The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: tizaala on January 18, 2014, 08:10:09 am

Title: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: tizaala on January 18, 2014, 08:10:09 am
AREN'T THEY LOVELY.
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Bionic on January 18, 2014, 08:17:33 am
They are gorgeous. I want some  :sheep:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: mojocafa on January 18, 2014, 08:44:37 am
So do i
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Mammyshaz on January 18, 2014, 09:15:58 am
Fab, love them  :love:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: mowhaugh on January 18, 2014, 09:31:52 am
They are lovely.  They were on Countryfile once whe Adam went on a trip to Switzerland, I really liked them.
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Simpsyla on January 18, 2014, 09:52:54 am
We nearly had tears from my wife when I showed her this picture - beautiful animals!
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: moony on January 18, 2014, 11:39:46 am
Are there any of these in the UK yet? I remember seeing them on  Countryfile and was interested in getting a few but couldn't find any breeders in the country.
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Fleecewife on January 18, 2014, 11:54:22 am
First you need a rocky, precipitous alp  ;D

I fell in love with these when I first saw their pic and a fleece sample a number of years ago in the Czech Rep, when I was at a European fleece workshop there. There were all sorts of breeds and their fleece on display, but the Nez Noir de Valais stole my heart.     They are so beautiful  :sheep:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Rosemary on January 18, 2014, 12:09:36 pm
I think they're 'orrible. Sorry. :)
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Bionic on January 18, 2014, 12:14:21 pm
I think they're 'orrible. Sorry. :)
Rosemary, how can you say such a thing  :o
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Bodger on January 18, 2014, 12:41:49 pm
If anyone goes for some, can you bring me some Toblerone back? :excited:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Rosemary on January 18, 2014, 01:46:21 pm
I think they're 'orrible. Sorry. :)
Rosemary, how can you say such a thing  :o

I think they look weird - like soft toys.
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: sokel on January 18, 2014, 01:55:18 pm
I would love some  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Louise Gaunt on January 18, 2014, 02:03:57 pm
They do look like soft toys, which IMHO makes them see desirable! Not sure how they would get on in wet and windy Devon though!
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Anke on January 18, 2014, 06:39:00 pm
I think they're 'orrible. Sorry. :)
Rosemary, how can you say such a thing  :o

I think they look weird - like soft toys.

I am still not sure the aren't cuddley toys... are you sure they are live animals? Cute though, but probably hopeless in wet and windy (and muddy) Scotland...
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Brucklay on January 18, 2014, 06:54:51 pm
When my OH saw the pic a while back on facebook his first thought was oh no more sheep on the way - but much as I do like the look of them if they are suited to dry, cold alpine weather I don't think Scotland is the place for them - unfortunately  :relief:  from OH
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Bramblecot on January 18, 2014, 09:33:28 pm
 :love: :love: :love: :love: .  But looking at the state of my poor Dartmoors in the mud, those babes are not for wet 'n windy Dorset!
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: doganjo on January 18, 2014, 10:18:33 pm
I think they're 'orrible. Sorry. :)
Rosemary, how can you say such a thing  :o

I think they look weird - like soft toys.
I agree. I saw a rerun of that programme a couple of days ago.  Absolutely amazed at where they  took them on the mountains. Didn't Adam say he was going to get some?
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 19, 2014, 12:50:33 am
They are sooooooo sweet and yes, they do look like cuddly toys but that's the charm. Would love to try spinning the fleece as well.
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: bloomer on January 19, 2014, 09:30:18 am
i think i could waste a lot of time watching them running in a field...



Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Shropshirelass on January 19, 2014, 07:52:31 pm
Sorry but I agree with rosemary they look like some weird cartoon animal - still each to their own & maybe they taste good x
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: mab on January 19, 2014, 08:08:23 pm
I'd say they look comical.

I haven't seen the prog and don't know what they're bred for - but I wonder if they've been bred for useful traits or are they like 'designer' dog breeds - bred for looks without regard to practicality or health?
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: HappyHippy on January 19, 2014, 08:47:00 pm
I LOVE them  ;D
I think they look like the 'Highland coo' of the sheep world and it's about the only breed I'd even consider keeping (apart from maybe Hebs or coloured Ryelands  :innocent:) but I just think they're FAB  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: NicandChic on January 19, 2014, 08:50:51 pm
Apparently they date back to 1400 - Switzerland, good for meat & wool, rams & ewes are horned!

I think they are super cute  :love:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: mab on January 19, 2014, 09:32:04 pm
Glad to here that they're a practical breed - they still look funny tho'  ;D
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Backinwellies on April 26, 2014, 06:48:35 pm
update .... have just found this elsewhere ...



.. the people in UK who  imported these have some for sale  if anyone is interested .......



.........................ONLY......





.For a proven ram and 4 ewes £22,000   
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: shygirl on April 26, 2014, 07:06:20 pm
are they real? they look like something from the "Tweenies".
 :roflanim:
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: roddycm on April 26, 2014, 07:25:14 pm
https://m.facebook.com/valaisblacknosesheepUK?id=272610372892920&_rdr uk breeder
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: moony on April 26, 2014, 07:30:27 pm
Is that a genuine price they are asking, a p**s take or a misprint?? For £22k I could buy a tidy 4x4 and trailer, have a months holiday over there, fill up with chocolate and bring a trailer load of sheep back. Or is it more complicated than that to import them?
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: HappyHippy on April 27, 2014, 12:09:03 am
Is that a genuine price they are asking, a p**s take or a misprint?? For £22k I could buy a tidy 4x4 and trailer, have a months holiday over there, fill up with chocolate and bring a trailer load of sheep back. Or is it more complicated than that to import them?
There are costs associated with import/export - I sent 3 Kunekune piglets to Ireland last year and the bill for the paperwork/testing side came to just over £200.............but £22,000 - pfft! I like love them, but not that much  ;)
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: Bionic on April 27, 2014, 07:34:21 am
Hmmm, maybe when I win the lottery .......
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: john and helen on April 28, 2014, 07:26:24 am
looks like they are very close to our new place ……  i think they look nice, but far too expensive for me  ;D
mind you, i watched a video on poll dorset sheep the other day, and a ram fetched 6k at market
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: moony on April 28, 2014, 10:51:55 am
We go to quite a few of the Swaledale tup sales in the Autumn. Some of those make ridiculous money. £65k was the highest I have seen in person at Hawes last year but I believe 1 has broken the 100k barrier at some point.. Although you do have to take into account some of those sales you get farmer friends working together to bump their rams prices up to boost their profiles and stock prices for those sired by said tups. Farmer A will buy from B, B from C and C from A up to a preset price or they all chip in to buy a ram off one of their own and then share its use. Things sell better if you say its sired by a 65k tup.   
Title: Re: Valais blacknose sheep (Switzerland)
Post by: madcat on April 29, 2014, 01:59:45 pm
The fleece looks interesting but otherwise I can think of prettier sheep.