Romneys

Today, I'm going to explain a little more about the sheep that I raise (in honor of an assignment from Sheep class). The breed that I am talking about is the Romney breed.

Romneys were developed in a marshy area of Kent, England. This area had heavy rainfall which lead to lush forage for the sheep to utilize. Since their origin is from a marshy area the breed was selected for resistance to hoof rot, a disease which is pretty much what it sounds like and likes wetter areas. Romneys were imported to North America a few years after the turn of the 20th century, with the formation of the American Romney Breeders Association(ARBA) in 1912. However it wasn't until the 1970s that that first natural colored sheep were allowed to be registered in the organization.

Romneys are known as a dual purpose breed, which means they produce both meat and wool. The wool of the romney is easily spun by hand spinners and is valued for this characteristic. The fiber diameter of the fleece is supposed to be within the range of 29-36 microns based on the ARBA standard. This may seem quite a small number for some of you but in comparison the finest (smallest fiber diameter) of sheep is found on Merinos and averages around 19 microns but can even be as fine as 15 microns. The weight of the fleeces is also pretty heavy with most ewes yielding at least 8 pounds and rams yielding at least 12 per year, but generally they yield much more than they are advertised. My one ewe Posie sheared a 12.5 lb fleece with only 10 months of growth! (pictured before shearing). The fleeces also come in a range of shades, due to the influence of the agouti genes, but more on that later. The meat on the romney generally has a milder taste than that of other breeds which makes it perfect for those new to eating lamb. Lambs generally reach market weight by 6 or 7 months since they are a little slower growing than the more dominant meat breeds.

These sheep are generally medium sized with the ewes averaging 150-200 lbs and rams averaging 225 to 275 lbs. However even with their size the temperament of the romney is wonderful. They are calm, gentle, and make excellent mothers making them one of the best breeds for new shepherds. Heck, there are shepherds into their 70s and 80s working with romneys because they are so easy to work with.

So I hope this post gives you a bit more insight into our farm, as well as into the romney breed of sheep. If you'd like to find out more about sheep breeds, I recommend going to the list compiled by Oklahoma State, the link (Breeds of Sheep) is to the right under the helpful links section. It features all the major breeds and quite a few lessor known ones and information regarding each one.

On another note we had 2 ewes lamb this afternoon almost simultaneously, adding another 4 lambs (3 ewes and 1 ram) to our flock.