Welsh Mountain sheep facts for kids
The Welsh Mountain sheep (called Defaid Mynydd Cymreig in Welsh) are small, tough sheep. They come from the high mountains of Wales. Male sheep (rams) have horns, but female sheep (ewes) do not. These sheep have no wool on their faces or legs. They also have long tails, which are usually left as they are. There are many different types of Welsh Mountain sheep. They are raised for sheep farming in Wales. Most differences are in their color, but some types are becoming separate breeds.
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What They Look Like
Welsh Mountain sheep are usually white. Their faces are white with no wool on the forehead or cheeks. Their legs are also white with no wool below the knee joint. Female sheep do not have horns. However, male sheep usually have curved horns, though some do not. Their woolly coat is thick and quite long. Their tails are normally not shortened.
Farmers who raise these sheep care a lot about certain things. They want sheep that are tough and can survive easily. They also want good mothers that produce plenty of milk. It is important that their lambs survive well. In good conditions, a ewe can have many lambs.
How They Survive in the Mountains
The Welsh Mountain sheep is very good at living in its harsh home. It is small and can walk very well on rocky ground. It can find shelter when the weather is bad. These sheep can dig through snow to find food. They can climb walls and squeeze through small spaces. They can also walk through muddy bogs. They are good at finding enough food even in poor pastures.
In Wales, these sheep stay on the hills or open mountains all year. They are gathered up only a few times each year. Sometimes, they are brought to lower fields when it's time for lambs to be born. Most groups of sheep have lived on the same mountains for many generations. There are stories of these clever sheep. Some have been seen raiding trash cans in towns. Others have rolled across cattle grids to reach better grass!
Different Types of Welsh Mountain Sheep
There are several types of Welsh Mountain sheep. They are often named after where they come from or how they look.
- The standard Welsh Mountain sheep is all white. This is the most common type in the Welsh mountains. It has also been sent to other parts of the world.
- The Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep has two kinds.
- The Torddu ("black-bellied") is white with a dark face and belly.
- The Torwen ("white-bellied") is black with a white belly and white stripes above its eyes.
- The Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep is black. Its color can fade to brown in the sun. It also turns gray as it gets older. It has a white stripe on its face. It has white "socks" on its legs below the hocks. Part of its tail is also white.
- Black Welsh Mountain sheep are completely black. Many groups of white Welsh Mountain sheep have one or two black sheep. But now, these black sheep are also raised as their own type.
- The South Wales Mountain sheep is like other Welsh Mountains. But it is a bit bigger. It is white with tan marks on its legs and face. It also has a brown collar.
What They Are Used For
The Welsh Mountain sheep is used for two main things. It is very important to the sheep farming in Wales. In the Middle Ages, these sheep were mostly kept for their wool and milk. But by the 1800s, they became famous in England for their tasty meat. It is said that Queen Victoria even asked for Welsh lamb for her royal meals!
The wool from Welsh Mountain sheep can be quite different depending on the type. The wool from the large South Wales Mountain sheep has a lot of a coarse fiber called kemp. But the wool from the Black Welsh Mountain sheep is fine and soft. It has very little kemp. This makes it popular with people who spin wool by hand. A typical fleece from a black sheep weighs about 1.4 to 1.8 kilograms (3 to 4 pounds). Its fiber length is about 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches).
The meat from Welsh Mountain lambs is highly valued. Lamb carcasses have often won awards at shows. A pure-bred Welsh Mountain lamb usually weighs about 11 to 16 kilograms (25 to 35 pounds). A lamb from a cross between a Welsh ewe and another type of ram, or one raised on better land, is larger. These lambs weigh around 16 to 20 kilograms (35 to 45 pounds).
Images for kids
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A white Welsh Mountain ewe
See also
In Spanish: Oveja Welsh Mountain para niños
