North Country Mule
Approximately half of our flock are North Country Mules, some of whom have been with us since the beginning. A cross between a Bluefaced Leicester ram and a Swaledale ewe, they are hardy, fantastic mothers and can raise multiple lambs well just on grass. They are also big characters - always friendly and inquisitive, and surprisingly intelligent which cannot always be said for sheep!
Suffolk
We cross our North Country Mules with a Suffolk ram, producing Suffolk cross lambs for both meat and breeding. The boys (known as wethers) are a popular meat lamb and can achieve a good finish just on grass without the need for extra feed, so are perfect for our meat boxes. The girls grew into large-framed, very milky ewes, so every year we keep a selection to add to our flock and sell the remainder for breeding on other farms.
Fascinating Fact
Sheep form close friendships.
Certain individuals will nearly always be found near others they feel closer to, or in more extreme cases may even take their friendship group to another part of the field entirely! These friendships may be individuals who grew up together or just spent a lot of time together one season, for example were in the same lambing group.
Plus the Suffolk ewe lambs that we keep for our flock always know their mothers and so will often be found grazing near each other in the field. Even after periods of separation, these relationships are rekindled whenever they are reunited.
Devon and Cornwall Longwool
The largest of the three Devon longwool breeds, they are also the fewest in number and are rarer than the giant panda. Their thick, curled fleeces (the heaviest of any UK breed weighing in at up to 10kg each) used to be prized for hardwearing rugs and carpets, but since real wool textiles have fallen out of fashion, so has the breed with numbers still declining. They are very docile and slower than our other breeds, partly due to their huge woolly fringes!
Jacob
These distinctive horned black and white sheep are a conservation success story; having once been classified as a rare breed, these characterful sheep are now common all over the country. They are very good mothers, producing lots of milk for their rapidly growing lambs. Their fleeces are popular with crafters too as their soft wool both spins and felts well, or creates a uniquely designed rug with its mixture of colours.
