Portland (sheep)
Encyclopedia
The Portland is a sheep breed that takes its name from the Isle of Portland
. This breed is raised primarily for meat.
, the breed was once of the one rarest in Britain and is still at risk. In the 1970s, it was nearly extinct altogether, but has now recovered through efforts of dedicated breeders and the help of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust
. It is now listed as "at risk", being a minority breed. As one of the very old tan-faced breeds native to heathlands, the Portland was a primary contributor to the Dorset.
shape. The horns are cream coloured often having one or more thin black lines running along the horn lengthways. Lambs are born with a foxy-red coat which changes in the first few months to a creamy white.
The face is generally free of wool, but some sheep have a top knot of short wool. A distinctive feature is that they tend to have paler patches around the eyes, referred to as 'spectacles'. Both sexes have a broad muzzle, which is usually as pale as the 'spectacles'. Ewes tend to have a dished face, rather than a roman nose
. The nose is usually black.
In adult sheep the front legs and the rear legs below the hocks are free of wool. The feet are mainly black. Newborn lambs' fleeces are a foxy red colour that fades to a creamy white after a few months. The meat has a more complex flavour than most commercial breeds, highly prized since the time of George III. They produce 2–3 kg. of 50's–60's down-quality wool with a staple length of 6–9 cm (2.5–3.5 in), which is suitable for hosiery and hand-knitting yarns.
This breed will sometimes breed out of season. In fact, it was the first breed of sheep in Britain able to have lambs at any time of the year.
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
. This breed is raised primarily for meat.
History
Once common all over DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the breed was once of the one rarest in Britain and is still at risk. In the 1970s, it was nearly extinct altogether, but has now recovered through efforts of dedicated breeders and the help of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity, whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources...
. It is now listed as "at risk", being a minority breed. As one of the very old tan-faced breeds native to heathlands, the Portland was a primary contributor to the Dorset.
Characteristics
The Portland is a small sheep, with a cream fleece and golden tan face and legs. Both sexes are horned: in the adult male the horns are heavy and form double spirals; in the female the horns are lighter and shorter, being a single crescentCrescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
shape. The horns are cream coloured often having one or more thin black lines running along the horn lengthways. Lambs are born with a foxy-red coat which changes in the first few months to a creamy white.
The face is generally free of wool, but some sheep have a top knot of short wool. A distinctive feature is that they tend to have paler patches around the eyes, referred to as 'spectacles'. Both sexes have a broad muzzle, which is usually as pale as the 'spectacles'. Ewes tend to have a dished face, rather than a roman nose
Roman Nose
Roman Nose, a.k.a. Hook Nose , was a Native American of the Northern Cheyenne, and possibly the greatest and most influential warrior during the Plains Indian War of the 1860s...
. The nose is usually black.
In adult sheep the front legs and the rear legs below the hocks are free of wool. The feet are mainly black. Newborn lambs' fleeces are a foxy red colour that fades to a creamy white after a few months. The meat has a more complex flavour than most commercial breeds, highly prized since the time of George III. They produce 2–3 kg. of 50's–60's down-quality wool with a staple length of 6–9 cm (2.5–3.5 in), which is suitable for hosiery and hand-knitting yarns.
This breed will sometimes breed out of season. In fact, it was the first breed of sheep in Britain able to have lambs at any time of the year.