While the majority of the world's sheep then became white, shepherds around the world still maintained exotic, rare and colored breeds of sheep. In the old west a few colored sheep roamed the ranges. In this recent phase of the popularity of colored sheep, the choice of breeding animals was limited. From rather meager beginnings the quality of the animals has vastly improved. These animals are no longer the black sheep , literally or figuratively.
Many colored sheep are competitive with their white counterparts.
Almost every breed of sheep is now represented in natural colors ranging through an unbelievable spectrum of black, grey, silver, brown, beige, red and blonde. Today The growth and popularity of handspinning, weaving, felting, and other wool crafts has resulted in a demand for natural colored wool. Fleece value is determined by the spinning characteristics and quality of the fleece. Modern handcrafters are more knowledgeable and more discriminating, demanding higher quality fleeces than those required by the commercial textile industry. Different uses and different personal preferences mean that there is a demand for all grades of high quality wools.