logo Our Sheep are Wiltshire Horns  

Why do we keep sheep?

The primary reason we keep sheep is that they are are an excellent way of maintaining flower-rich grassland. We only keep ewes and borrow a ram each autumn. Surplus lambs are sold towards the end of each year - either live to other sheep keepers or as freezer-ready meat sold to our supporters We can never produce enough to meet the demand.

The Noakes Grove sheep: Wiltshire Horn ewes

 

 

 

Autumn 2021

Adopted sheep Ten of our ewes are adopted - see the details

Our breeding ewes, plus two young ewes ready to meet the ram for the first time, have just returned to have been at Kings Field for the autumn mating season with our new ram Gaffer.Six of our ewes, who are too old to breed from live on private pastures in Sewards End.

Of the lambs born in 2021, two ewes were sold to a CC nature reserve management group in Norfolk and the eleven ram lambs went to the butcher in January 2022. All the meat, as freezer-ready half lambs, has been sold direct to loca people.

The preganant ewes are presently on private pastureland in Radwinter and will be back at Noakes Grove by April (before their lambs are due in early May).

Gaffer

The Noakes Grove flock is registered with the official Wiltshire Horn Sheep Society. The original ewes were born in April 2009, the lambs are usually born in late April or early May. They are enclosed in electric fenced paddocks so they can be moved to new parts of the meadow, while the part they have left recovers and any parasites they have left in the soil are given time to die. Natural parasite control is very important as the sheep.

Wiltshire Horns are one of the traditional English breed approved by Natural England for additional Environmental Stewardship grant-aid. they have two big advantages over many modern breeds: the sheep can live out year round and do not have to be shorn. the wool is molted naturally every year, so they have a permanent fairly short fleece and are much less likely to get "fly strike" problems than sheep with thick coats of wool.

The sheep are visited at least once a day to see that all is well, top up their water pots and give extra food in winter or when the ewes are feeding young lambs. These routine visits are done by a team of volunteer shepherds and shepherdesses (and their children) who live near by and any of whom can call in expert help if the need arises. We are very grateful to the current members of our Noakes Grove and Kings Field sheep teams.

2020 lambs

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Organic Countryside Community Interest Company
Trading as Walden Countryside

Company number 06794848 - registered in England
VAT No: 947 3003 31

23 Tye Green, Wimbish CB10 2XE

01799 599 643

Updated 5 March 2022