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Page Revised May 20, 2008
Scottish Blackface Sheep, also known as Scotties, Blackies, Highland Sheep, Blackface Sheep are a medium sized, white wooled breed of sheep with black marked faces and legs. Both sexes have horns. The body of the fleece should be free of black fiber. Their wool varies from shorter, finer wool used for carpets & tweeds to coarse heavy fiber mainly used for mattress pads and similar products.
The origins of the Scottish Blackface (SBF) are very unclear. They are an old breed native to the UK whose origins are not fully known. It is thought that they developed from a rough wooled, blackfaced, horned breed that predates modern history. They are well suited to living in the Hill Country of Scotland and make good use of marginal pastures.
There are several regional variations in type which range from the large framed Perthshire with medium to heavy longwool to the lighter framed short wooled types, with the Newton Stewart type being the most refined and improved but no less hardy. Today many of these types are intermixed and variations can easily be seen in modern stock.
They produce a white carpet quality wool that is strongly double coated, straight and fairly long. Within the breed there are 3 basic wool types with different staple lengths and degrees of fineness for use in carpet, mattress padding and weaving for the Harris TweedŽ trade.
Scottish Blackface sheep are "Easy Care" and ewes lamb easily, quickly and, aided by the mothering of the attentive ewe, lambs are up and feeding in a very short time. The ewes are defensive of their lambs and develop a strong bond. Both ewes & rams are horned with black & white marking on heads and legs.
On marginal pasture, Blackie ewes produce mainly single lambs and under better conditions, twins are common with occasional triplets. Scotties are aggressive, milky, devoted mothers whose lambs are vigorous and extremely cute. Scottish Blackface rams are surprisingly mellow with impressive horns that develop a full curl by their second year of age.
In their native Scotland, Scottish Blackface sheep are the premier breed for producing Mulesheep ewes, dams to most of the world renowned Market lamb in the UK.