Badger-like sheep bred in Gloucestershire farm first

Five of the unusual lambs have been born in the past few days

A breed of sheep that facially resembles a badger has been successfully bred on a farm in Gloucestershire for the first time.

Five Badger Face Texel lambs have been born at Lypiatt Farm in Miserden in the past few days.

The breed originates in the Netherlands and is less commonly seen in the UK.

They are characterised by dark wool that is almost black at birth, but then turns brown in adulthood, with white streaks on their face.

Sue and Aubrey Andrews say the Badger Face Texel was a rare breed in the UK

Sue and Aubrey Andrews have farmed sheep for 40 years.

"(Breeding them) was, to be totally honest, for a bit of fun," said Mr Andrews.

"We have a lot of White Texels and a lot of Blue Texels now, and they're just something slightly different.

"I think they'll bring something to the commercial trade.

"I wouldn't want to breed something that was no use for anything, they have a useful purpose [for their meat particularly, but also their wool] and they're nice to look at."

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