Complete List of Top Sheep Breeds in India 2025

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Top Sheep Breeds in India 2025
  • Nellore Sheep
  • Deccani Sheep
  • Marwari Sheep
  • Bellary Sheep
  • Jaisalmeri Sheep
  • Mecheri Sheep
  • Chokla Sheep
  • Garole Sheep
  • Mandya Sheep
  • Kendrapada Sheep
• Conclusion

Introduction

Sheep are India's second most important ruminant after goats. 44 registered and documented breeds of sheep exist. According to the 20th Livestock Census, the total number of sheep in the country stands at 74.26 million, which is 13.83% of the total livestock population in India. The top 5 states in term of sheep population in India are Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

According to the UN’s FAOSTAT 2019, India is second in terms of sheep population and represents about 4.03 % of the global sheep population.

In India, sheep are spread over varied ecological conditions. As a result, a wide range of phenotypes and production-type sheep breeds are found in the country.

What are the Top Sheep Breeds in India 2025?

You can find a wide variety of foreign and Indian sheep breeds in our country. Among all the indigenous sheep breeds, the largest population is of Nellore sheep breeds (Census 2019) followed by Deccani, Marwari, Bellary, Jaisalmeri, and Mecheri. In this section, we have discussed the different types of sheep in India in order of their population. Some of the best sheep breeds in India are listed below:

Nellore Sheep

The Nellore Sheep breed is mainly found in the Nellore district and adjoining areas of the Prakasam and Ongole districts of Andhra Pradesh. Three distinguished varieties of Nellore Sheep are found based on colour: Palla, Jodipi, and Dora.

These breeds are primarily reared for meat and are the tallest sheep breed in India. Some of the key characteristic features are:

• Colour: Completely white, white with brown/black spots on the head, or completely brown.
• They have very little hair except at wither, brisket, and breech.
• They have long and drooping ears, and most of the breed carry wattles.
• The male and female Nellore sheep have an average body weight of 36 kg and 28 kg, respectively.

Deccani Sheep

The Deccani Sheep breed is mainly distributed in the Deccan Plateau, encompassing the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. Four different strains of Deccani Sheep are Sangamneri, Lonand, Kolhapuri, and Solapuri (Sangola).

These sheep breeds are admixture of hairy types of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and woolly types of Rajasthan. Besides, they possess a natural resistance to many common diseases. Some of the key features are:

• They are small, hardy, and well-settled in poor pastoral conditions.
• They have coloured fleece, grey and black colours being more dominant.
• The Deccani sheep breed has an annual yield of wool being 4.54 kg per sheep.
• They produce low-grade wool and are chiefly used to manufacture rough blankets (Kambals).
• The flocks of this sheep breed are maintained primarily for mutton.

Marwari Sheep

Marwari is an important sheep breed of Marwar region covering Jodhpur, Nagaur, Jalore, Sirohi, Pali and Barmer districts of Rajasthan. This breed is also found in Jeoria region of Gujarat. Essentially a migratory breed, these breeds are known for their resistance to heat and temperature. Some of the key features are:

• Rebari communities, who are migratory pastoralist, rear these sheep.
• They are well built, strong and medium in size.
• The face of Marwari breed is usually black extending up to the neck.
• The ears of these sheep are tubular and tail is short to medium & thin.
• The weight of adult male sheep ranges 24 – 47 kg and that of female ranges 18 – 43 kg.
• They are reared for their meat and wool (for making carpet).

Bellary Sheep

Bellary is the most important sheep breed of Karnataka in terms of population and their adaptability to black soils and agroclimatic conditions of northern part of the state. They are primarily found in Bellary and Devangere districts and adjoining areas of Chitaradurga & Haveri districts of Karnataka.

