About Our Animals
Shetlands
The roots of the Shetland Sheep go back over a thousand years, probably to sheep brought to the Shetland Islands by Viking settlers. They belong to the Northern European short-tailed group which also contains the Finnsheep, Norwegian Spaelsau, Icelandics, Romanovs and others. Lincoln sheep
ong-wool sheep appear to have ancestry from white-fleeced sheep imported to Engl
and from the European continent during the Roman occupation. Evidence of this body-type of sheep with similar fleece exists as figurines from the continent dating to the second century. The next evidence of long-wool sheep comes from Lincolnshire, appearing as a detailed illustration in the 'Luttrell Psalter' written between 1320 and 1340. In approximately 1460, a brass memorial with a curly-fleeced sheep was placed on the Northleach Church, Gloustershire. Robert Bakewell (1725-95), a famous livestock breeder, used the "old" Lincoln with other native stock while creating his "new" Leicester sheep by using inbreeding. Later, Lincolnshire sheepmen used "new" Leicester rams on "old" coarse-wool Lincoln ewes to begin development of the "improved" Lincoln using selective crossbreeding. Border Cheviot
The Cheviot originated in the Cheviot Hills, on the border of England and Scotland. Recognized as a hardy sheep as early as 1372, Cheviots did well in those bleak, windswept conditions, with their strong constitution, easy lambing, well developed mothering instinct, and fast maturity. The Cheviot ewe can be found grazing up to 3,000 feet and is expected to live off the hill throughout the year. Blue Faced Leicester
Finally, in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, the Bluefaced Leicester breed came into being. It was primarily from the “Old” Border Leicester stock that the Bluefaced Leicester was created. Border Leicester individuals with darker skin pigment and finer fleece were selected, and these became the base for the new breed. Also, the white-fleeced, blue-skinned Wensleydale was likely used in the early development of the Bluefaced Leicester. The Bluefaced Leicester was originally created as a “crossing breed.” Its primary job was to produce high-quality crossbred ewes from the native draft or Hill breed ewes. It was discovered that a darker skinned ram, with a finer wool produced a better crossbred ewe from these Hill ewes. This first generation cross is traditionally called the “Mule.” Some of the most popular breeds used for the production of Mule ewes in the UK are the Scottish Blackface, Swaledale, Beulah, Welsh Mountain, Cheviot, and Clun Forest. Highland cattle
The Highland breed has lived for centuries in the rugged remote Scottish Highlands. The extremely harsh conditions created a process of natural selection, where only the fittest and most adaptable animals survived to carry on the breed. Originally there were two distinct classes; the slightly smaller and usually black Kyloe, whose primary domain was the islands off the west coast of northern Scotland. The other was a larger animal, generally reddish in color, whose territory was the remote Highlands of Scotland. Today both of these strains are regarded as one breed – Highland. In addition to red and black, yellow, dun, white, brindle and silver are also considered traditional colors. This “Grande Old Breed” can be traced to the first herd book being published in 1885 by the Highland Cattle Society in Scotland. Archaeological evidence of the Highland breed goes back to the sixth century, with written records existing from the twelfth century. The first recorded importation into the United States occurred in the late 1890’s when western cattlemen recognized the need to improve the hardiness of their herds. Earlier importations are likely to have occurred since large numbers of Scotch/Irish immigrants came to this country early on but the absence of a registry precludes any definite proof. The American Highland Cattle Association registry was formed in 1948. Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. Ranked number one in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs and typically extremely energetic, acrobatic, smart and athletic, they frequently compete with great success in dog sports, in addition to their success in sheepdog trials, and are often cited as the most intelligent of all dogs. Pekin Duck
The American Pekin Duck, Pekin duck, or Long Island duck[1] (Anas platyrhynchos domestica,[2][3] or Anas peking[1]), is a breed of domesticated duck used primarily for egg and meat production. It was bred from the Mallard in China. The ancestors of those ducks originated from the canals which linked waterways in Nanjing and originally had small bodies and black feathers. With the relocation of the Chinese capital to Beijing, supply barge traffic increased in the area which would often spill grain on which the ducks fed. Over time, the ducks slowly increased in size and grew white feathers. By the Five Dynasties, the new breed of duck had been domesticated by Chinese farmers. Guinea Fowl
The guineafowl (/ˈɡɪnifaʊl/; sometimes called guineahen) are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities (for example the American Ornithologists' Union) include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae. The guineafowl are native to Africa, but the Helmeted Guineafowl has been domesticated, and both feral and wild-type birds have been introduced elsewhere. Chickens
The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003,[1] there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food, consuming both their meat and their eggs.
