Origins
Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep originate from one small area of Wales – the Tywi valley. This area was hit badly by the very severe British winter of 1946-1947, and the breed was nearly wiped out – only one ram was amongst the survivors. All modern Balwen sheep are therefore presumably descended from this one ram, although it is possible that some of the ewes may have been in lamb to rams that did not survive the winter. Outcrossing with other types of Welsh Mountain sheep may also have occurred, and this would have increased the genetic diversity of the breed. During the 1950s and 1960s a steady increase took place, and in the 1970s people outside the valley began to take an interest in the breed. The Balwen Welsh Mountain Breed Society was formed in 1985, and numbers are gradually increasing further.
The breed is listed by the British Rare Breeds Survival Trust as Vulnerable.
Read more about this topic: Balwen Welsh Mountain Sheep
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