Sculpted out of Ice: From the 9th to the 18th Centuries
From the medieval era to the arrival of modern agriculture, the Icelandic Sheep has evolved exclusively in a system of year round grazing on pasture, and breeding selection was carried out mainly under the selective pressures of Mother Nature. With the seasons, the bad weather, as well as shortages, this sheep adapted to its hostile environment, laying the genetic bases of the breed that we know today: Robust, Resilient and Adapted to convert into energy all that he can graze.
Thus in more than a thousand years, three hundred and sixty-thousand sheep populated this island by immersing themselves in its environment. These sheep thus accompanied Man in his survival, indispensable for his meat, his fiber as well as for his milk. However, it is still only an archaic breed: Small, puny and not very productive.
We find in an edition of 1828, a scientific description of this race written by Georges-Louis Leclerc (1707-1788), account of Buffon:
"That ram of Iceland weighed eighty-six and a half pounds ..." "Its wool was big, long, smooth, hard, up to eight inches in length, and amongst that long wool was another finer, less smooth, softer ... "
General Appearance: -A medium sized sheep -Fine boned with an open face and legs -Mature body weights, Rams: 90-100 kgs., Ewes : 60-65 kgs. Head: -Short with a broad forehead to the nostrils -Nostrils should be well open, lips thick and jaw strong looking -Eyes should be bright and alert -Horned and polled acceptable in both sexes -Horns growing too close to the face is undesirable Neck: -Short, round and broading at shoulders so that where neck and shoulders meet is not noticeable -Rams should have a much thicker neck area than ewes Shoulders: -Broad, blending smoothly into body -Rounded and meaty Chest and ribs: -Broad and reach well in front of legs -Wide chest cavity -Ribs should stand well out and be well rounded |
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Back, Loin, and Rump: -Long, thick back muscle with firm flesh -Loin is broad, roundish, strong -Rump is broad, well muscled, fairly long but can taper back a bit Feet and Legs: -Legs are well muscled and thick, muscle reaching far down towards the hock -Feet are short, thick, straight and squarely placed -Pasterns are strong, angling about 45 degrees to the ground Fleece: -There should be a lot of wool -Fleece comes in a wide range of natural colours -Wool is dual coated; fine, waivy undercoat called thel and long, coarse corkscrewy outercoat called tog. -Kemp in wool is undesirable Skin: -Colour variable, depending on colour of wool Tail: -Tail is naturally short, fluke shaped, mostly covered with hair, 15-20 cm. long on a full-grown sheep. Docking of tail disqualifies Icelandic sheep from registration. Serious Defects: -Badly twisted legs |