Sheep

Our range of sheep cannot wait to meet you! Don’t be scared of their baa! They are super friendly, they just have no volume control.

We have a range of sheep at The Farm at all times, to show people how many different sizes, shapes, and colours sheep come in. Always make sure you read the signage at The Farm or speak to a member of staff or volunteer, about what sheep you are looking at!

Shetland Sheep

Shetland Sheep originate from the Shetland Isles. This breed is renowned for its superior wool, which is the finest of all native breeds and which shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings in Shetland Sheep. Shetlands are small, but very hardy and have the ability to thrive on low levels of nutrition.

We shear our sheep once a year, normally around the May Half Term. Keep an eye on our Latest News so you can put the next one in your diary!

Herdwick Sheep

Herdwick Sheep originate from Southwest Asia and arrived in Europe around 10,000 years ago – when they were first domesticated.

Over the centuries, they have been bred and adapted to better suit their new environment. They are now able to survive extreme winters better than any other breed, using their blizzard proof fleece.

Sheep wool

The sheep wool is used across The Farm for a variety of projects.

A lot of the wool is used for family craft during Half Term Activities on site. We have also used it for insulation in small scale building projects around The Farm, and in the Community Garden, to keep slugs away from some of our more precious plants.

Over winter, a lot of our smaller animals enjoy a hand full of sheep wool, to keep their beds nice and warm while the temperatures drop, whereas our aviary birds appreciate some sheep wool to incorporate into their nests all year round!