Royal White
The Royal White is an American hair-sheep breed developed in Texas from St Croix and Dorper or White Dorper ancestry. It was selected for a white shedding coat, polled heads, meat production, and adaptation to hot range and pasture conditions. Unlike wool breeds, Royal Whites grow hair and a seasonal undercoat that should shed without routine shearing, making them part of the broader group of low-wool meat sheep used in the southern United States and similar climates.
Keepers choose Royal Whites for lamb production where heat, barber-pole worm pressure, or limited shearing labor make hair sheep practical. They still need secure fencing and a suitable mineral program. Pasture rotation and parasite monitoring remain important; shedding ability does not remove the need for flock health work. Breeders commonly cull for horns, poor shedding, weak feet, and ewes that do not raise lambs efficiently. Buyers should distinguish registered Royal White stock from generic white hair-sheep crosses if breed identity matters.
Colors: Badgerface, Black, Blackbelly, Brown, Gray, Gulmoget, Katmoget, Moorit, Piebald, Red, Silver, Spotted, Tan, White, White with Black Points, White with Brown Points