Out of stock. [20][21], Due to the native conditions of where it developed, the Boreray is very well suited to conservation grazing, which is grazing that uses livestock to improve biodiversity and achieve nature conservation in a given area. Most Boreray have a cream fleece with grey or black and white face and legs and can have a darker area of wool on the rump. The breed was once reared for meat and wool, but is now used mainly for This Boreray fleece is a small fine fleece from our pedigree Boreray Sheep. It can also be an aggressive sheep, especially the rams, but it’s also a small breed, with even a big ram rarely heavier than 70 lbs, or 32 kg. Washed Boreray fleece in tones of white, brown & grey, supplied per 100g. Ewes weigh around 30kg and rams 45kg. But long before I started spinning I was a knitter who loved using wool knitting yarn from different breeds of sheep. The horns on the ewes tend to be thinner than those on the males and while they curve they do not spiral beyond 360 degrees. The Boreray, also known as the Boreray Blackface or Hebridean Blackface,[3] is a breed of sheep originating on the St Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland and surviving as a feral animal on one of the islands, Boreray. They also moult their fleece naturally, rather than having to be shorn annually, though older individuals do not moult as easily and may require additional shearing. The fleece is white to light tan but occasionally an individual animal will be darker. The texture of their wool can vary, from soft fine wool to more coarse hairy fibres (or “kemps”), and mixtures in-between. Quite the same Wikipedia. From late April the sheep start to lose their fleece naturally, although not always all of it, so some shearing may be necessary. 1996. A local variety of Dunface was kept on the two main St Kilda islands of Boreray and Hirta by the crofters of the islands, who lived on Hirta, the largest island of the archipelago. The ancestors of Boreray sheep, indeed all the North Atlantic Short-Tailed sheep, were brought into Europe by the earliest Neolithic farmers. Grey Boreray fleece from our oldest ewe, Flame. [7], In the mid-eighteenth century the crofters' sheep were described as being "of the smallest kind", with short, coarse wool, and all having horns – usually one pair, but often two pairs. The islanders frequently went there for fowling and to roo (pluck) the Soay wool in summer. batts. Their fleece is creamy white to brown, and the sheep have no wool on their faces and lower legs. বাংলা ; Føroyskt; Français; Русский; Tiếng Việt; Show all languages. Posted by Jane at 23:44. See also: The History of Boreray Sheep. [12] In the 1970s half a dozen of them were exported to form the basis of a breeding population on the mainland, but the majority of Borerays still remain on the island. Fly Strike (blow flies, wool maggots, fleece worms, myiasis): It is the infestation of flesh, more common in sheep due to their thick wool. It is a primitive breed of sheep, with a small, slender frame. The breed is classed as "Category 3: Vulnerable" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, because 500–900 breeding ewes are known to exist. Their fleece is unique with a staple length of 10-15cm and a weight of up to 1.25kg. For the Vikings, the Short-Tailed sheep were extremely important. hebridean wool The fleeces from Boreray's flock of black Hebridean sheep (some are visible in photograph below) are now being turned into an exclusive range of knitwear. They shed their wool so no need to shear. The flock on Boreray are completely at home in this unpolluted environment, and thrive on the island's fertile, sandy soil. A blend of Boreray, Soay and Shetland wool make a true St. Kilda yarn. Dec 1, 2019 - Explore Tlhsayre's board "Boreray Sheep" on Pinterest. Both sexes are horned. English Articles. [11] However, when the St Kilda archipelago's human inhabitants were evacuated in 1930, the sheep of Hirta were also removed and in 1932 they were replaced by Soays, which still live there as well as on Soay itself. [6] Modern breeds descended from the Dunface include the Boreray and also the North Ronaldsay and the Shetland. The Boreray is a small breed. Treatment: Docking, shearing and removing contaminated wool will prevent flystrike. Occasionally fleeces can be grey or dark brown. Just better. Sheared in May 2019. More Details » Boreray Carded Fleece (Shearling) This carded Boreray shearling fleece is supplied loose in 50g bags. Live Statistics. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel! [14] The face and legs are wool-free and black and white, with the proportions varying between individuals. They can have a darker area of wool on the rump. Rooed in May 2019. They are small, fine-boned animals that are increasingly valued for land conservation as well as for their low-fat mutton and hardwearing wool. Our teddy bears are all quarantined before leaving for their new homes, ready to bring a smile during these worrying times - stay safe and well everyone! [22] However, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust believe that this could be further capitalised on if the breed is developed further.