Quality Ryeland Sheep

Location: The home of the Roston flock is in Winkhill, near Leek, Staffs at an elevation of 800’ in the Staffordshire Moorlands and on the south eastern edge of the Peak District National Park. The flock was started in 1997 by Carole and Greg in Ashbourne with five acres, later moving to Winkhill with twelve acres of pasture. This has grown with the increasing passion for Ryelands to 23 acres with additional nearby fields which are managed as fourteen different grazing compartments. The elevation and relatively exposed location is reflected in the Roston flock’s methods which mean the flock is housed during the worst of the winter weather. But, like most Ryeland flock owners, Carole and Greg are keen that their sheep spend as much time outside as possible – don’t let anyone tell you that this downland breed of ours doesn’t thrive in tougher, more elevated locations!

The land is clay over shale and as it can be very wet in some winters the additional reason the sheep are housed in the peak of winter is to prevent poaching and damage to the pasture. The land is fertilised with manure from the sheep shed and the mineral balance is monitored occasionally by soil analysis. Lime in the form of granules and Grasstrac (mineral application) is applied as necessary to adjust any deficiencies.

How did you get into Ryelands?  I saw an article with a picture of a coloured Ryeland tup in the NFU magazine – it all went from there! Do you keep any other breeds?  No.

What is the size of your flock?  Currently forty one sheep. Breeding ewes: this year, fifteen. Breeding rams: we’ve used two, and have two others. Shearling rams: three; all to sell. Shearling ewes from last years lambs: six to keep and six to sell. Last year was a very good year for us and we’re tempted to keep them all! Do you keep any wethers?  No and we don’t castrate our ram lambs.

How would you describe a sheep as typical of your flock?  Blocky, quite stocky, not too tall. We would like to breed ours a little larger, but never at the expense of what we now regard as the Roston type and the breed points we favour. (Notably, their sheep appeared very consistent and ‘of a type’).

As a White flock, what is your attitude to producing coloured lambs?  We get fewer than most – out of twenty two lambs last year we only had two coloured - we don’t mind having them.

When do you usually plan to lamb?  February. Do you scan your ewes?  Yes, in December. Your facilities?  We have several buildings at the rear of the house, most important of which is a large modern shed that we use for lambing. One of the smaller sheds is a DEFRA accredited isolation unit. We leave the flock outside as late as possible, but the weather and wet ground mean they are generally inside by the end of November. They’ll stay inside over the winter and go out again in the spring as soon as the weather allows it and there’s no risk of poaching the fields. (Greg has paved a yard area to allow some housed stock to move freely outside and all the buildings adjoin pasture to give the sheep the choice of inside or out. On the day I visited, the main flock was outside as in the photo but with the show team ‘shortlist’ housed inside ready for selection and show prep the day after – just like the X factor waiting room...). Do you have any help?  We share all our plans and ideas for the flock and have a lot of help from Steve Briggs who is an experienced shepherd and friend. Steve now has his own Ryeland flock (Lodgeway 1604) and we compare notes all the time. He helps us during lambing, is on hand when Greg needs another pair of hands and does some of our show trimming for us. Have you ever used sponging or A.I.?  No.

What proportion do you usually send for meat?  Any ram lambs that go for meat go to the Rare Breed butcher in November each year. They are handled carefully and we’re pleased with the service. We don’t send many – only three last year. What do you do with your old ewes?  We take them straight to slaughter – we don’t want them going to market. Do you eat your own meat?  No.

Shearing: when do you shear your show sheep?  In January each year and we have a shearer who visits. We shear the whole flock, not just the show and sale sheep at this time, including pregnant ewes. Our shearer is good and very careful - we prefer to have the ewes in a shorter fleece for lambing. We also crutch the ewes thoroughly before tupping – we think it makes a difference in getting the ewes covered well.

Describe your preparation of your show sheep: We wash them a couple of weeks before the show and trim generally only once. What do you do with your wool? We sell to a private dealer and it goes to Ireland. We don’t use the Wool Board.

Do you feed hay, haylage or silage?  Round bale haylage. Do you make any?  Yes, we make all our own haylage – it’s generally ‘on the dry side’.

more>