The sheep has been a part of the activities of Hyltorna Farm. Since 2003, we have had a crew Ryafår and since 2009 we also breed Värmlandsfår. Both the Rya sheep and Värmland sheep. belongs to the "Northern European short-tail sheep" and are native breed sheep, previously included in a program to preserve the original native breed animals.
Ryafår
Wermland sheep
We also have had a flock of Vermland sheep in different beige and brown shades.
Our sheep have grazed on natural pastures, not fertilized but from the sheep themselves and where the flora is allowed to set seed for next year's greenery. On our meadows, one can find both quaking grass and butterfly orchid.
Lambs are born in March-May, a natural birth for our Rya sheep as brown stathey rut in the late autumn, October to December. Vermland sheep has no season specific heat and therefore can lamb whole year if the ram is allowed to be with the ewes. The breeding of the lamb occurs naturally where the lambs follow the ewe and graze grass and herbs, leaves from trees and shrubs as well as get winter employment with rubbing bark from felled spruce and pine trunks. The young ewes is bred usually the year after the year of birth when they grown up.
From the sheep, we have got both meat, wool and pelts. We have deliberately conceived our Ryafår to produce the finest, shiniest wool that was sheared, sorted, washed and carded for sale in the online store or to be spun into yarn the old way with the spinning wheel, and used for fabric in the farm's weaving studio.
The fells are prepared as uncut or cutfor plaids. Most of our skins can be washed in 30-degree Celsius water.
Together with hand-woven back they become trolley-fells, bench cushions etc.
Fall 2018, we decided to stop breeding sheep. We still will have wool and fells for sale in our webshop.