The English Leicester sheep is a breed of domestic sheep from the United Kingdom. It was actually developed by 18th century livestock pioneer Robert Bakewell.
It is also called by other names such as Bakewell Lester, New Leicester, Dishley Lester, Lester Longwool, Superior Leicester and just like Leicester.
Today this breed is very rare and is one of the rarest breeds of British sheep. It is classified as “endangered” by the Rare Breeds Survival Foundation.
And today there are less than 500 registered breeding sheep available in the UK. English Leicester sheep are not one of the very old breeds of sheep. They date back to the 1700s and were found in central England.
The breed had a rather slow growth and after its development was strong. But now he was designed to put on weight fast and grow really fast.
It is one of the first pure breeds of sheep imported into Australia in 1826.
This breed has been used to improve many other breeds of sheep, mainly due to its meaty carcass and thick wool. Read more about English Leicester sheep below.
Characteristics of the English Leicester Sheep
English Leicester sheep are large animals. The head should be well held, not too high and there should be no trace of horns on the forehead.
The face of these animals is usually wedge-shaped, covered with white hairs and may have a blue tint.
Their lips and nostrils should be black. They have a medium length neck and the shoulders should be strong and level with the back, which should be flat.
The legs of these animals should be straight and wide apart, and the hooves should be black. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
Advantages
It is a breed of mutton. It is grown mainly for meat production.
Special Notes
English Leicester sheep are alert, hardy animals that show style and character. They are free, active and well balanced in their movements.
They are grown primarily for meat production, but are also suitable for wool production. Their fleece is dense and shiny. Typically, the fiber diameter of English Leicester sheep is between 32 and 38 microns.
The breed is currently found in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. However, check out the full profile of this breed in the following table.
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| Breed name | English Leicester |
| another name | Also called by other names such as Bakewell Leicester, New Leicester, Dishley Leicester, Leicester Longwool, Leicester Improvement and just like Leicester |
| Purpose of the breed | Mainly meat |
| Special Notes | Very hardy animals, vigilant and robust, active, docile, bred mainly for meat production, the coat is dense and shiny. |
| Breed size | big |
| horns | Not |
| climatic tolerance | Virtually all climates |
| Color | rather white |
| scarcity | general |
| Country/place of origin | UK |
