Leicester Longwool

The Leicester Longwool is a large breed of domestic sheep from England, kept chiefly for its long, glossy wool and as a dual purpose animal that gives meat as well. It belongs to the longwool group, a family of British sheep marked out by heavy fleeces of long, curling staple. The breed has a calm, good natured disposition that suits it to a smallholding as much as to a bigger farm.

Mature animals are heavy boned and broad, with a fleece that falls in distinct ringlets down the body. The wool grows fast and reaches a long staple, and that is the trait that built the breed's name among hand spinners and the old woollen mills. Ewes mind their lambs well, and rams are generally quiet for their size.

The breed is now regarded as a heritage or rare breed in a number of countries. Smallholders, fibre producers, and conservation flocks that want to keep the older bloodlines going are the ones who keep it today. Its quiet temperament and useful fleece keep it in demand among people who spin, weave, or felt their own wool.

Who it suits

The Leicester Longwool suits keepers who rate fleece quality and a steady, low fuss animal. Given its size, it needs sound fencing and handling pens built for a heavy sheep, so it suits anyone with decent pasture and shelter. Hand spinners and small fibre businesses go for the long, curling staple. The calm temperament also makes it a fair choice for a first time shepherd who can keep on top of the grooming and shearing that a heavy fleece demands.

The breed goes back to Leicestershire in the English midlands, where local longwool sheep had been kept for centuries. In the eighteenth century the farmer Robert Bakewell of Dishley Grange took a systematic approach to breeding these animals, selecting for faster growth, a blockier build, and an even, heavy fleece. His improved stock became known as the Dishley or New Leicester, and it forms the foundation of today's Leicester Longwool.

Bakewell's methods, including progeny testing and the practice of letting out rams to prove their offspring, carried influence well past sheep farming. The improved Leicester was used to upgrade many other longwool and crossbred flocks across Britain and further afield, and its blood lies behind several later breeds.

The breed travelled widely during the nineteenth century, reaching North America and Australia. It was kept at Mount Vernon, and George Washington took an interest in the type, which is part of why heritage flocks in the United States still point to the breed's colonial era links.

As commercial sheep farming turned toward shorter wool and faster finishing types through the twentieth century, Leicester Longwool numbers dropped sharply, and it became a rare breed. Conservation bodies and dedicated breeders have kept the surviving bloodlines going since.

The Leicester Longwool is built on a long, deep frame with a broad back and well sprung ribs. Both ewes and rams are naturally polled, so neither sex carries horns. The head and legs are clear of heavy wool, and the face is typically white or bluish grey with a calm look to it. The most striking feature is the fleece, which grows in long, well defined curls that hang down the sides of the body.

Coat and colours

The fleece is what marks the breed out. It grows fast, with a long staple and a high shine that leaves spun yarn with a glossy finish. The wool falls in distinct ringlets or curls rather than lying flat, and a single year's growth gives a heavy clip. Most animals are white, which lets the wool be dyed as wanted. Natural coloured flocks exist too, running from silver grey through to near black, and hand spinners after undyed colour seek these darker fleeces out. The clean face and legs make shearing and checking the animal straightforward despite the bulk of the body fleece.

The breed is known for an even temper. Animals are generally quiet, slow to panic, and easy to move and handle, and that matters in a sheep of this size. Ewes are good natured and settle into a flock routine quickly. Rams are usually quiet compared with many other breeds, though any entire ram should still be treated with the usual caution.

Around people, well handled Leicester Longwools grow used to regular contact and put up with the close handling that grooming and shearing call for. Around strangers they tend to stay calm rather than flighty. They flock together readily and get on well with other sheep and with mixed livestock such as goats or cattle once introductions are managed properly. Their gentle nature is one of the main reasons smallholders and fibre keepers pick the breed.

Grooming

• Shear at least once a year; some keepers shear twice to keep staple lengths workable for spinning.
• Skirt the fleece and keep it clean, since long curls trap vegetable matter, mud, and debris.
• Check for matting around the rear and belly, and dag (trim soiled wool) as needed for hygiene.
• Trim hooves on a regular schedule to stop overgrowth and lameness.

Exercise

• Give the flock plenty of pasture for daily grazing and movement.
• Rotate paddocks where you can to keep forage quality up and cut parasite load.
• Make sure there is room for the flock to move about freely, which keeps a large breed in condition.

Environment

The breed does well on good grass in a temperate climate, which suits Ireland's cool, damp conditions well. A heavy fleece gives protection from cold and rain, so the main worry is heat and humidity, where a long fleece can bring on heat stress before shearing. Provide shade, clean water at all times, and dry shelter for lambing and rough weather. Sound fencing suited to a large sheep matters, along with a handling pen that lets one person manage shearing, foot care, and routine treatments safely.

The breed is a grazing ruminant, and the diet should be built on quality forage. On good pasture during the growing season, mature animals can meet most of their needs from grass alone. Hay takes over from grazing through the winter or in a dry spell. Meal is added at the higher demand stages such as late pregnancy, lactation, and the run up to breeding, and for young growing stock. A steady supply of clean water is essential, especially for a heavy animal and for ewes in milk.

Treats and supplements

Provide a sheep specific loose mineral or mineral block that supplies salt and trace elements while keeping copper low. Where the soil runs short on selenium and other trace minerals, a common concern on Irish grassland, supplementing may be needed under a vet's guidance. Small amounts of suitable produce can be given as treats, but the bulk of the diet should stay forage. Bring in any new feed gradually to avoid digestive upset such as acidosis or bloat.

The breed is a sturdy, long established type with no widespread breed specific disorders, and a typical lifespan of 10 to 12 years. As with all sheep, most health problems trace back to management rather than genetics. The heavy fleece calls for particular attention around flystrike and cleanliness, and the breed's size makes foot health a priority.

Preventive care

• Follow a parasite control plan based on faecal egg counts rather than routine blanket dosing.
• Trim and check feet on a regular schedule and treat footrot early.
• Keep the rear end clean and shear or dag before the high flystrike season.
• Keep up a vaccination programme suited to the region, such as clostridial cover.
• Get nutrition right through late pregnancy to head off metabolic disease.
• Quarantine new arrivals before they join the flock.

The breed reaches breeding age inside its first year, though many keepers wait until the ewes are well grown before a first mating. Breeding is seasonal, with ewes coming into heat in autumn and lambing in spring after a gestation of about five months. Rams are put in with the ewe flock for a set mating period to bunch the lambing together.

Litter size is most often one or two lambs, with twins common in ewes carrying good condition. Ewes mind their lambs well and milk well, and the lambs come strong. Lambs are usually weaned at a few months old once they are eating forage and meal reliably. Because the breed runs large, keeping an eye on ewe condition through pregnancy helps toward an easy lambing and strong lambs. Conservation breeders keep careful pedigree records to hold the limited bloodlines of this rare breed together.