Our Sheep

The Farm has several different breeds of sheep, including Southdowns (a breed from this area of the country) and Wensleydales (a rare breed).

Wensleydales

We currently have four breeding ewes: two white and two black Wenslydales, known mainly as a breed good for their long wool.  Marley, one of the black Wenslydales, is pictured above right.

Soays

We also have a Soay which is a primitive breed.  Farmers with Soays talk of intelligent, nimble animals with excellent mothering habits, always with quirky behavioural traits and lots of fun to watch. They are excellent conservation grazers, being content in woodland and on hillsides. The coloured fleece (see picture second down on the right) is sought after for many craft uses and their carcass produces lean meat of a delicious flavour fetching premium prices for the gourmet trade.

Southdowns

We have three breeding ewes from this breed - a breed traditionally found in the south of England.  These came in the Farm in 2005 and have successful lambed twice now.  They are easily identified by the large amount of fleece growing on their faces!

Catkin

The favourite at the Farm - a texal-cross ewe that was hand-reared and therefore completely at ease with people.  Catkin has never bred, probably because she prefers people to rams!  She is getting older now and will probably retire soon from her hectic social calendar of attending the events the Farm does during the summer months.