Wensleydale Sheep
Small Holding|July - August 2017

Helen Babbs meets the hardy Yorkshire breed with the magnificent fleece.

Helen Babbs
Wensleydale Sheep

Wensleydale sheep have a short history compared to many other native British sheep breeds They were developed in the early 1800s as a hardy hill breed which could thrive in the Yorkshire Dales conditions while producing both fine wool and good meat. Wensleydales are still a thrifty, dual-purpose breed, but with the shift to modern breeds such as Texels, they have largely gone out of favour. Fewer than 1500 pure-bred ewes are now registered in the UK, putting the breed as “At risk” in the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s ranking scheme, and their numbers continue to decrease.

One person counteracting this decline is Jayne Dryden, who keeps the Home Farm Wensleydales flock near Edge Hill. Jayne finds her pedigree Wensleydales thrive on her Cotswold farm just as well as they do in the Yorkshire Dales – her original flock of 23 has now grown to 300!

Fine Fibre

When starting her flock in 2011, Jayne chose Wensleydale sheep because of their wool. “I’m a bit of a fibre freak,” she explains, “and Wensleydales have the finest fibre you can get.” Wensleydales are a long-wool breed, growing long silky ringlets of wool all over, including on the legs and belly. Staple length is typically 20-25cm, although on some shearlings the locks can be up to 40cm long! The wool may be either black, which spans a variety of shades from pure black to light grey, or more commonly white. Added colour variation occurs when the tips of the black fleeces are bleached by exposure to sunlight. This broad natural colour spectrum makes Wensleydale fleece popular with hand-spinners.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July - August 2017 من Small Holding.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July - August 2017 من Small Holding.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من SMALL HOLDING مشاهدة الكل
What About Bees On A Smallholding? Designing The Apiary
Small Holding

What About Bees On A Smallholding? Designing The Apiary

Claire Waring considers how to arrange your hives

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2017
The Boer Goat Looks, Personality And Great Meat!
Small Holding

The Boer Goat Looks, Personality And Great Meat!

At the start of her own Boer goat enterprise, Jack Smellie talks to several existing producers and explains why Boers and their meat have so much to offer, as well as gaining valuable advice for newbies such as herself……

time-read
8 mins  |
July - August 2017
Duck Or Drake?
Small Holding

Duck Or Drake?

It depends on when you want to know says Chris Ashton

time-read
6 mins  |
July - August 2017
Handling Alpacas
Small Holding

Handling Alpacas

Practical suggestions from Joy Whitehead

time-read
5 mins  |
July - August 2017
Keeping Lambs
Sheep Goats and Alpacas

Keeping Lambs

We were lucky, we hadn’t been looking, well we had, but not seriously and this property just crept up on us.

time-read
8 mins  |
Winter 2016/2017
Smallholding In France
Sheep Goats and Alpacas

Smallholding In France

The end of what had been feeling like an endless summer, arrived with a bit of a shock, with early November temperatures suddenly falling from the high 20’s, to the surprise of waking up to a light frost.

time-read
6 mins  |
Winter 2016/2017
Wool And Fleece In Winter?
Sheep Goats and Alpacas

Wool And Fleece In Winter?

Although the main shearing season for sheep is from May to September across the UK, there is plenty of fleece being harvested at other times of year.

time-read
6 mins  |
Winter 2016/2017
New Year Resolutions
Small Holding

New Year Resolutions

Jessica Wombwell looks at improvement ideas to stick to

time-read
4 mins  |
January - February 2018
Rearing Your Own Christmas Dinner
Small Holding

Rearing Your Own Christmas Dinner

The project will be both challenging and rewarding says Janice Houghton-Wallace

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2017
The Moult Is A Natural Process
Small Holding

The Moult Is A Natural Process

Jessica Wombwell explains why there is feather loss in poultry

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2017