Forty Anchors Icelandic Sheep

 Why Icelandic Sheep? We selected registered horned Icelandic sheep for our terrain and climate. They are more independent and can be challenging to work, but hardy and also interesting with intense eyes and faces. Icelandic sheep help pay for themselves by foraging, yielding a lot of meat for their small frame, providing specialty wool that can be used in multiple ways, and being easy to milk. They are considered "tri-purpose," but we do really get a fourth benefit from them. Their appetite for brush, oak shoots, weeds, and other forage helps us keep down noxious plants in advance of the California wildfire season. Our sheep live on a mountainside at 3100' elevation in a dry climate and tolerate temperatures ranging from around 5 degrees to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It snows in winter, and our sheep have trees and open shelters. They seek quiet shelter before lambing, and we move them to indoor lambing jugs for a few days afterwards. They prefer to be outside.

 

Learn More About Icelandic Sheep Breed

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Breeding Goals: We strive for ewes with good wool who are milky, lamb unassisted, and produce twins. Meat is our current priority as we continue to develop our flock. Icelandic lamb is known for being a more delicate meat that may satisfy a wider range of customers. We love strong lamb flavor, but we know not everyone does! This is a great type of lamb to try if you prefer milder flavor.

Our Rams: Our foundation ram, SUNSET KNOLL RAM B3H 08J ARTEMUS, was purchased in Oregon and was bred for a stockier frame with higher yield. He has helped us gain meaty, fast-gaining lambs with less input. We work to improve the loin and leg size in our flock with each generation. Additionally, Artemus has an incredible disposition for a ram and helps us train ram lambs to be workable. He intervenes in their scuffles and keeps the pen calm. We purchased a ram in 2022 from Washington, GS RAM B2H 12J, to introduce new genetics. We now have two ram lambs out of him.

Busy Surroundings: Our sheep eat dry mountain grasses, alfalfa and grass mix hay, and free choice vitamins and minerals. They snack on oak leaves and sage brush, wildflowers, and mustard. Our flock is accustomed to having our LGDs and border collies around 24/7. They often share a fence with our PRE stallion and socialize with our cats, dogs, goats and other horses. Some days they run around forty acres all day, but they always go in a smaller area nearer the house at night due to predators. 

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Humanely Raised: Raising any livestock requires physical labor and perseverance. However, Icelandic sheep do not require as many husbandry practices as other breeds to be healthy. There is no tail-docking or castration required to get a lamb from birth to processing. Icelandic sheep have small wool-less tails, so are naturally sanitary, and leaving bucks (ram lambs) intact can be done without tainting the meat's flavor. They have guardian dogs watching over them at night. They get their hooves trimmed and their long locks cut twice per year.

Sheep live together in a flock with their health and nutrition attended to. We aim

for minimal stress on our sheep by working them as little as possible and in

cooler temperatures.

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Icelandic Wool: When you work with Icelandic sheep wool, you are holding history in your hands. There are two layers to work with, the long Tog and fluffy Thel. They can be separated or spun together.  It is beautiful wool that (our favorite part) comes in a variety of natural colors. In fact, the color genetics of Icelandic sheep are quite fascinating! We have black, gray, white spotting, badger-face, moorit, and their various combinations in our flock today. 

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Icelandic Sheep Meat: Lamb is a red meat rich in iron. It is a high-quality protein source that provides all nine essential amino acids, ruminant trans fats (beneficial for health), and has the highest amount of CLA of any food. You will also benefit from Vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, niacin, phosphorus, and iron. Learn more here and here.

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How to Buy Our Meat: We process rams in spring and sometimes in late summer. Please follow us on social media or send an email to reserve a lamb. (See below.)