Meet the sheep

Wiltshire Horn sheep: "no wool - no worries"

The first nine sheep that will be the basis of the Noakes Grove Herd of pedigree Wiltshire Horn sheep are now grazing in their enclosure on Arbury Meadow.

The sheep are all this year's ewe lambs: born April 2009 they will be ready to mate in late 2010 and give birth to their first (organic) lambs in April or May 2011.

They are enclosed in electric fenced paddocks that enable them to be moved to new parts of the meadow, while the part they have left recovers and any parasites they have left in the soil are given time to die. For an organic herd, this natural parasite control is very important as the sheep are not given any regular, routine medication (only medicines prescribed by a vet as appropriate if the get sick).

Wiltshire Horns are one of the traditional English breed approved by Natural England for additional Environmental Stewardship grant-aid. they have two big advantages over many modern breeds: the sheep can live out year round and do not have to be shorn. the wool is molted naturally every year, so they have a permanent fairly short fleece and are much less likely to get "fly strike" problems than sheep with thick coats of wool.

The sheep are visited at least once a day and checked to see if they are ok, need moving to new pasture or their water trough topping-up. These routine visits are done by a team of volunteer shepherds and shepherdesses (and their children) who live near by and any of whom can call in expert help if the need arises.

The Noakes Grove flock is registered with the official Wiltshire Horn Sheep Society

The weaned lambs spent their first month after leaving their mother's(in Abbess Roding) grazing on another part of the Organic Countryside's farm: a field at Ellis Green, Wimbish. [The trees in the field are traditional Essex and west country varieties of desert and cider apples]

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