About Us | Valais Springs - Valais Sheep Breeders in New Zealand

In 2018, we came across Valais Blacknose sheep—quite possibly the cutest sheep in the world. By 2019, we were already dreaming (and scheming) about how we could have some of these fluffy characters grazing on our own block. It didn’t take long for us to discover that they were not only incredibly rare but also very hard to get hold of. New Zealand breeders were already flat out trying to keep up with the huge demand from North America, which only made us want them even more!

The Journey

Being small block owners ourselves, our original hope had been to enjoy a couple of these charming sheep outside our windows. As we explored ways to make that happen, we realised that others might face similar, if not greater, challenges in trying to own Valais Blacknose sheep. That’s when the idea struck: why not create a way to help like-minded small block owners bring these beautiful sheep into their lives? In 2020, Valais Springs New Zealand was born.

Later that year, after extensive research and numerous enquiries, we were lucky enough to secure our first group of pure-bred ewes and rams, along with six three-quarter pure ewes (F2). Our breeding programme soon got underway, with flushing and embryo transplants taking place and our pure-bred rams paired with our English Leicester and Lincoln ewes.

By the following spring, our patience and planning had paid off—we finally had a paddock full of adorable, bouncy lambs, bringing joy (and plenty of smiles) to our small block every day.