Icelandic Sheep: An ancient breed perfect for the modern day homestead.
1. Triple Purpose.
I like having an animal that gives back in as many ways as possible. Meat. Milk. Wool. And not just any generic meat, milk and wool… I adhere to the belief that you keep things in your life that are either beautiful or useful. Icelandic sheep (and their assorted products) are both!
2. Meat.
I grew up not caring for lamb or mutton. I didn’t care for the usual fatty taste I detected in lamb or mutton, but grass fed Icelandic lamb (and mutton) is mild and delicious. An accident led to our family trying it for the first time, and it shifted our entire shepherding focus. The meat is truly phenomenal. It’s unlike any lamb I’d ever had. I traveled extensively and lamb in Ireland or Central Asia didn’t compare. Icelandic lamb is a delicacy. It’s also extremely high in healthy Omega 6 oils which help to combat chronic inflammation ( please remember that this requires a grass fed diet).
3. Wool.
Icelandics are a unique dual-coated breed with a fleece that lends itself to hand spinning, vegetarian fleeces, and creates a wonderful Icelandic product known as Lopi. It makes durable, weather resistant hats, scarves, and sweaters. It comes in an abundance of natural colors and lends itself to countless projects. Besides the wearable items mentioned above we have also created rustic peg loom rugs and braided roving rugs. It’s been a gift to have this wool to create lifelong memories and heirloom objects with my children.
4. Milk.
This is an area I know less about. We have milked some of ours but only on a small scale, and more out of curiosity. Sheep milk is significantly higher in protein than cows milk. Our experience is that Icelandic ice cream is exquisite! There have been a few commercial Icelandic sheep dairies in operation over the past decades and we are fortunate to have some of those lineages in our flock. Our flock benefits from these lines by producing vigorous, fast growing lambs as a result of the richness of the ewes’ milk.
5. Multitude of Colors.
I grew up with a typical commercial breed that was white with an occasional black lamb that would fade to grey. Icelandics come in two colors and a possibility of six unique patterns. They can carry spotting which adds another unique surprise. Breeding becomes fun (a real life opportunity to teach Greg Mendel’s principles!) With Icelandics, lambing feels more like waiting for a litter of puppies then sheep. The colors and patterns make it significantly more enjoyable for the entire family.
6. Intelligent.
Icelandics don’t follow blindly which requires patience and trust building, but once they do chose to follow/or bond with their shepherd they do it with a loyal and keen intelligence. This is an abstract (and subjective) concept, but I love how intelligent the breed is and the bond that is formed. Again, a flock of Icelandic (in our case) can begin to remind us more of canines who make a choice to follow you. Intelligence is a key reason we love our flock.
7. Horns.
I think they’re beautiful and the horns, especially from the mature rams, can be sold.
8. Short tails.
No tail docking! It’s cleaner all around, it’s great. Major perk for us. Lowers chances of problems and fly strike.
9. Heritage Breed Breeding Season.
I like that Icelandics follow a natural breeding cycle, more similar to deer and elk then commercial livestock breeds (completely opposite from goats). This cycle is influenced by natural factors such as the nighttime temps. This is important for a few reasons. First, it means you don’t need to castrate the market ram lambs (no banding tails or testicles!). They will not breed their mothers, sisters etc if you process them in the fall. Not castrating them allows them to grow faster and develop a better fat/muscle ratio. This results in higher quality lamb. There isn’t the fattiness of other breeds where castration at 10 days or earlier is typical. Second, it means the flock can be run together for approx 6 months of the year without fear of breeding (some small flocks with only one ram and mature ewes can keep their flock together the entire year). I enjoy this because I like having all my sheep together to monitor over the hot, and parasite laden, summers of the Midwest. There is also significant labor savings in setting up fencing and waterers for one undivided flock.
10. Foragers.
Icelandics have been roaming Iceland for millenniums and developed the ability to forage; more similar to goats then typical American or British commercial sheep breeds. We have a large portion of ground that is not pasture, but woodland. Icelandics have not only the enthusiasm but also the constitution to forage. I like having sheep that I can use to clear ground (keep in mind this needs to be early summer or early fall if you wish to produce clean, usable fleece. I run our sheep in the woods when their fleece is not long enough to ‘grab’ all the debris.)
11. Strong Mothering Instincts.
I have found Icelandic ewes to be extremely good mothers. They bond quickly, are highly protective, and their rich milk produces fast growing lambs. Twins are common after the first year and a well cared for ewe can raise lambs until 8-10 years old. We are not set up with a barn capable of housing every animal on our farm. Most of our non-first year mothers are completely capable of pasture lambing safely and efficiently. There is no better surprise then going down the front drive in the morning to see healthy, cleaned, nursing new born twins with their mother. Icelandics are amazing mothers especially in a program that manages for that trait.
12. Rams
Manageability can be bred for and the rams are trainable. I love our rams and as a consequence often have a nice-sized ram herd, but they are beautiful and I enjoy them. I’ve had children on the farm since we got our first. We manage rams for that quality and are also 100% forthcoming on temperament. The horns have value if you chose to market them.
13. Designed to be Grass Fed
Icelandics are descended from sheep the Vikings brought to Iceland over a thousand years ago. They are the quintessential grass fed animal. We do not feed grain of any kind and routinely produce 75-100 lb market lambs in five and a half months. We grow our own hay and set out from the beginning to be 100% pesticide, hormone and antibiotic free. We will always be entirely grass fed. I feel strongly that our breed choice is what has allowed us to stay true to our vision. I also feel that continuously introducing AI lines into our flock (grandsons of rams in Iceland or closer) keeps our meat as genetically close to Icelandic lamb as possible. if you’re aiming to avoid GMOs then grass fed meat becomes essential. It is also incredibly freeing to be released from a bond to the feed store. Grass and hay. If protein needs are high, I will supplement with alfalfa pellets. Black oil sunflower seeds are also a wonderful treat. Nothing else besides fresh water, minerals, mother’s milk for the lambs, sunshine, pumpkins, hay and pasture grass.
14. Hardy.
Icelandics require shelter like all sheep breeds, but they are more winter hardy than other breeds. A sturdy three sided shelter turned the right way to block the wind will suffice (depending on the month, lambing may require more shelter). Most commercial sheep breeds need more infrastructure to sustain a hard winter. We are in northern Illinois where the temps can reach -20. Our Icelandics have proven themselves hardy countless times.
15. Heirloom Quality Sheepskins.
Whether you chose to learn to tan yourself, or send it out, I cannot recommend it enough. The sheepskins sold in box stores or by large chains don’t look anything like Icelandic sheepskins. The long staple (lock) length is a game changer. Most sheepskins are 2-4” long. Icelandics are usually 7-10” and they come in a multitude of colors to fit any decor. They are luxurious and soft. They are truly remarkable and the epitome of luxury in the field of sheepskins.
16. They’re Stunning.
Yes, that’s absolutely subjective! but when you see a flock of Icelandics with fleece of a 7-10”+ staple length, and large curled horns, and a multitude of patterns and colors on a green pasture, or an alpine meadow, it’s majestic. They are a primitive breed that due to their geographical isolation remained untampered with by modern commercial practices. They’re truly unique beautiful animals that provide meat, milk, wool, sheepskins, and horns.
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