Homesteading Forum banner

Icelandic questions

1859 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Shahbazin
Hey all,

I have pretty much decided on Icelandic sheep over Shetlands for a few reasons, but the things I have been reading lately are making me question that choice.

I hear that Icelandics are friendly, then I hear they are not. I hear they are flighty and then I hear they are not. I hear the rams are VERY aggressive, then I hear they are not.

I bought some Icelandic wool at the Vermont Sheep and Wool festival to see how it spins, it was somewhat coarse and hairy...then I hear it depends on the individual sheep. It started to felt by itself in the bag, I am guessing it would be very good for felting, but I want wool for spinning mostly.

I have young children and I originally chose shetlands because they are smaller, also because I will be a sheep newbie. But I have been reading MorrisonCorners website for some time now and got hooked on the Icelandic ;)

So I guess Id like to know what their typical behavior is like, I know there are individuals that go from one extreme to another.
Also, how hard is it to separate the tog from the thel?
Are they a good breed for a sheep newbie to start with? The pasture here is not very good, I liked the Icelandics ability to utilize forage and poorer pastures.

Im sure I have a thousand more questions about them but am drawing a blank now..any experiences people have will be very helpful.
1 - 2 of 11 Posts
Thought of another question..

Is it true that you dont need to shear an Icelandic? That the wool will shed instead of having to be sheared?
1 - 2 of 11 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top