Showcasing our pedigree registered native rare breed flocks
The Whiteface Dartmoor
The Breed
The Whiteface Dartmoor is a traditional hill sheep. It has been raised on the hills of Dartmoor, grazing heather during the summer and the valley hay meadows during anutumn and spring. The breed is exceptionally hardy and able to survive on exposed uplands with little in the way of supplementary feeding. Anecdotal evidence suggests a level of resistance to flystrike and footrot.
The modern Whiteface Dartmoor is the descendant of the heath sheep that lived on Dartmoor in the 17th and 18th centuries. The breed was developed to thrive in the inhospitable conditions and up until the mid 20th century was very popular on both Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Whiteface Dartmoors are still mostly found on Dartmoor but the breed has become increasingly rare.The breed is sometimes known as the Widecombe Whiteface as the vast majority of the breed is concentrated on Dartmoor.
The breed is categorised as ‘at risk’ on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust 2024 watchlist.