Border Leicester (sheep)

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The Border Leicester's distinctive Roman nose and rabbit-like ears.
The Border Leicester's distinctive Roman nose and rabbit-like ears.

The Border Leicester (Leicester is pronounced "Lester") breed of sheep is a dual purpose breed. The wool is highly prized by spinners because of the tight curls, lusture and sheen. The sheep are normally shorn twice a year when the wool has reached a length of around four inches (10 cm).

Lambs when sheared have an average of four pounds of wool; yearlings have a larger body and can have as much as seven pounds at each shearing. The body weight of a yearling ewe is around 140 pounds (64 kg).

In the United States there are two associations: American Border Leicester Association and the North American Border Leicester Association. A registry of Border Leicester sheep is maintained so that breeders can manage their breeding programs.

Breeders show their flocks at county shows and fairs throughout the year with a National Show being held annually at the North American International Livestock Exposition held in Louisville, Kentucky every November.

Generally not considered a common breed, they are however regarded as easy to work with and not possessing a bad temperament.

In the 1995 film Babe, Maa the Very Old Ewe indignantly proclaims that she is "no ordinary sheep. I'm a Border Leicester ewe."

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