Icelandic Sheep Description

The Icelandic sheep is of the North European short-tailed race of sheep and hence has a naturally short tail. The tail can be up to around 15 cm. with the bones tapering off at the end. The tip of the tail and often the whole tail is covered in hairs. The face and legs are hairy with wool extending slightly onto the lower jaw. Horned rams have a thick lump of stored fat behind the horns when in good condition. 

The wool is dual coated. The hairs growing from the primary follicles are long, fairly coarse, wavy and often lustrous. The hairs from the secondary follicles are much finer, springy, irregularity crimped and very soft. The name used for the longer hairs is TOG while the finer are called THEL. The length of the TOG varies considerably over the body of the sheep, reaching up to 40 cm or longer on the shoulders. The rams have heavier "mane" than the ewes. In the spring the breed sheds naturally to such extend that they can be "rooed" or "plucked" by hand. The time it takes the breed to shed varies, depending on nutrition and stress factors. The rams usually start shedding earlier than the ewes, often starting in late February while the ewes start around lambing time. 

The breed has both polled and horned individuals, in both males and females. If polled and horned individuals are mated, various types of scurs and thickness of horns occurs. It is desireable that each flock be kept primarily horned or polled, but it is not a disqualifying feature if the horns are poorly shaped since that is not a genetic fault that gets passed on. The breed also carries genes for four horned individuals. 

In Iceland the majority of the sheep are white but the different pattern/ colour combinations have always been maintained and treasured. In Iceland the white wool is preferred because the wool is sold to the woollen mills which mostly use white wool. Here in North America the wool has its greatest value as material for handspinners and artistants who pay as much, if not more, for the coloured wool as the white wool. The breed carries six patterns on the A-loci, two colours on the B-loci and also carries genes for spotting on the S-loci. The six patterns on the A-loci are: White, Grey Mouflon, Grey, Badgerface, Mouflon and Solid Colour. On the B-loci it carries both black and moorit (brown). On S-loci it carries both non spotting and spotting. 

The average liveweight of mature rams is 90-100 kg(200-250) and of mature ewes 60-65 kg(120-150), however heavier weights are normal. In 1983 one of the heavier rams weighed in Iceland was 138 kg. That is not common but there is no question that this ram is purebred and true to the breed. Ewes in good condition often weigh around 75. kg. Prolificacy is naturally 150 - 200%. Lambs are sexually mature around 7 - 8 months of age. They are seasonal breeders, here in Canada the ewes coming into heat usually starting in October. 

Serious defects would include: Over- or undershot jaw, badly twisted legs and cryptochid. Less serious defects would be: Kemp in wool and rams horns growing too close to the face. 

Stefania Dignam 
Yeoman Farm 
Parham, Ontario 
email-yeomanfa@frontenac.net