Greyface

I was short of ideas for a blip and the car had stood for a long time so I decided it needed a run to charge the battery.  Clickychick was also short of ideas so she came along.

It is amazing how much excitement you can instill in a flock of sheep by walking up to the gate and looking over.  They were obviously expecting the farmer bringing supplementary feed as they rushed from all over the field bleating as they came.

They are what I have always known as Greyface but in some areas they are called mules.  Cumbria is famous for its production of these cross breeds which are sold all over the country.  They are part of the stratification of the sheep industry.  The fells have tough hardy breeds such as the swaledale but they only have one lamb.  To make that lamb more valuable you mate the mountain breed with a breed which is prolific (regularly produces twins) and has high milkability such as a Blue Faced Leicester.  The resulting "greyface" is tough hardy with good milkability and good prolificacy.