SHEEP
There are three types of sheep on the farm; Lleyn, Portland and Beltex.
1 Lleyn
Lleyn sheep are by far the most numerous on the farm. They are a traditional sheep breed, bred for meat and have a thick fleece which we shear off in May/June. Our Lleyns are crossed with tups (male) of another breed to ensure strong genetic stock and the resultant offspring is referred to as a mule. In 2007 we used a Kerry tup for 2008 we have used a Beltex tup called Tony.
Our Lleyn/mule flock will be lambing in two groups in 2008. The first batch will lamb in early March and the second batch will lamb in May.
2 Portland
Portland sheep are an incredibly rare breed and originate from the island of Portland. They are a very distinctive looking sheep with large curly horns. We have six ewes and one tup (called Peter) on the farm. These sheep are closely monitored by DEFRA (Department for Envvironment, Farming and Rural Affairs) to ensure that the breed remains pure.
The ewes will be giving birth in late June and early July. The lambs are very distinctive, being red in colour! This colour fades as the lambs get older.
3 Beltex
Currently we only have one Beltex on the farm – Tony the tup. He has ben crossed with our Lleyn sheep to ensure we have healthy lambs.
