Border Leicester Sheep Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Border Leicester Sheep is a breed that originated in Britain a couple of centuries ago. They are a robust, hardy breed with a very distinctive face and ears that stand up long on straight from their head.

They have a body full of good wool, good meat to bone ratio and a docile, even-tempered nature that make them really easy to handle. They love to graze and forage which also makes them easy to maintain.

BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
These large white lambs are docile and easy to handle. They were first introduced to the States by George Washington.
Country of Origin:	United Kingdom
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Large
Main Purpose:	Meat and wool
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Can be used for	Breed, Meat, Wool **LSC (Landscape Management)
Temperament:	Docile, easy to handle. The ewes have excellent maternal instincts while the rams are quite the gentlemen.
Ideal Climate:	They tolerate almost all climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status/ Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Sheep?	They are novice to intermediate level sheep to maintain
Sheep Associations:	American Border Leicester Association
Sheep Clubs:	Please check with the American Border Leicester Association for and up to date list of any breeders’ clubs in or around your area
Note: ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy * LSC stands for Landscape Management – the animal is used for controlling various vegetation growth

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

These lambs do not have wool on their face and legs. They have very compact bodies and short legs for their size. They have a long arched Roman nose which makes them look quite distinguished.

Color(s):

White

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Breed Weight:	68 to 102 kgs	79 to 136 kgs
Breed Height:	79 cm at withers	81.28 cm at withers
Hair:	Locks with purled tips that curl at the end and no black spots in white wool or white spots in black wool. Minimum of kemp hair	Locks with purled tips that curl at the end and no black spots in white wool or white spots in black wool. Minimum of kemp hair
Ears:	Tubular held high and erect on the head	Tubular held high and erect on the head
Horns:	Polled	Polled
Matures at age:	10 weeks/15 months or 15 years	10 weeks to 15 months
Puberty Age:	5 to 12 months	5 to 7 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Ewe Breeding & Milking Info.	Cover 5 to 10 Ewes in 1 season

EWE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION

Their milk is not used in production/dairy and is only used to feed their young. They lamb once a year and make really good mothers as they have high maternal instincts.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 16 to 59 hours
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days/15 to 20 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 149 to 155 days but most gestation is 152 days
No. Lambs/Litter:	1 and on the rare occasion 2 (twins)
Lactation Period:	Usually, around 150 to 240 day but most are milked for 180 days
Milking From:	4 to 6 weeks after lambing
Milk Quality:	Good, Quantity: Enough to wean lambs Per: Lactation period
Milk Ideal for:	Feeding of the ewes young
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SHEEP MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

They are sought after for their fast maturing lambs and premium quality, succulently flavorful meat production. The lambs can reach up to 49 kgs by 4.5 months of age making them excellent for the production of premium quality lamb.

Meat Production:

Yes, Quality: Premium quality

SHEEP ⇒	LAMB	HOGGET/MUTTON
Approx. Maturity Weight:	58 kgs	79 kgs
Approx. Maturity Age:

SHEEP WOOL PRODUCTION INFORMATION

They have a long lustrous wool that will often yield around 70% wool after scouring which makes then one of the best wool producer. Their fleece will give around 3.6 to 5 kgs of grease wool annually.

Wool Production?

Yes, Quality: Good spinning quality due to its crimp and luster

Wool is used to Produce:

Medium to heavy weight garments

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months	6 to 8 months
Approx. Length:	12.7 to 25.4 cm	12.7 to 25.4 cm
Microns:	30.0 to 38.5 microns	30.0 to 38.5 microns
Approx. Quantity:	From 3 kg up to 5 kgs a year	From 3 kg up to 5 kgs a year

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP

Some more pointers that may be good to know about the Border Leicester Sheep breed
Child-Friendly?	They are mild mannered with no horns, but they are still large animals and children should never be left unsupervised around them.
Landscape Management?	They are excellent foragers and grazers that are bound to keep the fields and bushes well landscaped
Where to buy them?	Please check with the American Border Leicester Association for any breeders, clubs or farm outlets that may sell the Border Leicester sheep breed.

GENERAL INFORMATION

They may not be on the endangered list in America, but they are one of England’s listed rare “Heritage Breeds” of sheep.

George Washington introduced the Border Leicester breed of sheep to the United States. He kept a breed pair of Border Leicester sheep on his Mt. Vernon farm.

They are not really bred for their sheep skin production but as a meat sheep, their skin may very well be used for various sheep skin manufacturing.

HISTORY

The Boarder Leicester sheep breed was developed in England in 1967. They get their name from the place where they were developed and the stock from which they developed from. They were developed in Northumberland on the border of Scotland with their foundation stock being that of the Dishley Leicester rams.

The Dishley Leicester sheep breed was developed by Robert Bakewell in around 1726 to 1795. He developed the Dishley Leicester breed by crossing that of the Leicestershire type sheep and the old Lincolnshire sheep breed. The Dishley Leicester sheep were very popular with the local farmers around the area.

The Culley brothers, Matthew and George, bought some of Robert Bakewell’s Dishley Leicester’s. The Culley brothers lived across the border and by the 1830s the breed was found on both sides of the border. There were also by then two distinct types of the breed that were developing across the borders.

The Culley brothers were breeding the Dishley Leicester’s with the Teeswater sheep breed. Other farmers were crossing them with breeds such as the Cheviot breed. These different breeds of the Dishley Leicester’s became known as the “Bluecaps” and the “Redlegs”.

The Redleg breed of the Dishley Leicester’s was the most popular as they were a hardier breed and in 1850 the Redleg Dishley Leicester’s became known as the Border Leicester’s. The Border Leicester breed became quite a common breed that was found in the UK in the 19th century.

It is not known the exact date that the first Border Leicester sheep breed was imported to America. But it is safe to assume that they arrive there in 1888 as that was when the American Leicester Breeders Association was started. The 1920 census listed that there was a population of 767 purebred Border Leicester sheep in the United States of America.