Freddie's Farm

We started our flock with two shearling ewes and three ewe lambs. Sadly we lost the two original ewes but the ewe lambs have been the founder members of our flock. They are good strong looking sheep and real characters.

The Ladies

Due to Foot-and-Mouth (in 2001) very few people are willing to rent their ram or allow you to take your ewes onto their holdings. Because of this we have ended up buying a ram. Randy Chris is a pure bred Dorset Down ram. He is a cross between the standard British Dorset and the New Zealand Dorset. This makes him longer in the body and also leaner. Chris came from the Quantock Rare Breeds Farm and he was so keen to get to work that he jumped two fences to be with the ladies! He has produced big strong lambs for us, but he can be a nuisance when he butts you. He is now kept company by Ed (Our South Down ram).

Chris 2004

One thing which we were not prepared for was how ugly our lambs are when they are first born! They are wrinkly and have enormous ears for the size of the rest of them. They are also very slow to get going and in comparison to our neighbour's Welsh Mountain sheep are positively comatose. They do however gain weight quickly and are ready for slaughter in only five months. Their looks do improve with age as well and they look great at four/five months old. We have always lambed early before but we are thinking of changing to Easter lambing if we can restrain Chris for long enough!

The breed:

The Dorset Down can trace its continuous existence back over 150 years and was originally bred from Southdowns and Hampshire Downs. The result is a typical down sheep, hornless with a brown muzzle, ears and legs. The breed is well known for its fast maturing lambs and the high quality of its wool. The Dorset Downs are medium sized sheep and are relatively docile and easy to handle.

I think they look great and they are real characters! In addition to this the ewes will take the ram almost any month of the year and this enables lambing throughout the year. The rams are commonly used with other breeds because of the nature of the breed and the ease of lambing.

Breed Society Details:

For more information regarding the Dorset Downs contact the Breeders Association as the following address:

The Dorset Down Sheep Breeders' Association

Breed Secretary: Carolyn Opie

Havett Farm

Dobwalls

Liskeard

Cornwall

PL14 6HB

Telephone: 01579 320273

Email: secretary@dorsetdownsheep.org.uk