Gracewood Ryeland Flock

17/08/2020

Two cracking shearling ewes available. They would have been booked in for Worcester, but unfortunately we can't make it. Superb breed lines and each of these females have excellent breed points. Such a shame they couldn't make it to a show ring this year. But now, as shearlings for breeding they will enhance and strengthen anyone's flock, especially those with showing ambitions. You couldn't find better sires, and the dams of these two have produced excellent stock that has been very consistent - the same character and dark breed points throughout. Details attached.

18/09/2019

Gracewood ewe (YoYo to us) at two and a half weeks and now a shearling about to go to the tup. Our excitement with her potential as a lamb has blossomed into one of the best ewes we've ever bred. Perfect breed points and a proper Ryeland!

26/08/2019

I went to Ludlow, possibly looking for a ram lamb, no rush as I was looking a couple of years ahead with the flock plan, for a Dolwen Percy potential replacement, no trailer, but kind friends Philip Tyler and Steve Hipps offered to bring anything that caught my eye back for me. Very happy not to buy, and had some very strict limits on bidding (always fear the phone call to the domestic sub-committee on the motorway on the way home!). I was aware of Dolwen Yogi Baa’s sparkling career to date and he looked even better in the flesh in the pen at Ludlow. I honestly thought he would make twice the price he did, but bidding was kind to me and we took him home for £1,150 guineas. Surprised and so thrilled to get him! The increasing size of our breed can often leave the traditional characteristics behind, but this ram, in my opinion, is a perfect blend of the biggest, all breed points, with cracking Ryeland character. We did a glamour photoshoot today (three sessions, in 29 degrees…) while he is clean and before he is shorn along with the breeding ewes before tupping. A fabulously gentle character, goes exactly where you steer him (show training..) but having had a brief introduction to the ewes through the fence and sprinting the length of the field, he is raring to go! He’s proven already as a lamb, so no doubt he’ll do the business. He is so fabulous to watch, I’ll waste many hours with him I’m sure!

21/03/2018

It’s not been an easy lambing. Our first Cesarean in fifteen years and a couple of lambs lost, but you always hope for one little star to make all the hard work worthwhile. Only two and a half weeks old, but this ewe lamb is looking very special. Real presence, strutting her stuff already. Perfect breed points, a JoLo back end, and long with it. Fingers crossed!

07/09/2017

Thrilled with our new acquisition. Hawthorns Wyclef (1st Sh Ram at both Great Yorkshire Show and Royal Welsh - shown by Alison & David Robinson). This is the head we want to see on all our stock. There seem to be an increasing number of large floppy ears appearing in the breed and show rings - not here! He is also tested WW, so if this is the character of Ryeland you like then please get in touch for 2018 lambs.

28/12/2015

We are lambing later this year - planned for the end Feb/early Mar. Scanned the flock today and the best ever lambing percentage of 185%. 13 ewes, all in lamb and 24 lambs due, eight lambs on the first day of lambing.

02/09/2015

Two cracking new additions to our flock - a pair of Mansel shearling ewes bought at Ludlow on Saturday. Lovely heads and with great conformation to match. A pleasure to look at - shame they will be sheared soon along with our other breeding ewes!

03/08/2015

Our 2015 Stock List of sheep for sale is online at Gracewood Ryelands http://ryelandsheep.info/ryeland_sheep_for_sale/

Ryeland Sheep for sale

15/03/2015

Lambing update. To balance last year's 75% males, we have 10 females and 6 males this year. Just one ewe straggler with a single lamb due this week. Only two with pink ears and some very substantial lambs. Pleased there appears to be some future stars. Photo is a three day old enjoying the sunshine!

23/02/2015

Well, without wanting to count chickens.... Nouveau is eating like a horse today, plenty of milk, two lambs with full bellies first thing this morning and I didn't even bother with the bottle I'd warmed and taken up to the shed. So, all is looking good. 50ml Ketol this morning and tonight though, just to make sure.

22/02/2015

Nouveau is much stronger today and happy to stand, at last giving her lambs the opportunity to suckle more. Her milk is slowly arriving. The lambs have been tube fed with colostrum for the first 24hrs and this morning tried with a bottle. Not very enthusiastic but I don't want to train them to the bottle properly as they need to be a little bit hungry to suckle and draw down her milk. So just letting it trickle down their throats and with patience, it's easy to get 100ml each into them every four or five hrs as a top up. I'm happy that their stomachs are firm so they're getting enough. Nouveau's appetite is now good although she doesn't eat much at a session, so little and often is best. Still getting 50ml Ketol morning and night until appetite is completely back to normal. Soaked sugar beet, coarse mix and hand feeding her bits of bread. It doesn't matter what form the calories come in when you are bringing an appetite back. I'm monitoring the lambs suckling with a spare wireless camera focussed on their pen. Also doubled the size of the pen to encourage Nouveau to move about more. Not worried about her or the lambs now, just need to be patient.

21/02/2015

The photo is of all three with the tup lamb that didn’t make it top left. Sad, but I wish to share with other Ryeland breeders I know well. Bitter sweet also, because although you kick yourself over things you might not have done, in our first year or two of sheep keeping we would probably have lost the ewe and all lambs. Lesson learnt – if a ewe loses condition fast while being fed the same as others with twins, feed the ewe and don’t worry about increasing the size of the lambs in the last week – your scanner man, however good, may be wrong. Lesson for any beginners out there – as we do, always have Ketol in stock for lambing. This is one thing that can’t wait for the vets to open if you need it late at night. And don't stop the Ketol just because the ewe starts eating - continue for three days at 100ml a day. So, no wonder Nouveau was so exhausted and losing condition, even with extra rations in the last week. She was too weak to stand for the lambs after the births, so colostrum had to be fed by placing her on each side for both lambs. I made sure each lamb received enough natural colostrum. Hard work as so little was available. She had not let down her milk even after eight hours, so I administered an injection of Oxytocin and supplemented the lambs with artificial colostrum feeds by tube every few hours. The morning after, the lambs are fine, Nouveau is standing and eating, and her milk is just beginning to arrive. I’m milking her on every visit to encourage it. So night feeds by tube for the lambs tonight are still needed. Better than the previous night with only one hour’s sleep! I still can’t decide whether this was a battle won or lost – but that’s sheep keeping and why we do it.