Our Valais Breed-Up Program: A Woolly Journey to the Cutest Sheep in the World

At the ranch, we’re always working to improve the health, genetics, and charm of our flock—and this year, we launched something extra special: a Valais Blacknose breed-up program. If you haven’t heard of the Valais Blacknose before, you’re in for a treat. Often dubbed “the cutest sheep in the world,” these curly-coated beauties are known for their dog-like personalities and iconic looks; bearing black on their face, ears, knees, and hooves.

What Is a Breed-Up Program?

A breed-up program is a multi-generational breeding strategy used to introduce and eventually establish a new breed into a flock. It typically starts with a different foundation breed (in our case, Wensleydales) and uses artificial insemination (AI) from a full-blooded animal (Valais Blacknose) to begin the process. Each generation brings us one step closer to producing animals with the genetics and characteristics of the purebred Valais.

About the Valais Blacknose Sheep

The Valais Blacknose sheep originated in the Valais region of Switzerland, where they’ve been raised for centuries in the steep, rocky slopes of the Alps. These sheep are beloved not just for their distinct faces, knees, and spiral horns—but also for their calm temperament, woolly appearance, and easygoing nature. Traditionally, they were raised for both meat and wool, but in recent years, they’ve gained global attention for being some of the most photogenic and friendly sheep around. Now more and more people are purchasing them to keep as pets!

Despite their growing popularity, importing Valais Blacknose sheep into the United States is currently prohibited due to strict livestock and biosecurity regulations. Live animals cannot be brought in from certain countries, including Switzerland, which has made artificial insemination (AI) the only legal method for American breeders to begin a Valais program.

This is one of the reasons breed-up programs like ours are so exciting—we’re helping bring this rare and beloved breed to the U.S. one generation at a time.

How We Started

We began by artificially inseminating two of our Wensleydale ewes, Elizabeth and Matilda, with 100% Valais Blacknose sires. This first cross resulted in four lambs—Diana, Belle, Charlie, and Oliver—who are now an F1 Valais Blacknose generation (the goal is to get to F5).

What’s Next?

As part of our breed-up plan, we’ll wait a few years until Diana and Belle are ready to breed. They’ll then be artificially inseminated with 100% Valais Blacknose to produce F2 generation lambs. From there, we’ll continue breeding each generation of ewes with full-blooded Valais until we reach the F5 generation, which is considered genetically equivalent to a 100% Valais Blacknose sheep.

This process takes time, careful planning, and lots of love—but we’re thrilled to be on this journey.

Come Meet the Lambs!

If you’re visiting the ranch and would like to meet our sweet lambs in person, just let us know! We’d be more than happy to arrange a meet-and-greet!

Thanks for following along with our breed-up program—we can’t wait to share more updates as our flock grows!