Menoturals; Sheep 101

Three Fridays left for 2025, to be shared with the LLB galdogs and their Nature Friday meme. Yikes! Too fast, cap'n... Anyway, for the last NF/FFF of the year, I will feature a double bill - because that fits the purpose of FFF, but also because that will finalise the sheep section from the Westmoreland Show files. Then we can mooove on to the cattle section...

The first of the remaining four sheep breeds that caught my attention was the Badger Face Welsh Mountain Sheep. 

An ancient breed (first registered in the 700s AD), the sheep has two distinct lineages: Torddu and Torwen. The animals here are Torddu. The fleece tends towards a tan colour rather than white/cream, mainly due to the kemp (coarser outer coat), and there are specifics to be resolved for judging regarding the black markings on the face, chest, belly, and tail. (The Torwen is the 'negative - mainly black with white striping.) These are hardy hill sheep, but also do well in lowlands and are widely used to cross with other commercial stock. They are bred mainly for their meat.

The fleeces are used, though. The staple length for Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep wool is typically around 7-10 cm (2.5-4 inches), producing a medium to harsh fleece for spinning, and is used for garments, carpets, and textiles. 

Darned cute, don't you think?

To finish off the Friday posts this last three weeks of the year, I am going to share festive colourings from my Zen App... nature depicted in sketch and colour!