Valais Blacknose Sheep Cheshire READ MORE I'm absolutely thrilled that my stock Ram Cheshire Incredible Hulk has gone and smashed the British record price at The Black Beauty’s Show and Sale 2023 achieving 18,000gns in the Auction Harrison & Hetherington making him the most expensive Valais bought in the UK. The world most cutest sheep from the alps of
Switzerland, to the heart of Cheshire
Valais Blacknose Sheep Cheshire for sale Valais Blacknose Sheep Cheshire

Valais Blacknose Sheep For Sale

At Valais Blacknose Sheep Cheshire, we offer a variety of sheep for sale, including Ewes, Rams, Lambs, and even Semen. We actively participate in farm life, eagerly engaging in lambing seasons and agricultural shows. Our farm now spans over 45 acres in Cheshire, proudly home to an extensive flock of Valais Blacknose Sheep. If you’re interested in adding a Valais Blacknose Sheep to your farm or learning more about our offerings, we invite you to contact us for further details.

The Valais Blacknose is a heritage breed from the Upper Valais region of the German-speaking part of Switzerland. This domestic sheep breed is also known as Blacknosed Swiss, Visp, Visperschaf, Walliser Schwarznaseschaf and Wallis Blacknose. Although they are quite popular in its native area, they are not very common around the world with their population of 13,700 herdbook animals. It is estimated that the reproduction power of the breed is about 1.6 lambs per year. Unlike most breeds of sheep, Valais sheep breed all year round and are not seasonal like the majority of sheep. The black-nose sheep are a dual-purpose breed, as they are raised both for meat and for their wool.

The wool of Valais Blacknose is coarse in nature and is used mainly for carpets and felting as well as for mattress stuffing. The meat obtained from the Valais Blacknose sheep is of excellent quality and is famous for its tender nature. Besides, their skin, horns and fleeces are frequently used by the breeders as decorations or sold as popular holiday souvenirs. In addition, the animals are well-adapted for living in the extreme climatic conditions of the high mountains. They are also known to be simple to care for, highly intelligent and calm. They do not shy away from contact with humans. As a result, many residents of Upper Valais have started keeping them as pets in recent years. They can be tamed in short period of time and their nature is placid which, combined with their striking appearance, make Valais Blacknose the perfect pet sheep.

Valais Blacknose Sheep Origin

Although nowadays the sheep are bred in the mountains of Switzerland, in Germany and the United Kingdom, they are native only to Switzerland. They have been raised in the Swiss Alps for hundreds of years. The first mention of these animals (presumably by Hans Hinrich Sambraus) dates back to the 15th century, however they became a separate breed not earlier than in 1962. What is interesting the Valais Blacknose Sheep Association (Oberwalliser Schwarznasen Schafzuchtverband) was founded in 1948, that is 14 years before they were officially recognized as a breed. Besides, it is thought that the Valais Blacknose sheep, which belong to the Northern Short Tailed group, are the forefathers of the many coloured breeds that can be found along the trading routes the Norsemen took a thousand years ago. Another interesting fact which may be also surprising, is that the first Valais Blacknose sheep appeared only recently in the UK, namely in February 2014. However, since then they have become the new favourites of livestock keepers in Cheshire and one of the most prized livestock in the UK.

Valais Blacknose Sheep Characteristics and Appearance

The Blacknosed Swiss are often described as large-framed, sturdy sheep with unique wool texture and colour characteristics. They are mainly white, with black marking on their heads — one dapple from the nose to the middle of the head connected to two black circles around their eyes. Their ears are black too. They might also have black spots on their legs, but only females are allowed to have black parts on their tails. It is unacceptable for rams, though. What is the most peculiar for the breed is their long, uniform-white coat. It grows evenly all over the body, even on their heads or legs. The wool cannot be twisted and its colours cannot be mixed. The fleeces vary individually but they grow 12 inches each year on average. Sheep are shaved twice a year producing 5-6 inches of staple length. Thus, one sheep can give up to 4 kilograms of wool a year.

These domesticated animals are well suited to live in the extreme climatic conditions of the high mountains. The breed’s mountain origins shaped its well-muscled physique. Their heads and necks are short, placed on a long, straight and broad backs. Other characteristic features are a wide mouth, a Roman nose and a broad forehead, medium-sized ears and that both ewes and rams have spiraling horns. They also have a solid bone structure and strong, well-placed limbs. All of these features make it easier for them to graze on steep, rocky slopes.Their movement is sure-footed and not wavering. They are often said to be a large breed, but not the largest. Ewes are 72-78 cm tall (measured from the bottom to the withers) and rams are 75-83 cm tall, which means that generally they are about 2 feet tall. When it comes to their average weight, it is between 70 and 90 kg for ewes and between 80 and 125 kg for rams.

Valais Blacknose Sheep On Shows

The Valais Blacknose Sheep are often fielded at many shows and they take part in various competitions. You are likely to find them at shows like Ellingham Show and Romsey Show. There are many criteria that these sheep have to meet if their owners want to win. One of them is that their horns cannot be entirely black. Only occasional black spots are tolerated. Moreover, it is important that they are well separated and placed horizontally in the direction of their jaws. Their limbs must not be cow-hocked or bow-legged. Dwarfism can also exclude a sheep from participating in a competition. Male sheep must have a distinctive head shape. It is not acceptable for rams to have any black spots above the abdominal line, and as it was mentioned earlier, they cannot have black spots on their tails (which is not a problem in the case of females). Their wool cannot be twisted and its colour cannot be mixed. And of course, all sheep must have their characteristic face and leg pattern.

Valais Blacknose Sheep For Sale

Valais Blacknose Sheep Have Frozen Semen Straws Available For Sale

We have Semen available from our Top Quality Swiss Valais Rams which are all type 3 original swiss bloodlines bred from Fantastic show lines and can be delivered to anywhere in Great Britain.

We sell Semen in Pellet Form and P2 Doses and as single dose straws. Please ‘Contact Us’ for further information and we can inform you of what semen we have available.

Valais Blacknose Semen (Valais Rams Semen) Pellets and Straws for sale.

Valais Blacknose Sheep For Sale (Ewes, Rams and Lambs)

Valais Blacknose Sheep for Sale

Valais Blacknose Sheep for Sale

We are currently in the process of lambing and are taking orders on the beautiful Valais Blacknose Lambs. Shortly we should have available: Wether Lambs, Intact Ram Lambs and Ewe Lambs.

📞 07973 262871

Valais Blacknose Semen for Sale

Valais Blacknose Semen for Sale

Valais Blacknose Sheep Cheshire have frozen Semen Straws available for sale from our Top Quality Swiss Valais Rams which are all type 3 original swiss bloodlines bred from Fantastic show lines and can be delivered to anywhere in Great Britain.

📞 07973 262871

Valais Blacknose Sheep Sold

Valais Blacknose Sheep Sold

Click here to view some of our recently sold Valais Blacknose sheep. Many of our clients are thrilled by the service that we deliver and are happy to tell us. Here’s what some of our customers say about our sheep.

📞 07973 262871

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