The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2016 - Issue 48 | Page 55

Dodsworth Farm

loves his trips to Ireland to host
and join society events. The
other wide arrayof animals are
Shelley’s passion starting with
her Borzoi dog - whom she
loves dearly and looks forward
to walking her every day. She
had wanted a Borzoi since she
was a child.
Shelley and Phil showed me
around and it is fascinating
stuff! Interesting rare breeds
include the Transylvanian
naked neck chicken who looks
like he’s having a heart attack
with its bright red neck! They
are known as ‘Marmite chicks’

because you either love or
hate them: the chicks look
like little old men but they are
excellent layers, have fewer
feathers and are like gold dust
in Ireland.
The Sebastapol geese are
resplendent with their plumped
plumage are an endangered
breed from the Crimea so the
cold doesn’t bother them.
This year they got some
Harlequin ducks that do
extremely well and lay an egg
a day - particularly the female
until she got broody and sat on
eight and hatched only seven!

Then there is the Golden
Guernsey goat ,Oliver,
delightfully friendly and well
behaved for a goat, so much
so they even took him to the
Countryside Live show this
year.
There are some Badger
Welsh sheep that Shelley saw
at a show and thought they
are the prettiest breed she has
seen in 20 years.
Chickens are in abundance
including Croad Langshan
which she shows - both the
chickens and the eggs! Naked
Neck Scotch Greys and

speckled Sussex’s are both
endangered and indeed there
were actually no large Scotch
Greys at the national show.
In the paddock I met Charles
the Mule – a great animal with
his own idiosyncrasies but
very intelligent, according to
Shelley
Recently they bought
two Moorhead sheep from
Castlehead farm that just can’t
bear to be parted and bleat like
crazy should they get separated
at home or at shows. The pair
recently won at both Ripley and
Malton show.

www.farmers-mart.co.uk Oct/Nov 2016 55