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"The Cotswold is a large polled white-faced breed of sheep. Ewes ma Currently the Cotswold is a rare breed and is classified as such by both the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in England and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy in the United States." --The American Cotswold Record Association "Cotswold sheep are one of the oldest breeds. There is evidence that they were kept pure for well over 1000 years in the remote Cotswold Hills of Gloucestershire, England. Because of their long, lustrous fleece, often resembling a lion's shaggy mane, they came to be known in song and story as the "Cotswold Lions." It was this linen-like fleece alone that was used to make the legendary Cloth of Gold of antiquity. Pure gold, drawn exceedingly fine, was spun and woven with luxurious Cotswold wool. During the 1700's, the original Cotswold flocks lost some of their size, vigor and wool yield due to crosses with the "Dishley" sheep. Very few true Cotswold flocks remained by 1825. The crossbred sheep came to be known as the "Improved Cotswold." They had become much more numerous than the Cotswold. Widespread confusion over the two breeds led to the establishment of the American Cotswold Association in 1878, now known as the American Cotswold Record Association [ACRA]. Registry rules were adopted to insure the purity of the original breed, among them the rejection of sheep with colored fibers - one of the signs of impurity." --The American Cotswold Record Association Kenworthy Farm is a proud member of the American Cotswold Record Association. Sheep image on this page sourced from www.britannica.com |
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Copyright © 2009
Kenworthy Farm
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ture
to weigh 225 - 250 pounds, and rams 275 - 300 pounds in moderate condition.
They have long fine heads which are carried high, and black points, which
combined give them a stylish appearance. The fleece lies on the body in
distinct locks, and falls over the forehead in cords. An average fleece
weighs 13 - 15 pounds, is highly lustrous with a count in the 40's, and yields
under commercial processing 60%.