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CHRISTMAS HILL FARM
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Native to South Yorkshire, where it was developed over 200 years ago, the ‘Woodie’ is now one of the Rare Breeds of sheep that is being watched over by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. It is in the ‘Vulnerable’ category as there are fewer than 900 ewes in the UK registered flock. It has many qualities that are useful in the production of top quality lamb and mutton. The ewes have good mothering ability with often with a 200% lambing ratio. However, its large size, the presence of horns and the slow maturing of the lambs are probably responsible for its going out of fashion – and becoming a Rare Breed. Conversely, these very same qualities are what give such high quality meat and the character that makes the breed such fun to keep. This is the largest British hill breed with ewes of about 63kg (about 140 lbs) and their wool is highly prized for its softness and fine quality. Both sexes are horned and have a strong, large framed body. The lambs mature relatively quickly and produce a large quantity of excellent meat.
The ewes are docile and easy to handle and often used for crossing with a terminal sire.
Some of the Ewes at Christmas Hill Farm are crossed with a Hampshire Down ram so that we can have lamb available throughout a longer season. |
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Hampshire cross woody lambs enjoyng the
lush grass at Lakenheath. |
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The flock is enjoying some good results in the show ring. This photo was taken at the Suffolk Show 2006. Most years, we have a good crop of pedigree ewe lambs and ram lambs for sale. E mail: christmashill@btconnect.com for availability.
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| The Whitefaced Woodland Sheep Society can be contacted via the Secretary at Rachel@cerdan.co.uk | |
