. A lesser breed would have perished into the ornamental category. One could only hope that the Oxford breeder will never again abandon the utility of the breed and the qualities that made it so popular before the movements of the ’30s-’50s.

OXFORDS REFOCUS THEIR DIRECTION

In the late 1950s and into the 1960s a new generation of livestock producers began to question the theories of the previous 30 years. They conducted carcass cutout tests, production tests, and feed efficiency tests. They found that the compact market lamb yielded a much higher percentage of fat and less eating meat than the consumer desired. In addition, they were inefficient to produce and could not be carried to heavier weights without becoming excessively fat. The breeding sheep that produced this type of lamb were found to be less efficient and productive than the larger-framed sheep.

The call went out for purebred breeders to produce a larger, more productive sheep. A lamb capable of reaching heavier weights efficiently and quickly was desired. Emphasis was place on the length and thickness of the hindquarter. A minimum of fat covering in proportion to red meat was sought in market lambs. Oxfords had retained these traits to a greater extent than many other breeds.

Oxford breeders had successfully improved the muscling qualities of the breed for the past ten years. The Oxford has always been a leaner type sheep. This inherent quality along with the greater emphasis breeders had placed on length and thickness of hindsaddle made Oxfords a heavily muscled breed that carried a minimum of fat. Oxford sired lambs began doing very well in carcass shows and evaluation tests, especially considering the small number of oxfords entered into carcass evaluation.

The demand for larger sheep sparked leading Oxford breeders to regain the traditional size of Oxfords. Fortunately, during the trend to smaller sheep, not all breeders went too far in that direction. Some breeders who were against the change to downsize the breed closed their flocks and stayed out of the show ring during that time. Suddenly, many of these individual flocks were sought out to influence the Oxford breed. The purpose of this was to use those very large individuals within the breed to improve the size, length, and scale of their flocks.

IMPORTATION OF SCOTTISH OXFORD BLOODLINES TO AMERICA

In the early 1970s several progressive breeders were concerned with the decreasing gene pool of the Oxfords in America. During the same time the Canadian Government imported several pregnant Oxford ewes from different genetic lines into Eastern Canada from Scotland. Several quality offspring were born in quarantine in Canada. Included in this group were the infamous Deshambault 6C, Deshambault 5C, and Maragold 18F. These imported rams and several females became dispersed into several Oxford flocks in the Ontario and Quebec Provinces.

Canadian Oxford breeders were also in need of broadening their genetic pool. Progeny of the Canadian importation from Scotland ended up in Oxford flocks in Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa throughout the late ’70s and into the 1980s. Several young Canadians became consistent consignors to the National Oxford Show in Sale, and annual event that took place in June at Ottawa, Illinois.

Some breeders were quicker to recognize the genetic potential of these sheep from the north. Others criticized them for their dark points because few were old enough to remember what true Oxford type looked like as opposed to what some had adapted it to. A tremendous genetic punch was soon realized by the breeders who used these lines in their breeding programs. Several breeders began infusing the Scottish bloodlines on both the sire and dam sides of their breeding program. The impact was significant in boosting both size and desired structural qualities of the Oxfords in America. In 1975 an Oxford yearling ewe bred in Kentucky and sired by a straight Scottish breed ram (Deshambault 5C from the Guaranteen Station in Canada acquired from Russ Dowe) was named Supreme Champion Ewe at the prestigious North American International Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 1981 an Oxford ram named “The Executive” was named Supreme Champion Ram at the North American International. The same ram then went on to be selection the Supreme Champion Sheep of the entire show between the breed champion rams and ewes! “The Executive” was sired by an American raised ram “Nucleus.” “Nucleus was sired by the Scottish ram Marigold 18F. “The Executive” was dammed by the Canadian-bred ewe photographed below out of the immortal Deshambault 6C, a Scottish ram.

During the 1980s and well into the ’90s Oxfords popularity spread. During this time thier was a major increase in registrations, transfers, and many record prices were established and quickly broken at the National Oxford Sale. Oxford popularity began on the West Coast during the ’70s and really took off during the ’80s and ’90s and expanded into more southern and eastern states as well. Oxford market lambs became increasing popular in many parts of the county due to their overall quality and design, style, and eye appeal.

Charles Dooley Oxfords, 1st Truckload of Lambs at the 1966 Chicago International.

During the 1980s and well into the ’90s Oxfords popularity spread. During this time thier was a major increase in registrations, transfers, and many record prices were established and quickly broken at the National Oxford Sale. Oxford popularity began on the West Coast during the ’70s and really took off during the ’80s and ’90s and expanded into more southern and eastern states as well. Oxford market lambs became increasing popular in many parts of the county due to their overall quality and design, style, and eye appeal.

A new generation of Oxford breeders was challenging many of the big names in the business. Oxford Flocks were being founded by many breeders as their primary breed or they were picking them up as a second breed. Oxfords were also being added by several as youth as 4H, FFA, or hobby projects. Most importantly there was a renewed sense of competition and a willingness to advertise and promote the Oxfords they were producing. The National Sale was moved from Ottawa, Illinois to Springfield, Illinois where there were multiple breeds holding show/sales. This proved to be a good move in opening up the Oxford market and making transportation to far reaching boundaries of the country accessible and affordable.

DOA 724, “The Executive,” 1981 Supreme Champion Ram at the North American International.

Between the mid-’80s to the mid-’90s three more Oxford Supreme Champion were crowned at the North American International Oxford Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Oxfords were competing well in the show ring but the success overshadowed hard times to come.

OXFORDS IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Success can sometimes lead to complacency. When things are going well is not the time to set back and rest on your past achievements. Cutting corners on promotion began to take its toll on interest of new people. Several breeders passed away, retired, or lost interest. The challenge of the new Millennium is to replace those we have lost with new, enthusiastic, and committed Oxford breeders that will stay in it for the long haul.

Secondly, we need to make our product more available and spark interest through advertising, promotions, and creative ideas to spark interest and enthusiasm for Oxford sheep. Several breeders are now supporting additional all breed sales to get our product out in front of the public. The Ohio Oxford Showcase Sale began in 2005 and has proven to be a successful compliment to the National Oxford Show and Sale. Oxfords are affordable and attractive but need to be more available to encourage more widespread growth.

Thirdly, it will take the commitment of all breeders to get behind efforts to promote the breed. This means Oxford breeders being willing to dig into their own pockets to support promotional ideas and programs. Sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it is counter productive and gets nothing accomplished. To promote successfully takes the commitments of many people.

Finally, there are other ways to promote the breed than pumping money into show premiums. At the June 2006 Annual Meeting, the general membership voted to go forward with a website for the breed. In 2007, Oxford breeders established the Annual Foundation Flock Award to help establish one new Oxford flock each year. We hope that modern technology and a renewed purpose will help to breathe life back into Oxfords and revitalize the breed and its commitment to persevere.

“Miss MVP” Winning Ways Sheep Farm 19-840 2019 North American International Livestock Exposition