The Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep is a distinct variety of the Welsh Mountain breed of domestic sheep. It is mainly bred for sheep farming in Wales.
It is also known by some other names such as Welsh Badger-faced, Defaid Idloes and Badger Faced Welsh Mountain.
Currently the breed is mainly raised for meat production, although it grows wool. It is an ancient Welsh breed which was once common in the Welsh Mountains.
Numbers of this breed fell during the Middle Ages when the cloth trade demanded a white wool. But now total number of the Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep has increased. Read some more information about this breed below.
Badger Face Welsh Mountain Sheep Characteristics
The Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep is a small sized animal with two color types Torddu and Torwen.
The main or most common type is known by Torddu which means blackbelly. And the less common or rarer variety is Torwen which has the reverse coloration, black with a white belly.
The Torddu variation has a distinctive broad striped face with a black band from jaw to belly and extending to the underside of the tail. The ewes are polled in both types and the rams have dark spiral horns.
The mature Badger Face Welsh Mountain rams on average weight around 55 kg, and average live body weight of the mature ewes is around 45 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep is a meat sheep breed. It is raised mainly for meat production. But the breed is also very good for wool production.
Special Notes
The Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep are an extremely hardy breed and are able to graze rough hills and terrain. They rely on staying together as a flock for protecting themselves from predators.
As they are ‘prey animals’, so they are highly sensitive to predators. They can sense the presence of threat from several hundred feet away and instinctively flee instead of fight or attack.
They are able to twist and turn their ears for detecting potential danger. The ewes are good mothers and take good care of their babies.
The Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep also make excellent pets, because they are docile in nature and they easily connect with humans. However, review full breed profile of this sheep breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Badger Face Welsh Mountain |
| Other Name | Welsh Badger-faced, Defaid Idloes and Badger Faced Welsh Mountain |
| Breed Purpose | Meat, wool |
| Special Notes | Very hardy and strong, able to graze rough hills and terrain, always stay together, highly sensitive to predators, can twist and turn the ears for detecting potential danger, the ewes are excellent mothers and take good care of their babies, good as pets, docile temperament |
| Breed Size | Small |
| Weight | Vary from 45 to 55 Kg |
| Horns | Rams have horns, but ewes are polled |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates |
| Color | Black and white |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | Wales |
