Meet The Sheep at Jedforest Deer & Farm Park
The Rare Sheep Breeds
Soay
Soay is the most primitive breed of sheep, and its home is the islands of Soya and Hirta in teh St Kilda group. The Soay bear a close resemblance to the wild Mouflon Sheep of Corsica and Sardinia. The name Soya is the old Norse for "sheep island". The sheep are probably the last survivors of the pre-historic domestic sheep of Europe.
The wool is predominantly dark brown in colour and a large proportion of it is hair, which gives its coat a rough appearance. This is shed during the summer. Soay sheep are very individual animals and do not like to be herded.
Manx Loghtan
This is an ancient breed of sheep from the isle of Man which was probably introduced to the island by Viking settlers, hence the word "loghtan", which is the Manx word for light brown. The history of the breed is not well known and until recently it was on the verge of extinction.
It is a multihorned breed with the rams sometimes growing four or even six horns. It has short wool and a short tail as do other North European primitive sheep.
Hebridean
Hebridean are larger than most primitive breeds but not as large as commercial sheep found in Great Britain today. It is related to the short tailed breeds of Northern Europe. This is a multi-horned, relatively unimproved breed Which originated from the Hebridean Islands. It retains its characteristic hardiness, longevity and resistance to diseases such as foot rot. The wool is black and may become grey with age. It isfine and lustrous and is much in demand for traditional hand knitting.
Shetland
Shetland Scotland sheep are small, relics of the iron Age period, similar to Scandinavian Sheep and were introduced by the Norse settlers. This breed evolved in the open, wet, wind swept conditions of the Shetland Islands. It is a small but productive Sheep well suited to difficult conditions.
Its wool is the finest of any British breed and formed the basis of the Shetland woollen industry, which is particularly known for its fine wool shawls.
Because of an excellent breeding programme this breed has been removed from the Rare Breeds Trusts endangered breeds list.
South Down
South Down sheep are derived from the old Sussex heath sheep in the late 18th century, and have been used to improve the Down breeds. It is now the smallest of the Down breed and is used in the production of lightweight early maturing lambs. These sheep were the first of the improved commercial breed to be used as a terminal sire.
Grey-faced Dartmoor
Grey-faced Dartmoor is typical of the long wool breed, with a heavy fleece of curly lustre wool. It is a defendant of the native heath sheep which grazed Dartmoor in the 17th and 18th centuries. These longwool breeds were also the basis of the great Roman and Medieval woollen industry.
They have the characteristic black spotted nose, ears and feet. The wool clip averages gags. for ewes and lskgs.
for rams, it is very tough and is used in carpets and blankets.