[13]. All have heavy spiraling horns and their meat is flavoursome and usually eaten as Shearling Boreray fleece with subtle colour shades. Sheared May 2019. Boreray Sheep are especially small, with several traits which make them more like primitive sheep than modern breeds. This advert is located in and around North Chailey, East Sussex. Ewes weigh around 30kg and rams 45kg. The Boreray is a breed of sheep originating on the St Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland and surviving as a feral animal on one of the islands, Boreray.. [4][5], Until the late eighteenth century, the domesticated sheep throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands belonged to a type called the Scottish Dunface or Old Scottish Shortwool, which was probably similar to the sheep kept in the whole of northern and western Europe up to the Iron Age. Why choose the Boreray fleece? They are a small short tailed breed of sheep that naturally shed their wool coat in the spring months. [18] This data was collected from the herdbooks produced by breed societies, listing all registered sheep, and multiplying the number of registered sheep to account for non-registered sheep. Done; The differences between Soay and Boreray sheep need to be explained and cited. It's like cheese - why eat just mild Cheddar when there are so many different varieties of cheese to enjoy and use for different purposes? Soay sheep should be removed from See also. Weight 730g. Lovely fleece with a variety of colours from our shearling Boreray sheared May 2019. The Boreray is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds. MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE BEFORE SEPTEMBER A primitive breed of sheep, with a small, slender frame, their wool is known to be fine and good for spinning. (2007). See more ideas about Sheep, Goats, Animals. Washed & carded at a mill. Out of stock. Toward the end of the 19th century the ubiquitous blackface sheep were kept on Hirta and Boreray. Sheared May 2019. These sheep come from the same St Kilda archipelago as the Boreray (see above), but as the breed has been brought into wider use there are several flocks across the country and it is not as rare. St Kilda is a remote archipelago, west of the Outer Hebrides. [3][13] The horns on the rams have been described as "striking and majestic" by one farmer of the breed. Ewes are either two-horned, polled, or scurred. Sheared in May 2019. Their fleece is unique with a staple length of 10-15cm and a weight of up to 1.25kg. The fibre is short, fine and mainly brown with some coarser fibres. About Boreray Sheep. View our Boreray Sheep. Most sheep have a cream fleece with grey or black and white face and legs. This year we will be selling our fleeces via our pages on The Fleece Shop. [8], In the late nineteenth century the crofters' sheep were cross-bred with Scottish Blackface sheep,[9] which by then had replaced the Dunface throughout mainland Scotland. Collection of loose Boreray fleece from our 7 year old ewe, Jasmine. Washed and carded by hand. A tweed is a rough-surfaced coarse cloth, typically made in Scotland. Click on Wool button for more and direct link to the designer's own website. [6] Fleeces are grey or creamy white on the body, though darker individuals occur whose colouring is similar to the Soay sheep. Soay sheep have been exported from the islands and are kept on farms in many areas for their wool, but if a sheep dog tries to herd a flock of Soay, the poor dog is going to be so frustrated. Boreray Ram - Pedigree Born June 2019 Holford Manor Samuel B2884 Fully vaccinated and wormed. We'd also found time over the weekend to talk about the few kg of fine Boreray and another plan was hatched. Weight 580g. In addition to the Boreray, these include the Soay sheep, a feral type from Soay (one of the other islands in the St Kilda archipelago), and the Hebridean sheep, which was formerly called the "St Kilda sheep", although the sheep it was derived from were probably not in fact from St Kilda itself. Meanwhile, the remaining sheep on Boreray were left to become feral;[9] these became the only survivors of the crofters' sheep, and one of the few surviving descendants of the Dunface. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) A primitive breed of sheep, the Boreray is a small, slender animal. Photo Gallery. Mason, I.L. Produced from the wool of our shearling Borerays, available in 100g Aran-weight balls. The fleeces are not actually black, but range from very dark brown to grey. [10], Before the evacuation of the St Kildian inhabitants, these sheep were farmed. Any sheep left on the island were culled. Blacker Yarns sources rare Boreray and Soay wool direct from the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and spins them into special yarns only available at The Woolly Thistle online shop. AVAILABLE MAIL ORDER DEPENDING ON SUPPLY - CLICK ON CONTACT BUTTON FOR FURTHER INFO. References: British Sheep and Wool, British Wool Marketing Board, Oak Mills, Station Rd., Clayton, Bradford. The breed was once reared for meat and wool, but is now used mainly for conservation grazing. Scurred rams have been observed on Hirta, and occur occasionally in sheep owners’ flocks. Done "Complete spirals" - whatever is a complete spiral, given that spirals can be infinite? Languages. Boreray sheep, once found throughout the Scottish Highlands as the now extinct Scottish Tan-Face sheep, are now confined as a feral flock to just one small island in the St Kilda archipelago. The Boreray, also known as the Boreray Blackface or Hebridean Blackface, is a breed of sheep originating on the St Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland and surviving as a feral animal on one of the islands, Boreray. Most rams and some ewes have a ‘collar’ of darker wool. The extremities are black or tan colored. The Boreray is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds. At Marlfield Farm we are privileged to have a small flock of these wonderful little sheep. [12], They have naturally short tails, which do not require docking. They are amongst the smallest sheep, with mature ewes weighing 28 kg (62 lb) and standing 55 cm (22 in) at the withers. The Boreray, also known as the Boreray Blackface or Hebridean Blackface, is a breed of sheep originating on the St Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland