I have a small shearing round in Leicestershire. I specialise in small flocks, smallholders, pet sheep, etc. I encounter many different breeds including Ryelands. For some reason they always seem to be sticky with little or no rise in the fleece which makes them exceptionally difficult to shear. On the same day, same farm, same blades, same shearer (me!) I will cope with Southdowns and Hampshires who also have head, belly and leg wool, but the Ryelands will be sticky. This applies to gimmers, wethers / rams as well as lambed ewes so it is not a 'time from lambing' thing. I can't work out why or if there's anything I can do about it. Any ideas / experience much welcome!
Ryeland sheep.
- Thread starter Vader
- Start date
- Location
- Highland
He might as well learn his own lessons on sheep of his choosing! 
Good and bad in every breed. If they're not great he will have learned a lot about husbandry trying to fix them.
Get him this book, after 20+ years it's still the one I reach for. Very easy to read, straightforward and sensible advice.
Good and bad in every breed. If they're not great he will have learned a lot about husbandry trying to fix them.Get him this book, after 20+ years it's still the one I reach for. Very easy to read, straightforward and sensible advice.
I have run a flock of up to 35 Ryelands for 12 years on my smallholding in Suffolk. I have never had a case of foot rot, probably as I run a closed flock, only carefully replacing the ram every two years. Best breed I have ever owned, having had Suffolk (lazy lambers), Soays (impossible to gather and amazing jumpers), Shetlands (wriggly little blighters when you’re carrying three ewes in your arms) and Texels (Look like a bull and feels like one if the ram runs faster than you can).
By contrast the Ryeland ewe is a medium size sheep, you can just about pick up or easily turn over to examine her non-rot feet, naturally tame, very pretty and easy to move around the holding. I think they are average lambers, I helped hardly any last season, but so much better than Suffolks and I find them quite reasonable mothers, but I do (probably unnecessarily), singly pen ewes with their newborn lambs for about 24hrs.
Having kept sheep for some 34 years, I wish I had bought my initial six Ryeland ewes 34 years ago. Convinced!
By contrast the Ryeland ewe is a medium size sheep, you can just about pick up or easily turn over to examine her non-rot feet, naturally tame, very pretty and easy to move around the holding. I think they are average lambers, I helped hardly any last season, but so much better than Suffolks and I find them quite reasonable mothers, but I do (probably unnecessarily), singly pen ewes with their newborn lambs for about 24hrs.
Having kept sheep for some 34 years, I wish I had bought my initial six Ryeland ewes 34 years ago. Convinced!
Skintagain
Member
- Location
- Perched on the Pennines
You have made life hard for yourself In the past
Charolais on a Cheviot next or a Romney