Sheep
A small flock of rare breed Portland sheep live at Burrells Farm.
Portland sheep come from Portland in Dorset. They are small, with a creamy fleece, a tan face and legs and curved horns. The lambs are born a much darker colour, in various shades of brown. As they grow, their fleece grows paler. They are ready to eat when they are about 16 months old. The Portland sheep is said to produce the very finest mutton. It is traditional with the Portland sheep to leave the tail intact and not dock it as is done with most other breeds. That is why our sheep have long tails.
The ram is put in with the ewes for two months, usually during November and December. The lambing starts five months later. The ewes are brought into the lambing barn in the farmyard to give birth to their lambs. After a few days here, they can go back into the fields. The lamb can stand only a few minutes after it is born - it needs to find a teat and have a good drink of milk to keep it warm and alive. Portland sheep normally only give birth to one lamb each year. The ewes protect their lambs, and take turns babysitting each others lambs! The lambs love to get together and play while their mothers graze.