Sheep breed
Massese
Massese
A Tuscan dairy sheep that lambs all year round.
Description1
An Italian breed from the Alpi Apuane of Massa-Carrara province, Tuscany, named after the town of Massa. It is kept across most of Tuscany and in Emilia-Romagna, Liguria and Umbria, and shares origins with the other native Apennine sheep.
One of seventeen native Italian breeds with a herdbook kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, established in 1971. In 1986 there were 182,690 head, 66% in Tuscany; in 2013 the herdbook held 8,423.
It is in oestrus all year and normally lambs three times in two years; with 135% twinning this gives two lambs a year, slaughtered at 10–15 kg. It yields 120–138 litres per lactation, up to 300–350 litres.
History1
Ancient
Shares common origins with the other native Apennine breeds.
1971
The herdbook is established.
1986 → 2013
Falls from 182,690 head to 8,423 registered.
Breed standard and breed society
The official breed description, breeding goal and herdbook rules are published by the breed's recognised breed society.
- English Wikipedia – Massesehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massese_sheep
Photo gallery
All photos are freely licensed (Wikimedia Commons, Flickr); author, source and licence are shown under each image.
Sources
Accessed: 2026-10-18.