Comisana

The Comisana, also known as Faccia Rossa and Lentinese, is an Italian breed of domestic sheep indigenous to central and northern areas of the Mediterranean island of Sicily.[3][4] Its name derives from that of the comune of Comiso, in the province of Ragusa. It is raised principally in the provinces of Caltanissetta, Enna and Palermo, but is found in many other Italian provinces and has also been exported to other Mediterranean countries.[4]

Comisana
Conservation statusFAO (2007): not at risk[1]
Other names
  • Faccia Rossa
  • Lentinese
Country of originItaly
Distributionnorth and central Sicily
StandardMIPAAF
Usetriple-purpose, primarily for milk
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    80 kg [2]
  • Female:
    50 kg [2]
Height
  • Male:
    80 cm [2]
  • Female:
    70 cm [2]
Wool colourwhite
Face colourbrick-red with white frontal stripe
Horn statushornless in both sexes

History

The origins of the Comisana sheep are obscure; it is a southern Mediterranean breed.[4] It appears to derive from cross-breeding of the Sicilian Pinzirita with Maltese sheep imported to Sicily towards the end of the nineteenth century.[5]: 788 

It is one of the seventeen autochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders;[6] the herdbook was established in 1976.[3] Total numbers for the breed were estimated at 350,000 in 1983, of which 64,500 were registered in the herdbook.[4] In 2013 the number recorded in the herdbook was 28,428;[7] in 2019 it was 2105.[8]

Use

The milk yield of the Comisana averages 104 ± 30 litres per lactation for primiparous ewes, and 189 ± 51 L for pluriparous ones. It may exceed 500 L. The milk has 6.5% fat and 5.2% protein.[6] Lambs are usually slaughtered at the age of about one month, at a weight of 9–10 kg. Rams yield about 2.5 kg of wool, ewes about 1.3 kg; the wool is of coarse quality, suitable for mattresses.[4]

References
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  1. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed May 2014.
  2. Caratteri tipici e indirizzi di miglioramento della razza Comisana (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali. Accessed May 2014.
  3. Breed data sheet: Comisana/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2014.
  4. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 204–205.
  5. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  6. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 10. Accessed January 2014.
  7. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza 24 Comisana Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed January 2014.
  8. Breed data sheet: Comisana / Italy (Sheep). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed October 2020.
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