These sheep breeds are not much different from Deccani sheep. The breed found to the north of Tungabhadra River is called Deccani and those to the south of it are called Bellary. Some of the key features are:

• They have strong built and are medium to large in size.
• The colour of the coat ranges from black-white combinations to complete black.
• Most of the rams (male sheep) are horned, whereas eves (female sheep) are polled.
• The horns are thick at the base and pointed as they emerged upward curling backward.
• Ears of this breed is tubular in shape and medium in size.
• The tail is short and thin.

Jaisalmeri Sheep

These sheep breeds are endemic to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and spread over the neighbouring districts of Barmer and Jodhpur. The Raika Hindus raise them under a migratory and semi-nomadic system.

They can survive extreme heat (up to 50 °C) and require minimal water intake. They produce good carpet-type wool, and some of the physical characteristics are:

• The fleece colour is white, and their face is black.
• They have long and dropping ears.
• The horns of the male and female are polled.
• They have a square build and are deep and tall in appearance.
• They are one of the heaviest sheep breeds in India, with the average weight of adult rams being 54.15 kg.

Mecheri Sheep

Mecheri sheep are native to the Salem and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu. They are also found in Namakkal, Karur, Erode, and a few parts of the Dharampuri districts. Mecheri sheep are known for their skin quality, which is the best among all sheep breeds in India.

The vital physical features are:

• The Mecheri sheep breed has no horns for both males and females.
• The average body weight of an adult male is 36 kg.
• The average body weight of adult females is 22 kg.
• They have medium-sized bodies and contain pale, purplish skin colour.
• The tail of this sheep breed is more petite and slenderer.

Chokla Sheep

The Chokla Sheep breed hails mainly from the Churu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan. It is also distributed over the adjoining areas of Nagaur, Bikaner, and Jaipur. These sheep breeds are reared for their wool, used to make fine carpets and their migration quality.

Chokla breed produces the finest carpet wool among all Indian Sheep breeds. Its wool quality number ranges from 54s to 60s count. Some of the key features are:

• They are light and medium sized.
• The face does not have wool, and the colour is dark brown or reddish brown.
• They have tubular ears, and the ear length is small to medium.
• They have thin tails, and the length is medium.
• They have relatively fine and dense coats covering the entire body, including the belly.

Garole Sheep

The Garole sheep breed is native to the Sunderban region of West Bengal. These sheep are known for their prolificacy and have a high reproduction rate. They are the prolific microsheep of India.

Garole sheep are suitable for hot and humid climates. They are primarily reared for meat, and their wool is used for manufacturing rough carpets. Some of the unique features are:

• They can breed around the year and are disease resistant.
• They can graze in knee-deep marshy saline areas.
• They are small-sized and have low body weight.
• They have square bodies with small heads, medium ears, and short, thin tails.
• The average body weight of male and female sheep is 15 kg and 13.7 kg, respectively.

Mandya Sheep

Mandya Sheep are native to the Mandya district and the border areas of the Mysore district of Karnataka. They are raised for meat and wool production. This breed is best known for its mutton among all Indian sheep breeds.

The key physical features are:

• They are white, and the face colour is light brown.
• The horns of male and female Mandya sheep are polled.
• They have a compact body with typical reversed "u" shaped from the back.
• They have long, leafy, and drooping ears.
• Their tail is short and thin, and most sheep carry wattles.

Kendrapada Sheep

The Kendrapada Sheep breed is native to the Kendrapada district of Odisha and is distributed in the Konark, Bhadrak, and Puri districts of coastal Odisha.

They are identified for their prolificacy, second only to Garole Sheep. They are the second sheep breed in India to carry the FecB mutation. They are primarily reared for meat.

The key physical features are:

• The average body weight of the adult Kendrapada sheep breed is about 23 kg.
• The colour of the coat ranges from dark brown to white.

Conclusion

Sheep is an important animal of Livestock Sector in India. They provide livelihood to small and marginal farmers and landless labourers. India is home to 44 sheep breeds, and they are spread over various ecological conditions. Indigenous sheep contribute greatly to the agrarian economy, especially in areas where crop and dairy farming are not economical. They provide a dependable source of income to the animal owners.

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