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Bluefaced Leicester sheep
| Place of Origin | England |
| Origin | Also Known By: Hexham Leicester, Bluefaced Maine, Blue-headed Maine. The Bluefaced Leicester is a longwool breed of sheep which originates near Hexham in the county of Northumberland and became known at the beginning of the 20th century. They are descendants of Robert Bakewell’s improved Dishley Leicester. The breed originated from Border Leicester individuals selected for the blue face (white hairs on black skin) and finer fleeces. It was developed as a sire of high quality crossbred ewes. In the 1970s, the Bluefaced Leicester was exported to Canada. Exported frozen semen from the United Kingdom is now used to expand the genetic diversity in Canada and the United States. This breed is raised primarily for meat, but their fleece is becoming increasingly popular for handspinning. Bluefaced Leicester sheep may also have brown on their face. The sell record has been set by a brown ram lamb selling for 23,000 guineas. |
| Purpose | Meat |
| Characteristics | They have curly threadlike wool which makes it considerably lighter than others. Some fleeces only weigh 1 to 3 kg (2.2 to 6.6 lb). These particular kind of sheep have no wool on the head or neck, although the pattern and shape of the wool is most like the Wensleydale. Bluefaced Leicesters are recognisable through their Roman noses, which have a dark blue skin which can be seen through the white hair, hence the name. They are tangentially related to the original Leicester Longwool breed, and commonly used as sires for mules. Fully grown Blueface rams can weigh up to 110 kg (240 lb) and ewes up to 89 kg (196 lb). At maturity and at the withers, rams are 90 cm (35 in) tall and ewes 85 cm (33 in) tall. |
