Sheep
(Ovis aries)

Our sheep residents all come from very different backgrounds and each has a story to tell. People often ask if our sheep have names and if we can tell them all apart and the answer is, absolutely! If you look closely, you will see that they all look different - we have little Soays, Badgerfaces, Welsh Lleyns, Jacobs, and many breeds/mixes in between, but most importantly when you take the time to get to know each of our sheep residents, you will see that they all have their own individual personalities, and this is how we know who is who. There's cheeky but sensitive Archie, big bolshy Jake, pretty little Evangeline, and the ever-gentle Auntie just to name a few...

When they walk through our gates, they cease being just sheep, often with a very uncertain future, and can now live as they want to in the safety of their Forever Home here at the sanctuary. They form lasting friendships with their paddock mates and our Animal Care Team, they love, play together, sunbathe, and enjoy long lives they very likely would never have seen, with many now in their late teens!

Meet the Sheep

Valentine, Pineapple, Jax, Shadow, Storm.

Valentine's Group

This is our little band of misfits! It began with the need to separate a handful of unwell sheep from the main flock a few winters ago. While some got better and were moved back, it became obvious to us that some new friendships had formed since they'd been together and we simply didn't have the heart to split them back up again! Other misfits have since joined and been readily accepted by this gentle group, originally headed up by the lovely 'Auntie' who looked after them all.

Here in the stable area, we can keep a closer eye on some of them as some of them have various medical issues that need to be monitored, or extra care and attention.

The group is now headed up by Valentine and Pineapple, a couple of very charismatic ewes. Some of these sheep may only be stopping in the group temporarily while we provide veterinary treatment and extra care until they recover, but others will now remain happily in this special group, such as Pineapple who is now blind - this doesn't bother her as long as we don't alter her surroundings, and her friends help to guide her. We move slowly around her and make certain noises such as tapping on buckets to alert her that we are near with her food.

Casper, Joe, Edward, Rambo

The Rams

Meet Casper, Joe, Edward, and Rambo; our handsome group of Jacob-type boys! This group of sheep are quite a bit bigger than our other sheep, and so we keep them in their own little group together. They can look quite intimidating with their very large horns, but they are all very gentle; especially Joe who was brought up by us when he was found abandoned as a lamb. He loves to be stroked and lots of attention!

Did you know? Sheep horns are made from a substance called 'Keratin', the same stuff that your hair and fingernails are made from! Sometimes horns can become damaged or fall off and like your nails, they can also grow back.

Merry & Pippin

The Cameroons

More info coming soon!

Jake, Faye, April

Jake's Family

Jake was born here at the sanctuary and was unfortunately rejected by his mother, so we had to intervene and hand-rear him ourselves. We had recently taken in 'Faye', another orphaned lamb and they were raised here together. As they grew up they became inseparable, and still live together today with their daughter, April.

April is quite shy and nervous around people, but Jake and Faye are very friendly and absolutely love to play with us (Jake is a very big boy and occasionally accidentally knocks us flying when he gets too excited!).

Jake is Auntie's nephew, hence the name!

Too many to name here!

The Main Flock

There are over thirty sheep in this group; This is a happy mix of rams and ewes ranging from small Soay Sheep to the larger Lleyn Sheep, and a lot of other mixes in-between.

Most of these sheep were rescued from slaughter many years ago and are now in their teens, enjoying the long and happy life that they deserve in their Forever Home.

They all have very distinct personalities and frequent visitors are likely to get to know some of the more confident members of the group, such as Larry, Shaun, Storm, and Baldwin who are almost always at the front, waiting to meet you!

Timmy's Story

Team member Lydia sitting with Timmy the lamb

Timmy was brought to us when he was just a lamb by two kind ladies who had found him in the road, thought to have been hit by a car. We called the vet out straight away as he clearly had damage to his legs, who gave him a guarded prognosis for recovery.

He was moved into our medical room where he wouldn't be able to move around much and risk further damage to his legs, and we carried out our daily physiotherapy treatment. With a lot of patience, little Timmy started to show signs of improvement and eventually was able to come out and make some friends!

We put him with one of our smaller groups of Golden Oldies whom we thought might be a little gentler with him as he continued to recover, and he was instantly accepted by Mumsy, the head of the group, and Archie, another lockdown lamb who joined us a little later in the year. He had a new family, and his recovery started to speed up!

Today Timmy is one of our biggest, strongest sheep; a far cry from the damaged lamb that we carried in that morning. We've all been knocked flying by him at some point as he remains blissfully oblivious to his own size and strength. He's full of confidence, and after a nervous introduction to the main flock after the sad loss of his surrogate mother and first friend, Mumsy, he has now become firm friends with Drac, the head of the flock, so he has clearly moved through the ranks.

Archie's Story

Archie was brought to us during the first lockdown when a kind gentleman found him wandering lost in the middle of a busy road. We suspect that he was a lucky escapee destined for slaughter. Instead, he will have a forever home here at the sanctuary with us!

He was quite shy when he first arrived, but once he had finished his 30-day quarantine period (something all our residents must undertake to keep both them and the other animals safe), we introduced him to Timmy who was a similar age to him and they became instant best friends, and have remained so as they have grown up together.

Did you know? Like us, sheep have unique personalities and some get along together better than others, such as Archie and his best mate Timmy. Not only will a sheep form special friendships with other individuals, but it is also thought that they may even spend time thinking about their friends when they’re not around. We're more alike than you might think!

Archie has now joined the main flock and is always the first to the front for food and fuss. He's a very inquisitive boy, and you're sure to meet him if you visit as he loves meeting new people. He's unmistakable from the rest of the group with his enormous ears and clumsy, long legs - a lamb in an adult body! We're so glad he found his way to us.

Fact Friday: Sheep Teeth

A subject that comes up quite often here is our sheep teeth, and you might wonder why?

Fact Friday: Wool

We’re back this week and inspired by shearing day, we thought we’d tell you a little about our woolly friends.

Fact Friday: Sheep Vision

We thought it would be fun to introduce Fact Friday to you and teach you a few snippets about some of our amazing residents!

Supporter Gallery

Have you taken a photo of our sheep that you'd like to share with us? We'd love to see them - we are often so busy with our work that we don't get a chance to take photos or miss some of the magic moments that you capture, and we would love to see them through your eyes. If you'd like to share some of your photos, and maybe see them on our website, you can send them to us by email or share them on our Brockswood Friends Facebook Group. Please make sure you have permission to share if anybody's face is shown, especially young children. Thank you!

by Julie Nixon

A beautiful smile from May.

by Gemma Basterfield

Auntie and Greta making a friend!

by Katie Patrick

Louise meets Charlie the Blue Cross rescue dog!

Forever in Our Hearts

Although these beautiful sheep are no longer with us and are missed so very much, they live on always in our hearts and minds. As long as we continue to speak their names and tell their stories, they are still with us and will never be forgotten!