where more than 50% of the national sheep flock is found. In this region,59.1% (9.61 million) of Brazilian population are classified as“extremely poor” (IBGE, 2010). In this respect, the develop-ment of sheep production may have a direct influence onthe income and quality of life of part of this population.Most part of the northeastern sheep flocks consistsof animals of nondescript and locally adapted breeds. Asobserved in other developing countries, a large part oflocally adapted breeds in Brazil is at risk of extinction.The Morada Nova breed is one of the main locally adaptedbreeds in northeastern Brazil (Paiva et al., 2005, 2006). Pre-vious studies indicate the suitability of this breed for meat