WENSLEYDALE SHEEP FOR SALE

WENSLEYDALE SHEEP FOR SALE

Wensleydale sheep for sale are very large longwool sheep. They have a bold and alert carriage which is accentuated by their broad, level backs on wide quarters and strong thighs. They have a distinctive deep blue head and ears, which should be clean except for a well-developed forelock of wool, usually referred to as the ”topping”. Both genders are polled. Average mature ewe weighs 113kg, rams 136kg.

We have a small flock of rare and native breed sheep including pedigree black and white Wensleydales. We sometimes have wool, sheepskins and meat for sale – please see our Products section. Sheep occasionally for sale too!

Wensleydale sheep are on the Rare Breed Survival Trusts “At Risk” Register. We started our flock with three black ewes, who produced 5 lambs in 2008. Our 5 lambs born in 2009 were conceived by artificial insemination.  By 2013 we had 13 black breeding ewes and two rams of white parentage which is rare and adds diversity to the genetics of the Black Wensleydale.

In 2011 we started a white flock having purchased some exceptional ewes.  We don’t mix the two flocks as this result in non pedigree lambs.

Wensleydales are a dual purpose sheep producing some of the best wool but also being rather tasty! The breed was developed for crossing onto hill ewes to produce prolific, milky and hardy breeding ewes. Our ewes often have twins and are fantastic mothers.

Wensleydales are large sheep, with an average ram weighing in at 136kgs! The British Meat and Livestock Commission describe the Wensleydale as “probably the heaviest of all our indigenous breeds”. They have a distinctive blue head and ears with a ‘topping’ of woolly forelock. They are a good looking, strong sheep with a broad level back on wide quarters and strong thighs.

We originally kept a small flock of Shetland sheep which came from the Scottish Wildlife Trusts “Flying Flock” which graze conservation grassland sites. Our Shetlands are cheeky characters compared to our rather laid-back Wensleydales! We had some Shetland x Wensleydale lambs of various colours which also had lovely fleeces. We called them Shetlydales.