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| Summer of 2010- Suzie Q pregnant with her second litter this year, |
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History
Finn sheep have not been in the USA very long. A native of Finland, they first arrived in Canada where they were later imported into the USA in 1968. They were related to short tailed sheep called " mouflon" that live in the wild on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. They are used to rugged terrains and have adapted well here in the US. They are one of the more rare breeds with fewer than 500 registered annually.
Breed Characteristics
Finnsheep are a medium sized, naturally polled breed that is very easy to work with. Ewes reach 120-160 pounds at maturity and rams weigh from 160-220 pounds. They are short tailed(4-6") and not docked. They acclimate well to cold and hot temperatures and are year round breeders with exceptional productive qualities. They are good foragers and convert feed to weight quite nicely.
Wool
Finn wool comes in a variety of colors with white being the most common. Black, black and white, grey and even brown can be found in some flocks. It is very soft, with little oil and works well as a blend with other fibers. It can be shorn once or twice and year. It varies in length from 3-6" and has a micron count of 24-31.
Meat
The meat from Finns is very lean with little or no fat. They convert roughage easily to meat and can exist on roughages alone.
Reproduction
Ewes mature at 6 months of age and rams at 4-8 months. Ewes are usually bred to lamb by age one. The Finn breeds claim to fame is the large "litters" they are capable of producing when fed a proper diet during the heat cycle and gestation period. The record for the largest litter produced here in the USA is "7" with "9" being the record in their home country, Finland. The average birthing is usually composed of 3-5 lambs.
They are heavy milkers and very good mothers, and able to raise their young without supplementation when the diet is appropriate. Due to their high birthing percentages many flocks use Finns in their cross breeding programs.
My Flock
My Finn flock consists of 7 ewes and 2 rams. Two of my ewes are not registered and the rest are. I hope to increase to 8 in the next year or so.
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