Meet the Valais Blacknose – possibly the prettiest sheep at Balmoral 2024
- 18 days ago
We got to meet what are probably the prettiest sheep at Balmoral 2024 – the Valais Blacknose.
The Valais Blacknose, (German: Walliser Schwarznasenschaf), is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool.
The breed originates in the mountains of the canton of Valais – from which its name derives – and of the Bernese Oberland. It is documented as far back as the fifteenth century, but the present German name was not used before 1884; the breed standard dates from 1962.
In the past there was some cross-breeding with imported sheep: in the nineteenth century with Bergamasca and Cotswold stock, and in the twentieth century with the Southdown.
Joanne Knox went along to meet the Valais Blacknose at the show.
The Valais Blacknose, (German: Walliser Schwarznasenschaf), is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool.
The breed originates in the mountains of the canton of Valais – from which its name derives – and of the Bernese Oberland. It is documented as far back as the fifteenth century, but the present German name was not used before 1884; the breed standard dates from 1962.
In the past there was some cross-breeding with imported sheep: in the nineteenth century with Bergamasca and Cotswold stock, and in the twentieth century with the Southdown.
Joanne Knox went along to meet the Valais Blacknose at the show.