This page provides you with information about the Clun Forest sheep breed and more especially the flock of Gerard and Gabrielle Scholtes in Bodegraven in the province Zuid-Holland, in The Netherlands.
The Damburgh flock numbers some twenty ewes and two rams, all of which are entered in the Dutch pedigree register.
Every spring about 35 lambs are born and in June all the lambs are inspected before they can be entered in the pedigree register. The best lambs are selected for breeding.
Each year we sell a number of young breeding ewes and most of our lambs to other (often new/beginner) sheep owners.
Our flock has the “meada visna/zwoegervrij” certificate and we also participate in the Dutch scrapie eradication programme. All of our sheep are genotype ARR/ARR.
We are a member (Gerard is also member of the board and the inspection comittee) of the Clun Forest Sheep Association in The Netherlands, a enthusiastic group with about 130 breeders.
In the summer we take some sheep and lambs to shows, where we can compare them with those of other breeders. These shows are very sociable occasions, where colleague breeders can meet and chat with each other about their sheep.
Key characteristics of Clun Forest sheep are:
- meat-wool sheep with great adaptability
- easy lambing and excellent mothering instinct
- ewes are good milkers
- alert and lively
- live to a high average age
Cluns have proud, black/darkbrown heads with upright ears, which are never still.
In the Netherlands Cluns are kept mainly as a hobby.
The Dutch Clun Forest sheep originate from Great Britain and were first imported into The Netherlands in 1979;
since then, new bloodlines have been imported regularly.
Read more about our Clun Forest sheep from the renowned Guifron Flock in England. Interesting background and pictures of the Guifron Flock.