They originated from Border Leicester individuals selected for the blue face (white hairs on black skin) and finer fleeces. The curtain came down on the Bluefaced Leicester season at Carlisle last week, and what a great season it has been for the breed. Also, it is important to note that the breed standard here is referring to the “Traditional” or “Classic” Bluefaced Leicester (in white), not the “Crossing Type” Bluefaced Leicester. Fleece/Wool: Of the three types of Leicesters, the Bluefaced produces the finest fleece, with a Bradford count of 56s to 60s and a micron count of 24-28 microns. Like the Dishley Leicester, the Blue-faced Leicester was originally created as a ‘crossing breed’, but as it grew increasingly popular all over country, farmers started using it solely for the production of meat and wool. The breed was first known as the Dishley Leicester, and then Hexham Leicester. Easily recognisable with its aquiline nose, pronounced ears and deep blue skin it is popular for crossing and is used as a terminal sire for … Blue Faced Leicester Rams. There are pure and crossing varieties available from the following breeders: ... Mr R Harding 07757 637195 and others. Carlisle Blue Faced Leicester Show & Sale 7th October 2016. It was was developed as a sire of high quality cr0ssbred ewes. The crossbred progeny of the Bluefaced Leicester is the Mule, the ewe famous throughout the U.K. as the best commercial breeding ewe on the market. The sheep’s face appears to have a blue tint due to the dark skin underneath the short white hair. Hopewell's dad is right - the show type, with the very blue face, is likely to be less hardy than the crossing type. Rouge de l' Ouest sheep were developed with the help of Blue Leicester blood. It is also known as Bluefaced Maine and Blue-headed Maine. The “Crossing Type” BFL took a foothold in the UK during the late 1990s through the turn of … The Bluefaced Leicester is predominately a white sheep breed but it does carry a recessive black gene and natural colored BFLs are becoming fairly common in the United States. The Bluefaced Leicester is one of the most well known sheep breeds in the UK today, and arguably one of the most important. Second, calling it “bluefaced” is a bit of a stretch; don’t expect to find a herd of royal blue sheep wandering around the English countryside. The breed originated from Border Leicester individuals selected for the blue face (white hairs on black skin) and finer fleeces. However, some of the crossing types will also be quite soft, as the fine wool is a desirable trait to be passed to the mule ewe daughter and fat lamb grandchildren. Crossed with Blackface ewes the Blueface Leicester gives the ‘Scotch Mule’, crossed with the Swaledale the ‘North of England Mule’, and with the Welsh Mountain or Speckled Faced ewe a ‘Welsh Mule’. You can also identify the Bluefaced Leicester by its curved “Roman” nose and upright ears. cross breeding. They are found primarily in Northern England, Scotland and Wales. The Bluefaced Leicester sheep were exported to Canada in the 1970s. The name Bluefaced Leicester become known at the beginning of the twentieth century. The breed was originally developed to use in the production of high quality crossbred ewes which were pastured in the neighboring hills of the region. The excellent qualities of the Welsh Mountain Sheep can be of further advantage when crossed with other breeds of ram such as the Blue-Faced Leicester ram to produce the Welsh Mule, or with the Border Leicester ram to produce the Welsh Half-Bred.