General Info

The Icelandic sheep is a very old breed of sheep — one of the world's oldest and purest. This  breed is what we a call triple purpose breed, known for their fiber, meat, and milk. Icelandics are a medium sized breed of sheep, maturing early and long lived. They are excellent mothers with vigorous lambs and suitable for pasture lambing.

The Icelandic breed is highly prolific -- the ewes are reliable twinners, with triplets fairly common. The breed is valued also because of its "grass based" genetics; the sheep flourish on grass and browse, without need of grain supplementation.

Icelandic sheep are a beautiful and eye-catching breed of sheep with incredible color variations and seventeen possible combinations of colors and patterns. Known around the world for their fiber, the Icelandic sheep provides a soft, lustrous dual coated fleece. Icelandics come in a range of natural colors and patterns which provide lovely wool that is very versatile and easy to spin, making this wool a handspinners delight.

In Iceland, these sheep are bred primarily for meat. The lambs mature in 4-6 months on good pasture and provide a lean, tender, mild flavored meat. Average dressed weight is typically 35-45 pounds.

Icelandics are a very milky breed of sheep, with ewes easily supporting twins and many raising triplets without assistance. Many farms in North America are now milking Icelandics and using the milk for personal use, making yogurt, soap and gourmet, artisan cheeses.

For additional information on hardy, healthy, thrifty Icelandics, visit the Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America website, www.Isbona.com.