| . Welcome to Veliraf Icelandic sheep. The following is some information about Icelandic Sheep. |
 I have long been an admirer of the intelligent Icelandic Sheep.
The first Icelandics were imported to Ontario in 1985 by Stefania Dingnum.
The Icelandic breed is one of the oldest domesticated sheep in the world, they have been bred in Iceland for centuries.
Like most 'unimproved' old breeds, it has a dual coat.
The crimped, soft undercoat is called the 'thel', and the long, wavy outercoat is called the 'tog'.
They are one of the best sheep for pelting, and make amazing wool rugs- particularily the wildy spotted ones!!!
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Icelandic sheep are a member of the European short-tailed breeds, with rams averaging 180-200 pounds, and ewes ranging from 140-160 pounds. For their size they are relatively fine-boned, so they dress out quite well. They are easily finished on grass- no grain for these guys!!! They are a hardy breed, requiring minimal protection from sun and snow. Since they are short tailed- the lambs also require no docking. They are also not prone to prolapse- we have yet to have a ewe with this problem. Lambing percentage is around 180% - but I'm hoping my flock will someday be at the 200% mark! |
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Flocking instinct is very poor in Icelandics- which has some advantages and some disadvantages. I believe that the lack of flocking instinct has to do with intelligence. The more intelligence an animal has- the less it has to reley on others for direction. My Icelandics have already shown me bursts of intelligence in numerous ways. They make better use of pasture- as they will spread out to graze- rather than staying all together. They are not mindless sheep, they will watch a situation carefully and then decide if any action needs to be taken. Sometimes what one does is not what another will do- such as my ram deciding the cows did not need to be fighting and broke up the fight himself. Generally I wouldn't have though it would work- but he proved to be quite effective!! The main disadvantage is predation, sometimes there is more saftey in numbers!!! |
Icelandics come in an amazing variety of colours. Black, White, Badgerface, Mouflon, Moorit, Grey, Spotted, and many others. This was one of the reasons that attracted me to Icelandics in the first place. I figured if they had all the traits of some of the more common breeds of sheep, but had an added bonus of colour variety- why don't more people own them? Obviously they have yet to discover the intelligence, curiousity, and beauty of the Icelandic Sheep. |
Veliraf Icelandic Sheep
Nicole Heath
Conn, Ontario
(519) 323-3641
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