About Our SheepWe have four breeds of sheep at Mayfields:
Norfolk Horns
These are an ancient breed with a long historical connection with Norfolk.
The
breed almost became extinct in the 1950s but was saved by careful
breeding using the last few animals with some input from the Suffolk
breed. (The Suffolk was developed from the Norfolk Horn and the
Southdown).
The Old Norfolk Horn sheep were longer legged and
lighter bodied than the modern type, but they were very thrifty and able
to look after themselves, surviving on poor grazing. They were said to
have had particularly well flavoured meat.
Southdown
These
are small, compact meaty sheep with fine wool “everywhere except on
their tongues”. They too have a long association with Norfolk, being
used by progressive farmers in the early 1800s to cross with the Norfolk
horn in order to improve the latter as a meat animal. The result of
their breeding was the production of the Suffolk.
Scottish Blackface
These
small hardy sheep come from the hills and mountains of Scotland. They
are excellent for dog training, especially for more advanced dogs.
Ryeland
These
sheep are very similar to the Southdowns. They come from the Welsh
borders where they were grazed on the rye stubble, hence the name They
were much prized for the quality of their wool. They are placid sheep
and very useful for starting young dogs.
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