Our Rare Breed Sheep

This is the Hunshelf flock of pedigree rare breed sheep. A pedigree flock of sheep has a prefix to denote the flock name, which is chosen by the owner. This means all lambs born here and registered with the relevant breed societies will have the prefix ‘Hunshelf’

Hunshelf Flock

The Hunshelf flock of rare, native breed sheep, consists of two breeds, both listed as ‘At Risk’ on the Rare Breed Survival Trust watch list. This means that they are low in number, with a small gene pool that needs careful monitoring to prevent inbreeding. 

We have a small flock of Portland, and Greyface Dartmoor. I was lucky enough to meet both these breeds when working for RBST as a fundraiser in 2017. This involved attending agricultural shows all over the UK, and on our stand we have some rare breeds to attract the public. The first two breeds I fell in love with are now the Hunshelf Flock……

Greyface Dartmoor

The Greyface Dartmoor is a hardy breed suited to grazing uplands and able to cope with most weather conditions. The breed is known for being placid and easy to bucket train. Anecdotal evidence suggests a level of resistance to footrot. Lambing percentage is usually around 150%. Lambs are small and lively and there are few lambing problems.

  • A sturdy longwool breed with a long, lustrous fleece.
  • Ewes weigh around 60-70kg and rams, 75-100kg.
  • The white face should be the only part of the sheep that is free of wool.
  • There should be distinctive black or grey speckling around the nose.

History

  • The Greyface Dartmoor is also known as the Improved Dartmoor and descends from the ancient hill sheep that used to graze Dartmoor.
  • In the 19th century improvements were carried out using longwool breeds to try to develop a more profitable breed.
  • The Dartmoor Sheep Breeders’ Association was formed in 1909 to try to promote the breed beyond the South West and indeed the breed is widespread throughout the country although mostly in very small flocks

Uses

The Greyface Dartmoor ewe is an excellent mother and produces a good commercial lamb when crossed with a terminal sire. Although the Greyface Dartmoor is not as prolific as other longwool breeds it is more hardy and is suitable as a crossing sire to produce a thrifty halfbred ewe for the lowland farmer.

The Greyface Dartmoor produces a heavy, versatile fleece well suited for use in carpet and other hard wearing woollen products. There is the potential to create added value products from the fleece. Staple length- 25-30cm. Fleece weight- 7- 9kg. Quality- 36s-40s.

A purebred Greyface Dartmoor lamb can reach 16-20kg deadweight within 4 months. The breed remains lean and is suitable for taking onto heavier weights (25-30kg deadweight at around 8-9 months). A crossbred lamb from a Greyface Dartmoor will grow quickly and has the potential to grade well.

Portland

 Portlands are a hardy, thrifty breed used to surviving on sparse grazing. The Portland can be bucket trained and is well suited to life on a smallholding. The breed is small so easy to handle but does take some catching. They are known as a one lamb sheep and it unusual for the breed to have twins. Lambs are small and lively and there are few lambing problems. The breed is reputed to be able to lamb all year around.

  • A small, primitive breed although stockier and shorter than the Northern Short-tailed primitives (eg. Manx). They are more likely to look like a Mediterranean type primitive breed.
  • Ewes weigh around 35-40kg and rams, around 55kg.
  • Lambs are born a russet red colour. This fades as the sheep age but the face and legs are a distinctive tan colour whilst the fleece is a cream colour.
  • Ewes and rams are horned, rams with heavy spiralled horns.

History

  • The Portland is a typical representative of the old tan-faced sheep that was found throughout the south west before the Roman invasion.
  • The sheep were originally bred on the Isle of Portland and whilst the rest of the U.K. was experimenting with breed development the sheep of Portland remained isolated.
  • By the early 20th century the Portland was under pressure from other breeds and in 1920 the last Portland sheep left the island.
  • The breed became very rare although there were always Portlands at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, where a flock had been established in 1770.
  • The sheep’s small size and distinctive look have earned the breed many devoted admirers.
  • Recently Portlands have been re-introduced on to the Isle of Portland.

Uses

The Portland will eat rough grasses and does browse on shrubs so is a good choice for certain conservation grazing situations.

The Portland is usually taken to hogget and mutton age as the lambs lack size. The meat is known for its flavour- George III was a fan of the mutton, and direct marketing would be a good choice.

The wool staple length is between 6-9cm, with a fleece weight of 2-3kg and a quality of 50s-60s.

Did you know?

The Doomsday Book records that in 1086 there were nine hundred sheep on Portland island.