Borerea sheep are an important breed of sheep native to the St Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland.
And this wild animal survives on one of Scotland’s islands, Borerea. Since 1930, it has mostly raced in the wild.
And the breed was named from this island. It is also known by other names such as Hebridean Blackface and Boreray Blackface sheep.
The Borerey breed of sheep was actually bred in the late 19th century from the Scottish black wool and Hebridean type of the ancient Scottish Shorthair breed.
It is one of the breeds of short-tailed sheep in Northern Europe. And today it is the rarest breed of sheep in the UK, and today it is the only breed classified as ‘Category 2: Endangered’ by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
And today, there are less than 300 to 500 animals left. Learn more about this breed of Scottish sheep below.
Characteristics of Ram Sheep
Borerea sheep are smaller animals. Rams and ewes tended to be horned and sometimes had more than one pair. Their tails are naturally short.
They are usually gray or creamy white in body coloration, although darker individuals are also found that are similar in coloration to soybean sheep.
The legs and face are bare and are usually black and white, with proportions varying from person to person.
The average living height of sexually mature boar rams, as smaller animals, is about 55 cm.
The average live weight of adult rams is about 45 kg. And the average live weight of a sexually mature sheep is about 30 kg. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
Advantages
Borerey sheep are suitable for both meat and wool production. But they are also good for conserving pastures.
Special Notes
Borerey is a hardy breed of sheep, well adapted to its natural climate. They generally do well with occasional grazing and can handle most conditions.
They have a high level of resistance to footrot and fly attacks. They are centenarians, and the ewes give birth often before the age of one and a half.
The average lambing percentage of Borrey ewes is approximately 140%. They have very few lambing problems and the lambs are smaller but lively.
Previously, Borean sheep were bred primarily for meat and wool production.
But now they are cultivated for conservation purposes mainly because of their rarity. However, check out the complete breed profile of the Borerey sheep in the following table.
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| Breed name | Boreray |
| Other names | Known by other names such as Hebridean Blackface and Boreray Blackface |
| Purpose of the breed | Meat, wool and conservation pasture |
| Special Notes | Very hardy and strong animals, well adapted to their natural climate, tend to tolerate sparse pastures well and are able to cope with most conditions, have a high level of resistance to hoof rot and fly attack, animals are long-lived, sheep are good mothers and have very few problems with lambing, lambs are smaller but very lively, used mainly for meat and wool production, today the breed is very rare. |
| Breed size | Little |
| The weight | Sheep weigh about 45 kg and the average live weight of sexually mature ewes is about 30 kg. |
| horns | Yes |
| climatic tolerance | native climate |
| Color | Usually gray or creamy white or darker |
| scarcity | Ordinary parts |
| Country/place of origin | Scotland |
