View source for Manx Loaghtan

{{Short description|Breed of sheep}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sheep breed
| name          = Manx Loaghtan
| image         = Manx loaghtan.jpg
| image_size    = 
| image_alt     = 
| image_caption = Manx Loaghtan sheep at The Grove, Rural Life Museum, [[Ramsey, Isle of Man]] 
| status        = [[Rare Breeds Survival Trust|RBST]] (2017): Category 4<ref name=rbst2>[http://www.rbst.org.uk/content/download/4571/65927/version/1/file/Watchlist+2017+A3+pg+1+-+FINAL+VERSION.pdf Watchlist 2017–18]. Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed May 2017.</ref>
| altname       = 
| nickname      = 
| country       = [[Isle of Man]]
| distribution  = 
| standard      = 
| use           = Meat, wool
| maleweight    =
| femaleweight  =
| maleheight    =
| femaleheight  =
| skincolor     = 
| type          = 
| woolcolor     =
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| horns         = Horned, with two, four or six horns.
| note          =
}}

The '''Manx Loaghtan''' ({{IPAc-en||ˈ|l|ɒ|x|t|ə|n}} {{respell|LOKH|tən}})<ref>{{cite OED|loaghtan}}</ref> is a rare breed of [[sheep]] (''Ovis aries'') native to the [[Isle of Man]]. It is sometimes spelled as ''Loaghtyn'' or ''Loghtan''. The sheep have dark brown wool and usually four or occasionally six horns.<ref name="Manx Loaghtan website">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.manxloaghtan.com/ 
|title=Manx Loaghtan
|access-date=2009-04-21}}</ref>

The Manx Loaghtan is one of the [[Northern European short-tailed sheep]] breeds, and descends from the primitive sheep once found throughout [[Scotland]], the [[Hebrides]], and [[Shetland Islands]]. The word Loaghtan comes from the [[Manx language|Manx]] words ''lugh dhoan'', which mean mouse-brown and describe the colour of the sheep.<ref name="Manx Loaghtan website"/> This breed is primarily raised for its meat, which some consider a delicacy. In 2008, the meat received EU recognition and protection under the [[Protected Designation of Origin]] scheme, which requires products with a regional name to originate in the named region.<ref name="DADIS">
{{cite web
|url=http://dad.fao.org/
|title=Manx Loghtan/United Kingdom
|work=Breed Data Sheet
|publisher=Domestic Animal Diversity Information System
|access-date=2009-09-02}}</ref>

The [[Rare Breeds Survival Trust]] has characterised the Loaghtan as "at risk". By the 1950s there were only 43 surviving specimens. [[Manx National Heritage]] developed two healthy flocks. These have given rise to commercial flocks on the Isle of Man, United Kingdom and [[Jersey]]. Even so, today there are still fewer than 1,500 registered breeding females.<ref>[https://www.rbst.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8458e1dc-8c37-4bf2-a84c-13b8dc4676c0] Rare Breeds Survival Trust</ref>

==Appearance==
[[File:Manx Loaghtan Butser Ancient Farm.JPG|thumb|right|A Manx Loaghtan at [[Butser Ancient Farm]]]]
The Manx Loaghtan is a small sheep, with no wool on their dark brown faces and legs. The sheep have short tails and are fine-boned. In the past century the sheep's colour has stabilised as "moorit", that is shades between fawn and dark reddish brown, though the colour bleaches in the sun.<ref name=RBST>RBST: The Manx Loaghtan,[https://www.rbst.org.uk/Rare-and-Native-Breeds/Sheep/Manx-Loaghtan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728120026/https://www.rbst.org.uk/Rare-and-Native-Breeds/Sheep/Manx-Loaghtan |date=28 July 2017 }} - accessed 28 July 2017.</ref> Manx Loaghtan usually have four horns, but individuals are also found with two or six horns.<ref>[http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/manxloaghtan Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal Science, Breeds of Livestock - Manx Loaghtan Sheep.]</ref> The horns are generally small on the ewes but larger and stronger on the males. An adult female weighs about 40&nbsp;kg, and an adult male weighs around 60&nbsp;kg.

