Norfolk Horn sheep are raised primarily for meat. The breed is primarily found in the United Kingdom. The breed is prolific and mated with the Southdown rams to produce high-quality meat-producing lambs called as Suffolk.
Norfolk Horn breed information
The Norfolk Horn sheep are a medium-sized breed with blackhead and black legs.
The adult Norfolk Horn ram weighs 90 kg (200 lb) and ewe weighs 70 kg (150 lb).
Both males and females are horned. Their horns are heavy and spiraled.
A very prolific breed, Norfolk’s lambing percentage is around 170 percent.
The Norfolk Horn ewe is an excellent mother and would make a good lowland ewe for putting to a terminal sire, for example, Suffolk breed, which is famous for meat production.
The birth weight of Norfolk Horn lamb weight is 3.5 to 4 kg.
The lambs grow fast putting 31 kg in 100 days and famous for their lean meat.
The fleece is white with newborn lambs being mottled.
The Norfolk horn produces a fleece of 1 to 1.5 kg with a staple length of 7 to 10 cm and a quality of 54s to 56 s.
The breed is prolific even in dry, cold and also sparse vegetation.
The Norfolk Horn sheep a pretty hardy breed, which survives on the poor forage.
They have long legs as they live in upland areas. They are known for being “flighty, easily able to jump over obstacles and fence.
Things to know
Norfolk Horn sheep is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest surviving black-faced sheep.
Norfolk Horn sheep is the United Kingdom’s rarest breed. It is one of the ancient “Heath” breeds now being revived in small numbers.
The breed lost its popularity during the 18th and 19th centuries when more productive breeds such as the Southdown entered.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust(RBST) declared the Norfolk Horn as ” Category 1, Critical” to their priority list.
Norfolk Horn sheep characteristics
| Breed Name | Norfolk Horn Sheep |
| Other Name | Norfolk Horned, Old Norfolk Horned, Old Norfolk, Blackface Norfolk Horned |
| Country/Place of Origin | the United Kingdom |
| Breed Purposeamerica | wool |
| Breed Size | medium |
| Weight Ram(Male) | 90 kg (200 lb) |
| Ewe(Female) | 70 kg (150 lb) |
| Kidding | single or twins |
| Good for Stall Fed | open grazing |
| Climate Tolerance | local conditions |
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