and surviving as a feral animal on one of the islands, Boreray. The Boreray is Britain's rarest breed of native sheep, named after the island of Boreray in the St. Kilda group of islands in the Outer Hebrides, from where they originate. Produced from the wool of our shearling Borerays, available in 100g Aran-weight balls. Wool attracts the flies mainly in the summer season. The Soay sheep is an old breed of sheep that descended from feral sheep on the small island of Soay in the St. Kilda Achipelago. It had previously been the only breed classed in "Category 2: Critical" but by 2017 the population had grown. Rooed in May 2019. Weight 660g. Boreray sheep. bei eBay. Orkney Boreray is the term used to refer to the Boreray sheep in Orkney that are the unique ‘lost flock’. In 2012, 204 ewes were registered in herdbooks. Recent. Mature rams can grow especially large, spiral horns which may be used for crafts such as making shepherd's crooks. Boreray Sheep are closely geographically and socially linked to Soay Sheep, however the 2 breeds are genetically different. This wool is unique and rare! This means that they are the original, unmodified sheep that used to be farmed on the island. Sheared in May 2019. [16], In 1999 the population was estimated to be at less than 84, with 74 ewes. When the inhabitants evacuated Hirta, the main island of St. Kilda, in 1930, all their domestic stock went with them. It is a lovely fleece to work with and adds colour and depth to your crafts. At that time there were about a thousand of these sheep on Hirta and about four hundred on Boreray. Rooed in May 2019. Boreray Sheep. Several types of sheep have been associated with St Kilda. Done; Horned "females": why not say ewes? The Boreray originated on the island of Boreray which is in the St. Kilda group. Soay sheep shed their fleeces and the breed is quite wild, so good fleece may be difficult to collect. Boreray sheep are descended from the domestic sheep kept by the St. Kildans. Dark Boreray fleece from our chatty 10 year old ewe, Georgie. Raw Boreray fleece from our 10 year old Boreray ewe, Gaynor. A few days later I took the Boreray fibre with me to British Wool Weekend and at the end of a tiring but most enjoyable weekend, Sue Blacker had the job of fitting it all into her car to take down to Cornwall. The sheep have dark brown wool and usually four or occasionally six horns. Visit Marlfield Yarn on The Fleece Shop ». [17], The breed was primarily reared for meat and wool, but due to its rarity it is now reared for conservation purposes, if reared at all, as most of the population is thought to be feral. A lovely raw Boreray fleece from our 3 year old ewe, Fiona. £5.00. Weight 780g. Skip to content . The ram's horns are large and spiraled. Since 2012, sheep numbers have been increasing year on year;[17] and in 2017 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) moved the classification of the sheep from 'Category 2: Critical' to 'Category 3: Vulnerable' as the number of breeding ewes was estimated to exceed 500. [19], However, in 2017 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated that there are 426 breeding ewes. Records dating back to the mid-18th century describe the Boreray breed as small, horned, with short, coarse wool. At Marlfield Farm we are privileged to have a small flock of these wonderful little sheep. Soay scatter instead of flocking together. This carded Boreray shearling fleece is supplied loose in 50g bags. The breed was developed during the late 19th century from Scottish Blackface and a Hebridean type of Old Scottish Shortwool. Research into the skeletal remains and stone tools used in spinning and weaving give some indication about how the sheep were managed by Neolithic farmers. In 2002, there were between 92 and 100 animals, with 92 ewes and the male population estimated to be less than 7. Raw fleece taken from our 7 year old Boreray tup, Jacob. Boreray Ram - Pedigree. pg 120. Sometimes they are darker and rams can have a ‘collar’ around their neck. St Kilda itself was inhabited up until the 1930s, and today is only home to these two rare sheep breeds, the Boreray which is the rarest of all British sheep and the Soay which still remains at risk. Boreray are perfect hardy, low maintenance sheep. Soay Sheep. Finden Sie Top-Angebote für Schottische Insel Schaf Fleece ~ ganzes Vlies von seltenen Insel boreray Schafe. [15], Both sexes of the Boreray display horns, formerly sometimes more than one pair, but in the modern breed always only one pair. Rams are two-horned and the horns are strong. Shearling Boreray fleece with subtle colour shades. Washed & carded at a mill. 112 pp. Cute teddy bears hand knitted from hand spun rare breed Boreray sheep wool available from The Knitted Bear Company; learn more about UK endangered breeds. The breed has been largely feral since 1930. List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boreray_sheep&oldid=981265448, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 October 2020, at 08:25. This evacuation of inhabitants is what resulted in the Boreray breed becoming feral. Related Links. Rough in quality, the wool is mostly used in the creation of tweeds or carpet yarns. The tenant islanders kept their sheep on Hirta and Boreray, whilst the Soay sheep, which belonged to the proprietor, lived separately on their native isle of Soay. £17.00. You can use insecticides which are the best method to control flystrike. What we do. Its colour is a mix of flecked colours. The Boreray is a small breed with no wool on face or lower legs. Email This BlogThis! The breed was once reared for meat and wool, but is now used mainly for conservation grazing. Added in 24 Hours. The Manx Loaghtan ( loch-tan) is a rare breed of sheep native to the Isle of Man.