posted 2 years ago
Jaden, your production goals sound similar to mine, just in a larger package.
For those not familiar with Shetlands and Icelandics, both are from a group of sheep known as northern short tailed (naturally short tails, so no need for docking which is another plus in my book). I can't speak for Icelandics as far as foraging ability, but in my experience with my Shetlands they are great at using marginal forages (think brush, brambles, unimproved pastures).
When I was deciding on which breed of sheep, I worked with some Icelandic samples and found them enjoyable to spin and knit. However, knowing that I would be the only person working with the flock and wanting to do finer yarns (think sport weight or finer), I opted for the Shetland instead which tends to have finer fibers and a smaller size (ewes run 75 pounds, rams around 100). But that's what works for me and my production goals, so for anyone thinking about sheep I'd recommend figuring out what you want to do with them (fleece? meat? milk? combination? pasture clean up?) and how you want your system to work (are you going to pasture? Feed grain? Lamb in January? Bottle feed?), then go and talk with as many breeders as possible and see what breeds fit your system.
Be aware, too, that if you're looking at sheep raised in a very different system from your planned one you may find the sheep have difficulty adjusting. Case in point: one of the Shetland breeders in my area raises gorgeous animals with an emphasis on fine fleece and unusual colors and patterns. However, this flock is also on a very heavy worming schedule (lots of commercial wormers in use) and receives fairly large amounts of grain daily year round. So, the selection pressure has been away from sheep with parasite resistance and foraging ability which means that they don't do as well in my more challenging conditions of pasture with little grain and less aggressive worming schedule. So when I add an animal from that flock to my own I have to watch carefully to make sure it adjusts and be prepared to cull its offspring if they don't have the "survivability" to do well in my system.
Hope this makes sense!
Catherine Carney
Rifflerun Farm