==Products==
===Meat===
The Loaghtan is farmed for its meat on the Isle of Man, with only two principal farms on the island producing it. There are now many holdings on the UK mainland that also breed Loaghtans, including some farms with over 100 ewes: for example the Fowlescombe Flock in Devon.<ref>[http://devon.rbst.org.uk/RBST%20Devon/Members/Barkers.htm Fowlescombe Flock – The Barkers, members of RBST Devon<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314232549/http://devon.rbst.org.uk/RBST%20Devon/Members/Barkers.htm |date=2008-03-14 }}</ref> This gourmet meat is highly prized, often being sold as [[Lamb and mutton|hogget or mutton]] from well-finished animals. A 15-month-old will yield a carcass of 18&nbsp;kg of lean meat.<ref name=RBST/>
[[File:Manx Loaghtan sheep near Kirkbymoorside in Yorkshire.jpg|thumb|Manx Loaghtan sheep at the [[Ryedale Show|Ryedale agricultural show]]]]
There is a large flock of the sheep on the [[Calf of Man]], and access to the Isle of Man was closed to protect them during the 2001 UK [[Foot and Mouth Disease]] epidemic. The disease did not reach the island itself, nor the Calf, which continued exports of the meat to the continent of Europe.

The breed is listed in the [[Ark of Taste]], an international catalogue of endangered [[Food heritage|heritage]] foods that the global [[Slow Food]] movement maintains.

===Wool===
Craft [[Spinning (textiles)|spinners]] and [[Weaver (occupation)|weavers]] like the wool for its softness and rich brown colour. The crafters use the undyed material to produce woollens and tweeds.<ref name=RBST/> 

The Loaghtan's wool has a high coating of [[lanolin]] wax, also known as wool wax or wool grease. Warm weather makes the lanolin [[viscosity|viscous]], which aids shearing.<ref name=birds/> Some speciality soap producers also use the lanolin as an ingredient in a mild soap.

==Jersey==
[[Image:Loaghtan sheep - Jersey.JPG|thumb|left|Loaghtan sheep on [[Jersey]]]]
The Loaghtan is believed to be the closest surviving relative of the now extinct [[Jersey]] sheep. Already in medieval times, Jersey was famous for its woolens. Consequently, the name of the island became a generic term for [[Jersey (clothing)#History|the jersey]], an item of [[knit]]ted clothing, worn as a [[Sweater|pullover]].

In 2008 the [[National Trust for Jersey]] began a programme of introducing Loaghtans into Jersey for coastal grazing, a traditional method of vegetation control in the north of Jersey.<ref name="A place in the country for four-horned sheep">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.thisisjersey.com/2008/05/29/a-place-in-the-country-for-four-horned-sheep/
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527065720/http://www.thisisjersey.com/2008/05/29/a-place-in-the-country-for-four-horned-sheep/
|url-status=usurped
|archive-date=27 May 2012
|title=A place in the country for four-horned sheep
|work=[[Jersey Evening Post]]
|access-date=2009-07-28}}</ref> In 2014, two shepherds cared for a flock that had grown from 20 to 231 animals.<ref name=birds>Jersey’s Manx Loaghtan sheep,[http://www.birdsontheedge.org/2014/07/18/jerseys-manx-loaghtan-sheep-the-choughs-neighbours-and-friends/] - accessed 28 October 2014.</ref> The wool from Jersey's flock of Loaghtans is sold locally.<ref name=birds/>

==Ecology==
There appears to be a link between the presence of Loaghtan sheep and the ability of the [[chough]] to thrive. Studies on [[Ramsey Island]], [[Bardsey Island]], and the Isle of Man have found that as the number of grazing sheep fell, so did the number of breeding choughs; when sheep grazing increased, so did the number of breeding choughs. This appears to be happening on Jersey as well.<ref name=birds/>

As the Loaghtans graze, they crop and trample the grass. This enables the birds to reach surface-active and soil insects. Also, the dung the sheep leave draws beetles and fly larvae. These insects in turn are a resource for the birds when the ground is hard or other insects are scarce.<ref name=birds/>

==See also==
{{div col}} 
* [[Castlemilk Moorit]]
* [[Hebridean sheep]]
* [[Icelandic sheep]]
* [[Jacob sheep]]
* [[Rare breed (agriculture)]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Manx Loaghtan}}
* [http://www.manxloaghtansheep.com/ Manx Loaghtan Breeders' Group website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/isleofman/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8333000/8333801.stm BBC: Farming the Manx Loaghtan sheep]

{{British livestock|R.1}}

[[Category:Mammals of Europe]]
[[Category:Sheep breeds]]
[[Category:Products with protected designation of origin]]
[[Category:Animal breeds originating in the Isle of Man]]
[[Category:Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist]]