Icelandic Sheep
Íslenskt sauðfé

Purebred and Registered

The Icelandic sheep is one of the world's oldest and purest breeds of sheep. Viking Sheep date back 1100 years, and are truly triple-purpose, treasured for their fiber, milk, and meat.

Here at Northern Viking Farm we are Passionate about Icelandic Sheep.
There are so many reasons to love them - it is hard to know where to begin.

So lets start with a few of the characteristics that make this breed unique.  

 - Their wool is double layered and makes high quality award winning wool that is sought after for spinning and felting
 - This breed thrives on a grass fed diet - no grain required
 - The ewes are seasonal breeders - coming into estrus in late fall and giving birth in early spring
 - Icelandic ewes gestation period is slightly shorter than modern breeds at 142-144 days
 - They lamb unassisted - often with twins after the first year and sometimes triplets 
 - The ewes can lamb into their 13th year or longer
 - They are known for their milkiness and can be kept as milk sheep (and were kept as milk sheep by the Vikings)
 - They have great mothering instincts and lambs are vigorous at birth
 - They have fluked tails - which means tails are naturally short and eliminates the need for tail docking and also helps keep their rear ends naturally clean!
 - Icelandic meat is mild flavored and caters to the gourmet market 
 - Both sexes of Icelandic sheep can be either horned OR polled
 - This is a hardy breed and does well outdoors year round - with access to shelter
 - Ram lambs do not need to be castrated as they reach market weight before coming into rut

Besides All This ... Icelandic sheep come in many different colours and patterns.  For instance - there are 92 different recognized numbered and named white markings - as well as 6 recognized patterns.  These combinations result in a wide array of potential markings making lambing season all the more exciting as we await the new lambs and see what surprises will be unveiled.  

Our Sheep are Purebred and Registered with the Canadian Livestock Records Corporation - CLRC