Quality Ryeland Sheep

Most of us will use the services of a professional shearer, but Ryelands are never very popular with shearers as the dense wool cover is significantly more work than many other breeds. Some Ryeland owners with a small flock shear their own sheep, either with hand shears or there are some hand held machines, both mains and 12v, which will do the job if you are prepared to take things more slowly than a professional shearer. If you find a good shearer, look after them and be prepared to pay on the basis of their time, not per head of sheep, as do the larger more commercial flocks. My shearer took me on willingly, but after shearing my flock then said it was on the condition I never introduced him to any more Ryeland owners!

The purpose of this brief article is to show there is a wider choice of shearing combs and ways of finishing your sheep than the standard equipment commonly used by your shearer. Having a fleece in the right condition and depth for showing in the Summer months means shearing your sheep in January and some may do this as early as November/December. Removing the protective fleece at the coldest time of the year means thought must be given to the welfare of the sheep. More calories will be burnt keeping warm without the protection of the fleece and an increase in feed is helpful to compensate for this and to maintain condition. I house my show sheep after shearing for a few weeks until they have grown over a centimetre of fleece, but you can shorten this stage by using an alternative shearing comb that leaves a greater depth of fleece than does the conventional comb your shearer would use for Summer shearing. My suggestion is that you buy a specialist comb and two cutters and ask your shearer to use these on your sheep for mid-winter shearing. Most shearers won’t know about these alternative combs, so you have to take control! There are shearing combs such as the Lister Protector which has raised nibs on the comb which leave around 6mm depth of fleece. A conventional comb leaves around 3mm. Combs like the Protector are designed for hill flocks that benefit from more fleece remaining to protect them in harsher weather conditions. For even greater protection you can use specialist Camelid combs, commonly used for Alpacas, which leave around 10mmm of fleece depth. These are quite suitable for sheep and this is now the comb I favour. Both Lister and Heininger produce Camelid combs which will fit most shearing machine hand pieces, but do check with your shearer that his equipment will accept the brand of comb you intend to buy. The Lister Protector comb can be bought for less than £20 and the specialist Camelid combs are more expensive at around £25 to £30. For every comb, buy two matching cutters – I use a Heininger Jet cutter at around £5 each. Shop around online as there are some wide variations in prices.

Taking responsibility for maintaining these yourself rather than leaving them with your shearer is very easy as companies like Peasridge offer a good postal service for sharpening combs and cutters. Simply download the order form from their website and send this to them with your comb and cutters. They will return as good as new for only £3 for sharpening the comb and £2 each for the cutters. If you do this routinely after every shearing, then they will always be ready for the next session.

Producing the right depth of fleece at the right time for the Summer shows that you target is important and another advantage of these alternative combs is to help you ‘catch up’ if you have left your January shearing late into February due to the weather being particularly harsh. The 6 -10mm of fleece remaining from using a Camelid comb I have found is equivalent to around four to six weeks growth.

Additional protection can be given to your winter shorn sheep by fitting them with weather-proof Winter Turn-out coats which will enable you to return them to the field sooner. These are particularly useful if don’t have a building for winter housing. Di Grenyer at Llugwy Farm makes waterproof coats made to measure and provides a ‘same week’ service. www.llugwy-farm.co.uk.

So, there are alternatives to shearing your Ryelands bare of all fleece in the depths of winter. Your shearer may complain that these alternative combs mean shearing is a little slower as the width of cut is narrower than a conventional comb, but I’ve noticed less nicks and cuts as a result which is important, especially around the head and legs of your most valuable show sheep.

Combs and cutters are available from:
 www.peasridge.co.uk, www.farmrite.co.uk, www.shearing.co.uk