Menoturals; Sheep 101

Joining in with the LLB Gang for Nature Friday... and here's a pretty flower to start us off.

Today's breed of sheep began life in the harsher, boggy lands of the Netherlands. First noted as a breed around 1800 a.d, it is thought to have been developed from a more lanky old breed crossed with the shapely Texel. The Dutch Spotted Sheep was used to help solidify bog-lands into more stable land that would then keep cattle.

Look at that lovely square formation on the back. That is natural and inherited from the Texel lineage. These are a good, all-round commercial stock animal, primarily kept for their meat and for their milk. Wool is a strong secondary product. The fleece fibre is very springy, giving good loft to spun yarn. The wool is tightly packed, so it does not gather kemp and has an excellent crimp, with a staple length of about 10cm/4in, sometimes longer. The yarn produced is of medium to coarse quality, good for worsted fabrics suited to outerwear and furnishings.

Isn't that a lovely face? The pens where I took these photos had lots of ribbons hung on them. I took note of the farm presenting them. Cannon Hall Farm. Imagine my delight, then, to find this little video which featured these very sheep! Enjoy listening to the Yorkshire accent and the pride of showcasing this beautiful animal.