Sheep Centre - Sheep
Breeds |
Balwen
A Welsh mountain breed with close wool, the Balwen is
distinguished by its white blaze, socks and white tail
on an otherwise dark chocolate / black fleece |
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Castlemilk Moorit
A tan or moorit coloured primitive breed from Dumfriesshire
from crosses between Shetland, Wild Mouflon and Manx Loghtan
sheep. |
Cotswold
Said to be descended from sheep introduced to these hills
by the Romans, it was the long wool Cotswold breed which
was so popular during the Middle Ages when this area was
the centre of a thriving and profitable wool industry.
The Lord Chancellors wool sack is stuffed with Cotswold
wool. |
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Dorset Down
Developed in the 19th century from crossing Southdown
rams onto Hampshire and Wiltshire breeds they are polled
with a white fleece and black face. Famous for breeding
out of season so they can produce early lambs. |
Greyface Dartmoor
A longwool breed from the West Country Moors, they have
a distinctive, heavy fleece of curly lustre wool. Hornless,
they are white with black spots on the nose. |
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Hebridean
Usually a dark brown colour, the Hebridean is horned in
both sexes, some rams having 4 horns. From the Western
Isles, the Hebridean became popular as a parkland sheep
in England in the 19th century. A primitive breed, tests
indicate that the meat is low in saturated fats. Widely
used in conservation grazing projects. |
Hill Radnor
A tan or brown faced breed from the Welsh marches, the
rams are horned and the ewes are polled. |
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Kerry Hill
An alert and showy breed from the hills of Mid-Wales,
it has panda-like markings on the face with upright ears
and black feet and a very upstanding carriage. Both sexes
are polled. |
Leicester Longwool
Probably the most famous of British sheep, being directly
descended from the Dishley Leicester which was created
by Robert Bakewell towards the end of the 18th century.
The Leicester Longwool is able to survive and thrive in
a wide range of environments. It is a large longwool breed
with a white face and grey nose. There is also a coloured
variety that has black or brown markings on the face,
legs and in the fleece. |
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Lincoln Longwool
The Lincoln is one of the oldest of Longwool breeds, producing
the heaviest and most lustrous fleece. Its main function
was to produce wool and, at the end of its productive
life, a large mutton carcass. The Lincoln Longwool is
a heavy white faced polled breed with a characteristic
forelock of wool. |
Llanwenog
The breed originated in West Wales in the late 19th century
from the horned Llanllwni (now extinct) and Shropshire
breeds. The Llanwenog is a medium sized short wool breed.
It has black legs and head with a tuft of wool on the
forehead. As a grassland breed its main purpose is to
produce prime meat lambs from grass. |
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Manx Loghtan
A primitive breed from the Isle of Man - 'Loghtan' means
mouse brown. Most examples are 2 or 4 horned, but occasionally
6 horned and polled exampes are to be seen. |
North Ronaldsay
This breed evolved in the isolated environment of the
Orkney Islands. Its most distinctive characteristic is
that of existing on a diet of seaweed for most of the
year. The semi feral flock on the North Ronaldsay is confined
to the foreshore for most of the year to conserve the
limited grazing inland. A small flock has been established
by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust on the uninhabited island
of Linga Holm. |
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Oxford Down
The Oxford Down has a strong solid body with broad head
and shoulders. The face is dark in colour and well covered
with wool. The short close fleece is of fine quality and
covers the whole body and legs of the animal. The head
is adorned with a "top-knot". The Oxford is
the largest of the Down breeds and evolved in the 1800s
when several breeders used Hampshire Down and Southdown
ewes with Cotswold rams to produce a large sheep with
quality mutton. |
Portland
From Dorset, both sexes are horned with brown or tan faces
and legs. Lambs are born a foxy brown colour but the fleece
gradually turns grey or white. |
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Shetland
Native of the islands north of Scotland, the primitive
Shetland sheep come in a wide variety of colours from
white through grey, fawn, brown to almost black as well
as mixtures of these. Tough, hardy and fine-boned, the
Shetland is renowned for the quality of its wool with
Shetland knitwear being world famous |
Shropshire
A medium sized sheep of the downland type, they were developed
in the 19th century from breeds native to the Welsh borders
crossed with Southdowns and possibly the Leicester. |
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Soay
Another small, primitive breed from the remote St. Kilda
islands, the Soay is regarded as a link between wild and
domesticated sheep. Brown in colour with lighter colouring
on the rump, under the belly, around the eyes and under
the jaw. Both sexes are usually horned. |
Southdown
The Southdown has been known in its native area of the
Sussex downs since at least the mid 1700's. It was a very
popular breed up to the last 30 years. With well developed
hindquarters they still have much to offer the quality
meat trade. |
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Teeswater
From the Teesdale area of County Durham, the Teeswater
is a polled Longwool breed with a heavy, high-lustre kemp-free
fleece. The wool is among the highest grades at the BWMB. |
Wensleydale
Its distinctive blue skin allows the Wensleydale to prosper
in hot climates. It is a large breed producing top quality
wool which attracts a premium. Developed in 19th century
from mating a Leicester ram onto a Teeswater, the Wensleydale
is always polled. |
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Whitefaced Woodland
A large hill breed from Penistone area where Derbyshire,
Cheshire, and Yorkshire meet. Both sexes are horned the
rams spiralling outwards. Distinctive white legs and face
with pink or part-pink nostrils. |
Wiltshire Horn
The Wilshire Horn grows no wool but has a coat of thick
hair. This has many management advantages particularly
when wool prices are low. They are good foragers and produce
quality carcasses from poor grazing, helped by their long
legs allowing them to reach areas denied to other breeds. |
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