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| Mother and daughter~ Fall of 2010 |
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History
Originating from Iceland, the Icelandics are one of the oldest breeds of sheep in the world.
Unlike most other breeds they have a third purpose being a milking animal. In Iceland where grain was not grown and hay was scarce they were used in place of dairy cattle for milk. Their history is interesting in that farmers only put up two bales for each ewe during the winter months and they were expected to live off of their body fat and what they could forage in the fields during the winter months. Due to these harsh living conditions in their native land they evolved as one of the hardiest breeds of sheep, needing little to sustain them. They continue to thrive today on pastures alone and do a wonderful job of reclaiming old fields no longer producing.
They were first imported into Canada in 1990 and from there were shipped into Massachusetts in 1992. There are currently less than 3000 Icelandic Sheep in the United States.
Breed Characteristics
Icelandic sheep come in a variety of colors with black and brown( moorit) being the most common colors. They are medium sized, short legged and very muscular with short tails. They can be either polled or horned and have a dual coated fleece. Ewes genally weigh 160-180 pounds with rams weighing in at 180-220+. They also tend to have a longer life span than most other breeds.
Wool
If left unshorn the Icelandics luxurious dual coat can reach lengths of 18inches. Due to the length of coat they are probably the hardiest bred of sheep today able to withstand extreme cold temperatures. The variety of colors also makes them a beautiful sight to see. Top Dollar is paid for thier wool as it is considered specialty wool and is very soft to the touch.
Meat
The biggest commodity from the Icelandics is thier meat. It takes little money to produce top quality meat from an Icelandic with fine texture and flavor. Most are raised in 5-6 months without the use of grains dressing out at 30-40 pounds. Due to their natural
Reproduction
Ewes mature fairly early at 7 months and will breed from late November through early spring. They will continue to produce with a prolificy of 175-200% into their 10th year of age. After birth most lambs are up and nursing in minutes. Due to the high quantity of milk the ewes produce lambs will gain up to a pound a day while nursing with more than enough still available to be used for cheese making purposes if the shepherd so desires.
My Flock
My flock currently consists of only 4 Icelandics- 2 registered unrelated ewes and two registered rams. I have not decided yet whether I will continue with this breed; time will tell.
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