Rare Breeds Gallery

European Eagle Owls

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:47:57 GMT

European Eagle Owls

Our European Eagle Owls are showing us they are happy with their new homes, they have started breeding - i'm very surprised at how quickly these little owls grow!

New arrival on the farm! - Golden x stepp Eagle

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:43:35 GMT

New arrival on the farm! - Golden x stepp Eagle

hers paul showing off the new arrival at rare breeds

Reindeer on a frosty morning in Woodchurch

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:46:25 GMT

Reindeer on a frosty morning in Woodchurch

This photograph was taken on a very frosty morning in December at the Rare Breeds Centre.

Residents Rock & Roll Party

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:19:18 GMT

Residents Rock & Roll Party

Each year a huge party is thrown for the folk that live, work, train and volunteer at Canterbury Oast Trust, this year the theme was ROCK N ROLL

Advice and training at Poulton Wood

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:17:16 GMT

Advice and training at Poulton Wood

Poulton Wood

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:16:31 GMT

Poulton Wood

Ian busy cutting logs at Poulton Wood

School fun

Julie O'Neill — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:38:19 GMT

School fun

School children making collages

Holly

Julie O'Neill — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:09:13 GMT

Holly

Planting sunflowers with the COT residents

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:10:13 GMT

Planting sunflowers with the COT residents

Making new friends at lunch time

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:09:32 GMT

Making new friends at lunch time

beautiful collages

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:08:40 GMT

beautiful collages

Tamwoth Two are nearly 10 years old

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:08:56 GMT

Tamwoth Two are nearly 10 years old

Soon we'll be offering you the chance to win your own piece of Art Work by the Tamworth Two, helping to raise funds for the future of our tradional English Breeds... keep your eyes on press - and the blog!!

CAMRA - Beer Festival

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:04:36 GMT

CAMRA - Beer Festival

Campaign for Real Ale held their 13th beer festival at the Rare Breeds Centre, Offering over 33 real ales, folk music and dances from the woodchurch morris men

Rosie - Tamworth Sow

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:23:22 GMT

Rosie - Tamworth Sow

2007 Watchlist; Category 3, Vulnerable. (info from RBST website)

The breed originated in the Midlands around the town that shares its name. It is the only native breed of pig in Britain which is red, and its ancestry is subject to several conflicting claims and theories. It proved very adaptable and was exported to several parts of the world, including not only North America and Australasia, but also South-East Asia. Breeding stock from Australia was brought back to Britain by the RBST in the 1970s and 1990s.

The Tamworth is suited to both quality pork and bacon production and, although historically it was noted in the Midlands as a pork pig, it now is mostly promoted for dry-cured bacon which commands a premium in speciality markets.

The pointed-eared Tamworth is active and suited to outdoor systems, being used in woodland and scrub reclamation projects, where its colour protects it from sunburn. It experienced the least influence from imports of Asian pigs used in the 18th century to improve native types, and retains the longer snout of earlier British types.

Lincoln Longwool

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:18:49 GMT

Lincoln Longwool

Here is one of our Lincoln Longwool Ewes with her lambs...

2007 Watchlist; Category 4, At Risk. (information taken from RBST website)

The Lincoln Longwool is the largest longwool sheep, developed over the centuries to produce heavy fleeces of strong wool to make hard wearing cloth. The wool from the sheep of Lincolnshire was the basis of the prosperity of the east of England until the advent of artificial fibres. In the 18th century the Lincoln became an important dual-purpose breed producing both a large quantity of wool and a large mutton carcase.

Many thousands of Lincolns were exported to many parts of the world, particularly to South America, Australia and New Zealand, where they were crossed with the Merino to createnew wool breeds such as the Corriedale and Polwarth.

The breed declined through the 20th century, and by 1971 there were only 15 flocks left containing only about 500 ewes. There was a partial revival in the late 1980s and the ewe numbers increased to 1300 but the breed is again in a precarious position with less than 500 ewes. It has a polled white head with a broad forelock of wool.

The Lincoln is noted for its strong-stapled lustre wool which is used for a diverse range of products. The average weight of a ewe fleece is 6-7 kg, but a fleece clipped from a 27 month old ram at its second shearing weighed 21 kg, and the record length of staple is 80 cm, clipped from a shearling ewe. The Lincoln has a large strong boned frame, and at slaughter at 20 weeks of age the carcase weight will be 20-29 kg and that of a hoggett 35-40 kg with excellent flavoured mutton.

Early Purple Orchid

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:55:39 GMT

Early Purple Orchid

As its name suggests the Early Purple Orchid is Britain's earliest flowering Orchid. In April and May the attractive pink-purple flowering spikes can be found scattered in profusion across open woodland, in rough grassland and on cliff ledges.

When many people think of orchids they imagine the exotically beautiful flowers of tropical orchids cascading down from the branches of a rainforest tree. The Orchids are one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants and, although most do occur in the tropics, Orchids can be found on every continent other than Antarctica. The Early Purple Orchid occurs throughout Europe from as far South as the Mediterranean and North into Scandinavia.

British Orchids are all terrestrial (ground growing), sometimes small and hard to spot, but also include some of our most beautiful and spectacular wild flowers.

Bluebells

Julie O'Neill — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:51:12 GMT

Bluebells

30th April 2007.

Today i have been for a walk amongst our bluebells. The scent from the bluebells is beautiful...

Pretty Face Painting

Julie O'Neill — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:29:55 GMT

Pretty Face Painting

Here's a true work of art by www.jax.org.uk

Manx Lamb

Julie O'Neill — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:26:33 GMT

Manx Lamb

This Manx Sheep is sunbathing with her new lamb... can you see how many horns the Sheep has?

Bird Aviary

Julie O'Neill — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:25:31 GMT

Bird Aviary

Our New Walk through Aviary opened Easter 2007