In 2020 we needed some sheep to help clear ground that had not been grazed for a long time and we bought a small number of Hebridean/Shetland non pedigree weaned lambs to do the job. Rose, Evie, Faye and Elodie are characters and as they turned two we decided that they were a good opportunity to be covered by our own homebred ram. The girls each had twins, black lambs that were standing and suckling within seconds of being born. They are fantastic, not wild or silly and work well with our pedigree flock. They are tough and healthy, and brilliant at environmental management grazing.

What is interesting is as their daughters have gone on to have lambs this year for the first time, the Jacob spot gene had come back through and we have the most amazing variety of markings, sets of twins where one lamb looks like a Jacob and the other a Hebridean.

In 2024, we had three unexpected visitors to our flock, one Zwartbles ram and apparently a Suffolk ram too. We had no idea until Jenifer gave birth to a Zwartbles and Ivy had triplets, one pure Jacob and two black Suffolks! Jacobs are often used crossed with other breeds, to provide the mothering, milk and health benefits with the faster growing heavier breeds and we can understand why. The Zwartbles and Suffolks crosses are stunning and fast growing.

We did not intend to have any crosses in the flock, but they a part of it now and it has been really fascinating to learn about the potential benefits.