Sheep Farming in Algeria and Tunisia: Breeds and Practical Tips

Sheep farming in Algeria and Tunisia is the main livestock activity of both countries, centred on the steppe and semi-arid regions between the Tell and the Sahara. Algeria's flock is dominated by the white Ouled Djellal breed, while Tunisia's best-known breed is the fat-tailed Barbarine. In both countries, Eid al-Adha is the main selling season, and drought and feed costs are the biggest risks to profit.

Sheep are part of daily life and identity in the Maghreb: lamb is central to family meals, celebrations and above all the Eid sacrifice. For many rural households on the steppe, sheep are the main source of income, so the way a flock is fed and managed through dry years directly shapes the family's year.

Local context: the steppe at the heart of sheep farming

Both countries share a similar map. In the north, the Tell has cereal farming, more rainfall and mixed crop-livestock farms. Further south lies the steppe, a vast semi-arid belt of rangeland with alfa grass and shrubs, which is the historic home of sheep. Beyond it, the Sahara and its oases support smaller flocks.

In Algeria, steppe herders traditionally move with the seasons:

• Achaba: in summer, flocks move north towards the Tell to graze cereal stubble after harvest.
• Azzaba: in winter, flocks move south towards the edges of the Sahara, where winters are milder.

These movements have declined as more farmers settle and rely on bought feed, but the logic remains: follow the feed, and supplement when the range is poor.

In Tunisia, sheep are spread from the wetter north to the arid centre and south, where most flocks are kept on rangeland, olive groves and cereal stubble, with barley and bran in dry periods.

Breeds and species

Algeria has several well-known breeds:

• Ouled Djellal: the dominant breed, white, tall and long-legged, originally from the eastern steppe around Biskra. Valued for meat and adaptability, and the most common Eid sheep.
• Rembi: a large, hardy steppe breed from the Tiaret and Djebel Amour area, with a fawn-coloured head.
• Hamra: a western steppe breed with a reddish-brown head, related to Morocco's Beni Guil and appreciated for meat quality.
• D'man: the prolific oasis breed of the south-west.
• Berbère sheep in the northern mountains and Sidaou hair sheep in the Sahara.

Tunisia has its own breeds:

• Barbarine: the fat-tailed breed of the centre and south, the most numerous in the country and very hardy in dry conditions.
• Queue Fine de l'Ouest: a thin-tailed breed of the west, found in the Kef area and along the Algerian border.
• Noire de Thibar: a black breed of the north.
• Sicilo-Sarde: a dairy breed in the north, milked for cheese.

Goats are kept mainly in the mountains, the south and the oases, often in mixed flocks with sheep.

Seasons and demand

Eid al-Adha is the biggest selling season in both countries. Families buy a sheep for the sacrifice, and prices for well-finished rams climb in the weeks before. Preparation should start about 3 to 4 months ahead; our Eid al-Adha preparation plan explains each step.

Other key moments:

• Ramadan, weddings and summer celebrations increase meat demand.
• After harvest (early summer), stubble provides cheap grazing.
• Autumn rains decide how good the range will be for winter and spring lambing.

Main challenges

Drought and range degradation. Repeated dry years and heavy grazing pressure have reduced the quality of steppe rangeland. When rain fails, breeders must buy most of their feed. Our guide to managing the herd in drought covers practical responses.

Feed costs. Barley, bran and concentrates are the main bought feeds, and their prices rise in dry years, just when demand for them is highest.

Breed dilution. Widespread crossing, especially with Ouled Djellal, has made some local breeds less common, and uncontrolled crossing can lose valuable traits such as hardiness.

Health. Internal parasites, enterotoxaemia, sheep pox, PPR and foot-and-mouth disease are risks, particularly when animals move between regions and markets. Vaccination must follow your vet and the official national programme.

Informal records. Many flocks are managed without written data, so breeders often do not know their real cost per head or which ewes actually make money.

Practical management advice

1. Plan feed with the rain. At the end of summer, estimate how much grazing you expect and buy or store feed before prices peak.
2. Keep the best ewes in hard years. When you must reduce the flock, sell old, barren and poor-mothering ewes first and keep young, productive ones.
3. Prepare Eid rams early. Select them 3 to 4 months ahead, deworm on vet advice, and step up the ration over about 10 to 14 days.
4. Weigh, then decide. Weigh fattening rams every two weeks and stop when the daily cost exceeds the value of the daily gain.
5. Manage breeding rams. Choose males with clear breed type and good growth, change them every few seasons and avoid mating close relatives.
6. Vaccinate before moving or selling, and quarantine new animals.

If you also trade across the border, compare with our guide to sheep farming in Morocco.

How digital records help Maghreb breeders

On the steppe or in the Tell, the questions are the same: which ewes lamb well, which rams sire the best lambs, how much each animal costs and when to sell. Throf records each animal by number and tag colour, with breed, sex, birth date, mother and father, so you can keep breed lines clean and avoid inbreeding.

Births (including twins), weaning and weights are tracked, health events are logged with reminders, feed stock is followed in kilograms, and expenses and sales show net profit and cost per head. Shepherds can be given their own access with limited permissions, and the owner can follow the flock from the app or the web.