Sheep are an integeral part of life at Warborne Farm, we aim to produce the best lamb possible all year round. Wool, sadly, is completley worthless.

We have several breeds of sheep on the farm, the NZ Romney has a lustrous coat, the Southdown for its new season lamb and the Poll Dorset for its ability to lamb in December. However we have been introducing a new breed the little known Dorper (Dorset cross Persian, it is woolless, which will elimanate the need for shearing and crutching and leaving it unsusceptible to flystrike, produces top quality lambs, it is hornless and will breed out of season. The breed has been introduced into the 2007 mating and the first lambs have been born in the spring 2008 lambing. We will watch their progress with great interest.

Of the spring born lambs, the first are finished throughout June. They are still on their mothers and are called ‘new season’ lambs. They are extremely tender and should be served pink.

In the autumn these weaned lambs have a fuller flavour and are still quite tender. They graze clover, chicory and herbs and are known as ‘prime lamb’.

After the New Year they become ‘hoggets’. Their stronger flavour suits the kind of meals that seem more appropriate as that time of year.

George looks after all the sheep himself. They require regular foot bathing and trimming to stop infections in the feet, Crutching refers to the removal of wool from around the tail and between the rear legs of a sheep, Urine and watery feces from eating spring grass can lead to Myiasis (fly-strike), which occurs when flies lay eggs in warm, damp wool and the fly larvae grow and eat into the sheep. Crutching is an effective way to prevent this. In May all the sheep are sheared although this may be a thing of the past if the Dorper is a success !

1. We are a ‘closed’ flock. We breed our own replacements. No disease can be brought in.
2. Traditional breeds, with high selection criteria for breeding stock.
3. Low stocking rates: Not parasites i.e. intestinal worms, liver fluke.
4. Rotational grazing: Clover, chicory and herb leys.
5. Own grown protein: Supplementary feed at lambing time is from our surplus vegetables, pulses and cereals. We are in complete control of the quality and source (no GM) of our protein.
6. Low stress levels, notably at tupping time and most of all at lambing time. That way the ewes conceive and are happy to rear as many lambs as naturally capable.

The older ewes, which we can no longer breed from are sold on as mutton and are ideal for the tastiest roasts, stews and curries.