The cutest sheep in the world?
A Cambridge family believe they have the cutest sheep in the world… Do they?
At site D94, the Peake family of Cambridge are making a bold claim.
Propped up against the front of their tent is a five-foot black sign with large white letters.
Andrew, Leigh-Anne and Nathan Peake of Rose Creek Valais Blacknose Sheep NZ have put it in writing: they’ve got the ‘cutest sheep in the world’.
This is the first generation of Valais for the Peake family, who imported embryos from the UK.
It’s the first time they have brought their business to Fieldays and they said there’s been a lot of interest from people wanting to breed them.
Six 10-month-old sheep, including a friendly young ram called Kiwi Commander, spent the first day of Fieldays receiving back scratches and pats from curious spectators.
“He’s just loving all the attention; hour after hour of scratch,” said Leigh-Anne.
They’re Valais sheep, a friendly domestic breed originating in Switzerland that can be dated back to the 15th century.
“They’re very curious, they come up to you in the paddock to smooch you and nibble you.”
Both sexes of Valais have twisted spiral-shaped horns nestled among the curly head on their heads, and their size adds to their striking appearance.
Two-year-old rams can weigh from 80-130 kgs with a height of 75-83 cm; ewes reach a similar height and tend to weigh between 70-90 kgs.
“They grow thirty centimetres of wool a year, these sheep were all shorn in January, and it’s relatively coarse at 35 microns.”
The Peake family also run tours on their farm so people can get up close and personal with their Valais sheep.
“These are the cutest and friendliest sheep we have ever seen,” said Lou from Brisbane on TripAdvisor.
So, are they really the cutest sheep in the world?
Google thinks so.
Andrew even typed in ‘cutest sheep in the world’ into the search engine on his smartphone and thousands of photos of Valais Blacknoses pop up with proof to back up the bold claim.
