WATCH: ‘They are hardier than people think’ - Valais Blacknose breeder Aidan Quinn says aiming to produce a better pedigree becomes addictive

The vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland Valais Blacknose Club, Aidan says he now has 15 ewes and five males of the species.

Aidan, who farms in Cushendall, said: “Every one of the Vallais Blacknose are different.

“I am not that caring about making money here, I am in it because I like the sheep and the breed.

“As long as I haven’t lost money that’s what matters to me.

“You would not be in this if you did not love it.

“It’s like anything in farming, if you were in for the money you couldn’t do it, because if you broke down your manhours to the income you wouldn’t do it.

“I just saw the breed and I wanted to work with them.”

Aidan said his aim as a breeder was to produce a better sheep.

“So we are starting and working up bigger and better,” he said.

“When I got started in the breed you were paying £4000 for a ewe lamb.

“But now you’d pay £1000-£1500 for a ewe lamb. That is a more respectable price for new buyers into the breed.

“We have only one pregnant ewe now as we usually have them lambing in the month of January.

Aidan, who has another 200 non-pedigree lambs, said: “There is no doubt that Valais Blacknose are more work than the average sheep.

“They are very friendly just like dogs, if you get enough time to sit with them they become you best friend,” he added.

“And if they need to be bottle fed they follow you just like a wee dog.”

Aidan added that any male Valais Blacknose who are surplus to requirements, are usually castrated and sold on as pets.

“None of mine are slaughtered,” he said. “We castrate any spare males so they can be sold on as pets. What ever people do with them after that is up to them.

“I am not a big lover of lamb (to eat), but different people tell me the Valais meat tastes very sweet and quite different from other lamb’.

Adding this is the sixth year for the Valais Blacknose Club – affiliated with the main club in England – Aidan said: ‘I think they made an appearance over here six years ago and the club was formed five years ago.

“We now have it that every agricultural show has a Valais Blacknose class.

“I think three years ago we got a Valais Blacknose class at Balmoral and people were mesmerized by them. They really attract a crowd. I got them for my children but they have really grown on me.”

Aidan said in spite of the theory that pedigrees aren’t as robust as other animals ‘ours are not getting to bed at night now because the rest of the sheep are lambing.

“So they have been out since the middle of January and they loved the snow. So they are harder than people think.”

Aidan said “there is so much joy in animals, but there is also bad days”.