Quality Ryeland Sheep

The Ryeland sheep is one of the oldest breeds of sheep in the UK and dates back 700 years when the monks of Leominster in Herefordshire bred sheep and raised them on rye pastures – hence the name of the Ryeland breed.

Until relatively recently the Ryeland was designated a rare breed. But that is no longer the case as in the last twenty five years the Ryeland has become a very popular choice of smallholders, most of whom have small flocks of under twenty breeding ewes. But the number of flocks has grown substantially. So why is it so popular?

The following are the top ten attractions of the Ryeland breed:
 1. Let’s face it, they are everyone’s image of what a sheep should look like – heavily wooled, including the head, give them a very appealing appearance.2. Very docile in nature and extremely easy to handle. No sheepdog needed, just a bucket of feed!3. Easy to contain with no real appetite to escape. Two lines of electric fence will do the job (but don’t try this with rams and ewes in season!)4. Relatively undemanding in feed and will happily graze lower grade pasture for much of the year with minimal use of concentrates.5. The breed seems almost immune to foot-rot.6. Great tasting meat that tastes like lamb used to. Many Ryeland breeders supply gastro-pubs and restaurants keen to take their meat.7. A very high quality fleece that is now very popular with home spinners and craft workers.8. Ryeland rams are increasingly being used as terminal sires for crossing with more commercial breeds, particularly for the production of high quality, great tasting meat.9. A great breed with which to venture into showing sheep, with a full calendar of shows with dedicated Ryeland classes.10. Last, but not least, a friendly and sociable breed society. Anyone starting out with Ryelands needs help from more experienced breeders. The Ryeland Flock Book Society and the Northern Ryeland Group will provide you with advice and support in both keeping and showing Ryelands that you just won’t find in the highly competitive world of the larger commercial breeds.

So are there any reasons you wouldn’t choose Ryelands? 
Hardly any – but shearing is twice the work than with many other breeds! Ryelands are not shearers' favourite breed and they will probably charge you extra for the time it takes to shear the heavy fleece and the heavily wooled head and legs.

Also, although Ryelands are good mothers, over-feeding of pregnant ewes by enthusiastic smallholders needs to be avoided in order not to produce large lambs that may need assistance at lambing.