Valais Blacknose sheep prices have soared since Gerallt and Kerry Jones bought their first breeding ram in 2017, with one of their rams selling for 14,000 guineas earlier this year.

The breed originated in the mountains of Switzerland around the iconic Matterhorn and are firm contenders for the title of cutest sheep in the world.

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The Joneses first established the Snowdonia Valais Blacknose flock as an interest for their two youngest sons, Alfie and Luca.

The family bought Grey Face Dartmoor ewes and soon after the first Valais Blacknose, a £700 ram named Eddie, joined their small flock at Pant Gwyn, Waunfawr, with the purpose of breeding quality show animals.

Their target was to get to 20 breeding ewes but in 2022 they will be up to 30; they currently have just under 40 animals in the flock in total.

Neither of the couple are full-time farmers – Gerallt works for a hydroelectric company and Kerry’s job is in marketing and communications – but as their flock has grown more of their spare time is taken up with managing it.

Tupping is at the beginning of October, to allow for late March lambing when grass availability starts to pick up in Snowdonia.

All service is natural as the Jones’ have invested well in rams from different bloodlines.

That means planning ahead and buying rams with different bloodlines to alternate on the offspring.

Quality is always the main priority.

“Gerallt has a good eye for stock and tends to know what would be graded well by the Swiss judges,’’ says Mrs Jones.

Breed standards are quite specific – black patches on both knees and hocks, four black boots, black faces and ears, no black on the body, and the females must have a black spot on their bottoms but the rams not.

“There is quite a lot that can go wrong!’’ laughs Kerry.

“Breeding the perfect animal for showing is not an easy task, overall appearance inclusive of markings needs to be correct, as should conformation and wool quality.”

Despite what can be a harsh winter in Snowdonia, the Jones’ flock is happiest outdoors and is only housed three weeks before lambing, and for a few weeks after shearing in February.

“Most breeders seem to house for the winter but ours like being outside, they have access to field shelters and sheds but they don’t really use them,’’ says Kerry.

Ewes are fed hay and concentrates at housing and turned out to grass swiftly after lambing.

The Valais Blacknose is an easy lambing breed so lambing is mostly trouble-free.

Lambs are weaned at four months and most do so naturally.

The sheep, which has distinctive long fleeces, are shorn twice a year – in February and at the end of September to fit in with the showing season.

Fleeces are sold for £25 a piece if they come straight off the sheep, or for £40 for a fleece from a show animal as this will have been washed.

They are sold as props for baby photo shoots or to spinners and felters, but the Jones’ are also considering their own line of products to market in the future.

Despite being new to pedigree sheep breeding, they have had great success at sales and shows.

One of their tups, Snowdonia Goliath, sold for 14,000 guineas at the Blacknose Beauties show and sale at Carlisle in August 2021, a UK record for the breed, and prior to that, in 2019, they also set a record when they sold a shearling ram for 11,000 guineas.

Although the pandemic has meant that shows have been few and far between, the family won the reserve supreme champion female champion and reserve male champion awards at Cheshire Show in 2021.

They are delighted that the Valais Blacknose now has its own class at the Royal Welsh Show, although the pandemic has prevented the first competitions being run.

“We had to work for years to get a class, by showing support in the other continental breeds class, with the support of fellow breeders and the Valais Blacknose Society, it is a massive achievement that we have now done that,’’ says Kerry.

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