Devon and Cornwall Longwool | |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Distribution: | south-west England |
Type: | upland |
Use: | wool |
Maleweight: | 115ā135 kg |
Femaleweight: | 85ā110 kg |
Facecolour: | white |
Horns: | polled (hornless) |
The Devon and Cornwall Longwool is a British breed of domestic sheep from South West England. It was created in 1977 through merger of two local breeds, the Devon Longwool and the South Devon.
The Devon and Cornwall Longwool is a large heavy sheep, somewhat stockier and shorter in the leg than some other British longwool breeds; rams usually weigh some, ewes about Like the breeds from which it derives, it is polled (hornless). The wool is long and forms curls or ringlets, covering the head and legs as well as the body. The face is white, with black nostrils.
It is a productive provider of wool, and may give the heaviest fleece of any British breed. Fleece weight is usually in the range, but weights over have been recorded. The wool is of coarse but hard-wearing quality, with a Bradford count of 32sā36s and a staple length of about ; it is suitable for making carpets and for some industrial uses. Lambs may be shorn at about six months; the lambswool is much sought after.