A HEBRIDEAN sheep named Miss Piggy due to her voracious appetite may be one of the oldest of the breed on record.
A smallholding in Newsham run by Carol Hamilton is home to the ewe, who is believed to be about 22-years-old.
Another aged Hebridean ewe kept on the smallholding, named Little Hez, died earlier this month.
Ms Hamilton said: “They were with another lady over the road who moved away to Kent. We have had Miss Piggy for 20 years.
“When we got her, her antlers were half grown, so we estimated that she was two at the time.
“Can anybody do better than this for age?”
Ms Hamilton said her old age sheep was bred near Brompton-on-Swale, and seems to be in good health despite her advancing years.
“Her name is Miss Piggy because she was very greedy and she is still eating a pound of prime feed a day as well as grass to keep her weight up,” she added.
The ewe has also been clipped by a neighbour who was shearing his own sheep.
Ms Hamilton said at one time, Miss Piggy was one of five rescue Hebridean sheep she kept on her smallholding.
She currently keeps five Soay sheep – a breed descended from the feral sheep of St Kilda – a horse and about 50 ducks, all of which are rescues.
Some breeders around the country have reported Hebridean sheep living to about 15 years.
According to the Hebridean Sheep Society, ewes typically weigh 35kg-40kg with a relatively long body. Hebrideans are hardy and able to thrive on rough grazing, and so are often used to maintain natural grassland or heathland habitats.
