Valais BlackNose Sheep At Camanna!
We recently have had the opportunity to become co-owners of a “breed up” flock of Valais Blacknose Sheep with our good friends Laura and David Hagey of Foxglove Farm.
Due to their recent move to AZ, David and Laura have entrusted us to house, care for, and manage their VBN flock breed up project. Inviting us to be a part of their mission in developing this amazing breed in the US!!
We have been amazed at how super mellow and friendly this breed is! Plus, oh so adorable and cute! If you Google “cutest sheep in the world”, Valais Blacknose sheep are what will most likely pop up.
Our co-owned flock is currently made up of F2 and F3 generation ewes. We are excitedly anticipating some F4 lambs in the spring. When the sheep reach the F5 generation, they are considered purebred Valais Blacknose sheep.
They are a rare breed with only 17,000 in the world.
Valais Blacknose sheep originated in Switzerland and just recently were allowed into the US. We are participating in the breed up program which takes about 4 generations.
Valais Blacknose sheep are a naturally docile, friendly breed of sheep, unlike many other breeds, making them perfect pets.
They get their name from their beautiful black noses, with the black colour extending up the face to the eyes and surrounding them.
The ears are totally black and there are black markings on the fronts of their knees and on their hocks in an otherwise white coat. Ewes also have black under-tail spots which make it easy for sexing! These distinct markings, coupled with their remarkable horns, give them a striking (not to mention highly appealing) look.
In a mature Valais Blacknose the wool is around 38 micron and in Valais lambs it is around 28-30 micron.
Wool growth is quite fast, staple length of over 10cm every six month, meaning the Valais require shearing twice a year.
The Valais are a large powerful breed, When mature they should be between 28-32 inches tall and 154-275 lbs. Most ewes mature to 28-30″ tall and 155-200 lbs while the rams are 29-32″ tall and range from 175lbs to 275lbs. Both ewes and rams should have well balanced Helical or spiral-shaped horns.
Traditionally a swiss heritage breed, their friendly nature and unique fluffy appearance has given them a newfound popularity as ideal pets. They are easily trained and lead trained without much effort.
They are dubbed the “cutest sheep in the world” and its easy to see why!
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For more information on this wonderful breed check out these links!
Have a blessed autumn season!
FROM ALL OF US . . .