Welsh Badgerface sheep

[Swaley]

Hello all,
Always quiet liked the look of the welsh badgerface and heard off a few people before and what I've seen on the website they are really good productive little sheep that can do well on hard going. Is this true? and has anyone ever had anything to do with them. Any photos would be great. Thanks.

 

[Wood field]

We’ve a few, turned up with a batch of Welsh hill ewes
I hated them…..,but, they have reared a lamb (or lambs) firstly with a texel ram
And more recently with ncc tup.
The lambs are very wick and the ewes fantastic mothers, rearing lambs that are now nearly the same size as the ewe
I’ll get some pics if I get a chance, one thing they can jump like deer

 

[Guiggs]

I used to keep a few, just something a bit different for the kids...
Used to put to a texel, would rear a single very well but on the rare occasion they had twins it never ended well..
They were great mums, would teach their lambs exactly where the escape routes were and how to take off as far and fast as they could when they saw my collie.
They would always be grazing 2 fields in front of the main flock so in the end I had enough of the wild little sh1ts and got rid.

 

[Wood field]

I used to keep a few, just something a bit different for the kids...
Used to put to a texel, would rear a single very well but on the rare occasion they had twins it never ended well..
They were great mums, would teach their lambs exactly where the escape routes were and how to take off as far and fast as they could when they saw my collie.
They would always be grazing 2 fields in front of the main flock so in the end I had enough of the wild little sh1ts and got rid.

That reminded me, the swines do seem to get a field or two ahead of the flock, I’ve a moor wall plus wall top netting and I would regularly chase a neighbours badger face out of the hay field

 

[bendigeidfran]

Hello all,
Always quiet liked the look of the welsh badgerface and heard off a few people before and what I've seen on the website they are really good productive little sheep that can do well on hard going. Is this true? and has anyone ever had anything to do with them. Any photos would be great. Thanks.

Son has some, very easy care type of ewe, his always scan between 160- 175% if kept pure lambs are a bit on the small side but he sells from under mum or keep them until spring.
He has used texel, suffolk and aberfield on them lamb no problem and good weight on lambs.

Ewe with twin aberfield ewe lambs.
Ps, you will need very good fencing and understanding neighbours!
Depends on what you want from them, lots of showing around here.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

two types, Torwen (white belly), pronounced tour when and torddu (black belly) pronounced tour the (and roll the R on tour).

 

[Al R]

two types, Torwen (white belly), pronounced tour when and torddu (black belly) pronounced tour the (and roll the R on tour).

Plus there’s balwens, had 20 on the cliffs here that would walk across wooden field gates and taught their lambs to do the same. After 2 years they got sent to the island opposite us, 3 years later they were at a neighbours holding pen before going cull, dad walked out in the morning and all the balwens were on our yard a few miles from where they were meant to be

There’s 50-60 pedigree torwen’s in Whitland on Saturday.

 

[Estate fencing.]

Iv got some balwens. Always seem to lamb last but are well behaved behind 2 stands of electric, if they did get out they would be across about 10,000 acres of corn.

 

[ed g]

Bought 6 of each type in lamb last year - all lambed ok single lamb each. very good mothers but would never keep them without proper stock fenced fields as they are very intelligent and can find escape routes seconds after entering a field. You will need a very fit dog ! Easily trained to a bucket though.

 

[wrenbird]

Multi-coloured hooligan sheep…

 

[wrenbird]

The above is probably a bit unfair. The ones we have had were all excellent mothers, they reared a good lamb put to a Texel or Charollais tup.
Never mucky, never lame, unless they picked up a blackthorn in their feet climbing a hedge to escape.
We had an outbreak of pinkeye in the flock a few years ago, the Badgers were about the only ewes that didn’t get it (mainly because the little sods were always at least three fields away from the rest, even when they weren’t supposed to be).
I miss them now they’re not here, intelligent, hardy little devils. My other three-quarters, His Immense Tallness, always maintained that cockroaches and the Badger-faces would be the only creatures to survive a nuclear war, and the Badgers would definitely outlive the cockroaches.

 

[BAF]

Can confirm Torwens are brilliant mothers. They will rear twins but do singles spectacularly. They are however horrible barstewards. I'm finally down to my last 2. They won't go through a 12ft gate with the main flock but they'll dive through a mouse hole to escape. They'll come to a bucket within 20ft and then knock you down running away. They're never lame, sick or sorry. And their crossbreed daughters maintain most of the hardiness and the maternal ability, they are a bit sharp but nowhere near as psychotic as their mothers.
If you want to make yourself prematurely age and mildly suicidal have a whole flock of them

 

[Wood field]

Bit late with the pic, this is badger cross with ncc

 

[primmiemoo]

Had a photo of a Badger Face from a friend who was striding across bits of Dartmoor. Apparently, the ewe in the pic had startled the party with her distinctively good looks, so I was consulted to confirm she was an ovine, and not some strange chimera cobbled together by some sort of dastardly Baskerville.

No idea what they had in their hip flasks.

 

[andyt87]

Neighbour bought a bunch of ewe lambs after seeing Mule yearlings apparently bred from them. He's going to put a bfl over them as an experiment. Whether that ends up as anything more than nice markings I don't know

 

[JHT]

Neighbour bought a bunch of ewe lambs after seeing Mule yearlings apparently bred from them. He's going to put a bfl over them as an experiment. Whether that ends up as anything more than nice markings I don't know

We have done that- the mules will be white. They will make very, very good ewes- hardy mules that will raise good lambs and last forever. A bit like the mules from years ago before the hardy ewes were ruined.

 

[ilyria]

I've found Badgerface are less escapee than Balwens. Excellent mothers and rear their lambs well. I've got singles ready to go and twins not far off. Live on pretty much anywhere. There are 2 flavours though, mental and quiet

 

[Buford T. Justice]

The above is probably a bit unfair. The ones we have had were all excellent mothers, they reared a good lamb put to a Texel or Charollais tup.
Never mucky, never lame, unless they picked up a blackthorn in their feet climbing a hedge to escape.
We had an outbreak of pinkeye in the flock a few years ago, the Badgers were about the only ewes that didn’t get it (mainly because the little sods were always at least three fields away from the rest, even when they weren’t supposed to be).
I miss them now they’re not here, intelligent, hardy little devils. My other three-quarters, His Immense Tallness, always maintained that cockroaches and the Badger-faces would be the only creatures to survive a nuclear war, and the Badgers would definitely outlive the cockroaches.

You'd make a great salesperson

 

[primmiemoo]

We have done that- the mules will be white. They will make very, very good ewes- hardy mules that will raise good lambs and last forever. A bit like the mules from years ago before the hardy ewes were ruined.

Years ago, I bought Beulah and Beulah Mule stores and kept the ewe hoggs for selling as 2tth couples. Nice little sheep, both pure and mule. The Badgers have a similar air to them, from what little I've seen.

 

[Ysgythan]

Mentalists. Short man syndrome in sheep form.