Sheep Breeds

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Herdwick:
- Native to the hills of Cumbria.
- Small, hardy hill breed. Born black then gradually lighten to steel grey fleece with white head and legs.
-Tups up to 90kg and ewes 60kg.
-Uses: to produce replacement stock and lambs for fattening

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North Country Cheviot:
- Found largely in Caithness and Sutherland.
- Larger and longer than the South Country Cheviot, with pronounced Roman nose. Tups up to 130kg and ewes 80kg.
- Uses:purebred on the hill and used to produce crossbred females.

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Scottish Blackface:
- Native to the hills of Northern Scotland.
- Medium sized with mixed wool. Broad head with compressed nose. Head and legs white with black spots (black may predominate) horned. Tups up to70kg and ewes 54kg.
- Uses: Extremely hardy and adaptable.Purebred on the hill and much sought after to produce crossbred females.

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South Country Cheviot:
- Native to the Cheviot hills in South Scotland.
- Hardy,good mother and excellent carcase. Tups up to 100kg and ewes to 60kg.
- Uses:purebred on the hill and in demand to produce crossbred females.

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Swaledale:
- Hill breed from the moors and fells of North Yorkshire.
- Both sexes are horned.
- Tups up to 73kg and ewes 54kg
- Uses: As a hill sheep and also to produce crossbred females

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Bluefaced Leicester:
- Originally from Northumberland.
- Very prolific breed, often exceeding 250% lambing. Both sexes polled. Rams up to 150kg and ewes up to 86kg
- Uses: Rams crossed with hill ewes to produce commercial ewes calles MULES.

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Border Leicester:
- Prolific breed. Both sexes are polled. Tups up to 150kg and ewes to 100kg
- Uses: Tups crossed with hill ewes to produce commercial ewes called HALFBREDS.

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Jacob:
- Slim, medium sized sheep which may have up to 4 horns.
- The colours are black or brown and white. Milky, with well developed mothering characteristics.
- Tups up to 54kg and ewes 36kg.
- Uses: Wool prized due to its colours. Lambing Percentage 130 - 180%.

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Oxford Down:
- Britains largest Down breed.
- Tups can be over 150kg and ewes 90kg. Both sexes are polled. Breed very early in the season.
- Uses: A terminal sire to produce early maturing large prime lambs.

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Shetland:
- Small sheep from the Shetland Isles.
- Ewes are polled. Tups weigh up to 45kg and ewes 35kg
- Uses: Form the basis of the wool industry of the Shetland Isles. - Fleeces occur in a range of natural colours and the wool is of the finest quality.

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Suffolk:
- Originally from the Suffolk Downs.
-Large early maturing breed. The wool is white and the head and legs are black. Bridge of nose is slightly domed. Ears are long, thin and drooping. Long broad back with well muscled haunches.
- Tups up to 150kg and ewes 90kg.
- Uses: commonly used as a Terminal sire to produce high quality prime lamb. Very fast lean growth rate and excellent carcase quality. Lambing Percentage averages 140%.

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Wensleydale:
- A blue faced, long wool breed. Slow maturing.
- Tups weigh up to 136kg and ewes 113kg
- Uses: tups crossed with hill breeds to produce commercial ewes

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Zwartbles

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Scottish Mule:
- Produced by crossing BLACKFACE ewes with a BLUEFACED LEICESTER tup.
- Is hardy, prolific, milky and good mothering ability
- Uses: Crossed with a terminal sire to produce prime lambs

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Scottish Greyface:
- Very similar to a Scottish Mule!
- Produced by crossing BLACKFACE ewes with a BORDER LEICESTER tup.
- Is hardy, prolific, milky and has good mothering ability. Inherits the hardiness of the Blackface and the prolificacy and milkiness of the Border Leicester.
- Uses: Crossed with a terminal sire to produce prime lambs

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Beltex:
- A medium sized sheep, long in the body, with distinctive large double muscled hind quarters and sloping pelvis. The head is generally white, and the fleece is dense and of medium length.
- Uses: A meat sheep

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Scottish Halfbred:
- Produced by crossing a CHEVIOT ewe with a BORDER LEICESTER tup.
- Very prolific
- Uses: Prime lamb production when crossed with a terminal sire

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Charollais:
- Originally from France.
- Medium to large sized sheep, with broad flat forehead, fine long ears and widely set eyes. The body is long, with well muscled back. The wool is short and fine the parts without wool are brownish in colour.
- Tups up to 110kg and ewes to 80kg.
- Uses: Good milk yield for both pure and crossbreds. The lambs have daily weight gains of about 400g. Lambing Percentage is around 180%

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Texel:
- Originally from the Netherlands.
- Medium to large build. Head of medium length and flat, with short and well muscled neck. Relatively short legs. Body parts are white.
- Uses: a meat sheep. Lambs grow fast, weight gain of 400g per day not unusual. Lambing percentage 150 - 200%.

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Bleu de Maine:
- Originally from France.
- Large breed. White wool. The head and legs are slate blue to blue/grey. Head is broad and flat, but narrow at the muzzle. Easy lambers and good mothers. Tups up to 120kg and ewes 90kg.
- Uses: a real meat sheep, with lambs having a good quality carcase. Good milk production ensures that the lambs grow fast. Lambing percentage 150 - 200%