The
small, primitive Black Welsh Mountain Sheep offer the small flock
owner a wealth of wool and commercial potential. My flock has been
surprisingly improved by the recent addition of British genetics;
wool length and softness were the dramatic results. Bred in the
Middle Ages for the deep black wool by Benedictine monks, these
sheep were also considered the finest and most succulent of all
mutton. These small mountain sheep are still relatively unknown
in the U.S. and as of the publishing of the first Flock Book in
February 2004, there are still very few breeders.
Our
Black Welsh Mountain sheep are self-reliant and unspoiled, taking
well to our farm pastures and woodlands. They seem to thrive on
what they can find in the woods and forage a variety of plants:
blackberries, new alder, thistle tips, and all grasses. I open their
pasture gates in the morning letting them roam until they find their
way home, preferring their small fenced field at night. Although
the ewes are polled, the males sport a true mountain sheep set of
curled black horns. Their tails are long and left naturally undocked,
so it can truly be said, "they come home with their tails wagging
behind them."
Their
wool has been made famous by Welsh woolen mills, but it is only
in the British genetics that I have seen its full display of its
beauty. The wool is soft, but hard wearing, black but can be burnt
by the sun to a striking reddish color. Each sheep's personality
is a great deal of the fun and each displays its own individual
characteristics. Thistle knows every gate on the farm, and remembers
the secret gate to the vegetable garden. She goes there first and
the others do not. Melle is the most tender mother and sleeps with
her nose on her lamb and distresses when this is not so. The British
twins sleep on Heulyn's back and now that they are a little larger
it is a constant challenge for them all. They are as it were, easy
to handle and each one different. I have never had to assist much
less witness a lamb's birth. The ewes choose their time and it is
their primitive instinctive nature to birth quite separate. I am
continuously struck by their handsome bone structure, narrow and
straight, with the "Arabian horse" elegance of the sheep
world. Most of the B.W.M.S. in the United States come from the Wye
Height Plantation's import to Maryland of 3 rams and 13 ewes in
1972. The British artificial insemination in the last few years
has added greatly to the goals pf preserving the old breeds unique
qualities. I offer lambs for sale from several lineages each year.
I sincerely want to promote this charming breed and have recently
been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Black Welsh
Mountain Sheep Association. Each lamb purchased comes with registration
and pedigree and a lot of care.
The
small, primitive Black Welsh Mountain Sheep offer the small flock
owner a wealth of wool and commercial potential. My flock has been
surprisingly improved by the recent addition of British genetics;
wool length and softness were the dramatic results. Bred in the
Middle Ages for the deep black wool by Benedictine monks, these
sheep were also considered the finest and most succulent of all
mutton. These small mountain sheep are still relatively unknown
in the U.S. and as of the publishing of the first Flock Book in
February 2004, there are still very few breeders.
Our
Black Welsh Mountain sheep are self-reliant and unspoiled, taking
well to our farm pastures and woodlands. They seem to thrive on
what they can find in the woods and forage a variety of plants:
blackberries, new alder, thistle tips, and all grasses. I open their
pasture gates in the morning letting them roam until they find their
way home, preferring their small fenced field at night. Although
the ewes are polled, the males sport a true mountain sheep set of
curled black horns. Their tails are long and left naturally undocked,
so it can truly be said, "they come home with their tails wagging
behind them."
Their
wool has been made famous by Welsh woolen mills, but it is only
in the British genetics that I have seen its full display of its
beauty. The wool is soft, but hard wearing, black but can be burnt
by the sun to a striking reddish color. Each sheep's personality
is a great deal of the fun and each displays its own individual
characteristics. Thistle knows every gate on the farm, and remembers
the secret gate to the vegetable garden. She goes there first and
the others do not. Melle is the most tender mother and sleeps with
her nose on her lamb and distresses when this is not so. The British
twins sleep on Heulyn's back and now that they are a little larger
it is a constant challenge for them all. They are as it were, easy
to handle and each one different. I have never had to assist much
less witness a lamb's birth. The ewes choose their time and it is
their primitive instinctive nature to birth quite separate. I am
continuously struck by their handsome bone structure, narrow and
straight, with the "Arabian horse" elegance of the sheep
world. Most of the B.W.M.S. in the United States come from the Wye
Height Plantation's import to Maryland of 3 rams and 13 ewes in
1972. The British artificial insemination in the last few years
has added greatly to the goals pf preserving the old breeds unique
qualities. I offer lambs for sale from several lineages each year.
I sincerely want to promote this charming breed and have recently
been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Black Welsh
Mountain Sheep Association. Each lamb purchased comes with registration
and pedigree and a lot of care.