Icelandic crossbreeds
- Thread starter Codym907
- Start date
mysunwolf
Herd Master
Welcome to BYH!! There are plenty of sheeple around @SheepGirl, @Sheepshape, @misfitmorgan, @farmerjan, and plenty of others I'm not thinking of right now.
Specifically on your question, I would make a list of what you want out of your sheep, and start looking at breeds that have similar qualities. Then you can ask around about those particular crosses. Like, are you looking for pets or meat sheep? Big, small, fast growth rates, hardy, horns, color, milk, muscling? Etc.
The only crosses with Icelandic that I'm specifically familiar with are East Friesian and Cotswold crosses.
The EF x Icelandics are smaller than an EF but still a decent sized sheep, more flighty, but with the milkier traits of the EF. The ewes are often polled in the first generation, though the rams may have horns/scurs. Good looking sheep, though not the most useful--more of a triple-purpose breed, a little bit useful for meat, milk, and wool.
The Cotswold x Icelandics are a medium sized sheep with an extremely stocky build, great for handspinning and getting all sorts of interesting fiber combinations. They tend to be as flighty as an Icelandic but with with the size of a Cotswold, so wrestling with them is not fun. Ewes are polled with this cross as well (since polled is dominant). Very good instincts for mothering, good parasite resistance, etc, but be cautious breeding them back to an Icelandic because of the potential for babies to have horns in the womb and cause trouble for moms.
Specifically on your question, I would make a list of what you want out of your sheep, and start looking at breeds that have similar qualities. Then you can ask around about those particular crosses. Like, are you looking for pets or meat sheep? Big, small, fast growth rates, hardy, horns, color, milk, muscling? Etc.
The only crosses with Icelandic that I'm specifically familiar with are East Friesian and Cotswold crosses.
The EF x Icelandics are smaller than an EF but still a decent sized sheep, more flighty, but with the milkier traits of the EF. The ewes are often polled in the first generation, though the rams may have horns/scurs. Good looking sheep, though not the most useful--more of a triple-purpose breed, a little bit useful for meat, milk, and wool.
The Cotswold x Icelandics are a medium sized sheep with an extremely stocky build, great for handspinning and getting all sorts of interesting fiber combinations. They tend to be as flighty as an Icelandic but with with the size of a Cotswold, so wrestling with them is not fun. Ewes are polled with this cross as well (since polled is dominant). Very good instincts for mothering, good parasite resistance, etc, but be cautious breeding them back to an Icelandic because of the potential for babies to have horns in the womb and cause trouble for moms.
misfitmorgan
Herd Master
We mostly have icelandic x shetland up here and they really dont make for much good outside of as pets if you can tame them. They are a very small sheep with a very very thick double coat that is almost impossible to shear. The wool is good wool if you can keep it clean. They are very hardy little sheep with super low maintenance though. Most ewes are polled and you have a fair shot of getting polled rams as well. Shetland's are very primitive and flighty, so mixed with flighty icelandic it isnt really an improvement in that department.
ohiogoatgirl
True BYH Addict
If you have flighty sheep you end up with flighty offspring no matter the breed. I think every person I've ever talked to didn't like 'that breed' because of 'that bad trait' or 'that crazy animal' they knew of from an old friend or neighbor or family member. And that is among sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, and cows.
Icelandic and shetlands are both short tailed of close relation. The breeds look fairly similar and the crosses look very much like half of each. If you have fine wool shetlands with more closed fleece then the offspring will tend to look a bit more like the Icelandic side and have more longer and open fleeces.
My suggestion would be to try and go visit the farms. If you open a gate and the whole bunch shoots off scared to death... Then that is the animals you will get. If the whole flock tries to run you over and maraud you for possible treats... Then that is the animals you will get.
Personally I like them in the middle. I don't want animals that will holler and holler every time they see people or think they hear the door open. I don't want animals to run me down like I've got a buffet and they are starved people. I do want animals that let me check them over as needed. I do want animals that hang about a little but are fine to go back to grazing or hay when it isn't feed time and I'm not giving out treats (which is rare).
I grew up with dairy goats that we had to go chase up and down the hills so I have stronger feelings that most about these things
The only other thing is you can breed a lighter, narrower framed male to a wide, heavy female. But if you put a wide, heavy male on a narrow, lighter female is when the trouble generally increases steeply.
Icelandic and shetlands are both short tailed of close relation. The breeds look fairly similar and the crosses look very much like half of each. If you have fine wool shetlands with more closed fleece then the offspring will tend to look a bit more like the Icelandic side and have more longer and open fleeces.
My suggestion would be to try and go visit the farms. If you open a gate and the whole bunch shoots off scared to death... Then that is the animals you will get. If the whole flock tries to run you over and maraud you for possible treats... Then that is the animals you will get.
Personally I like them in the middle. I don't want animals that will holler and holler every time they see people or think they hear the door open. I don't want animals to run me down like I've got a buffet and they are starved people. I do want animals that let me check them over as needed. I do want animals that hang about a little but are fine to go back to grazing or hay when it isn't feed time and I'm not giving out treats (which is rare).
I grew up with dairy goats that we had to go chase up and down the hills so I have stronger feelings that most about these things
The only other thing is you can breed a lighter, narrower framed male to a wide, heavy female. But if you put a wide, heavy male on a narrow, lighter female is when the trouble generally increases steeply.
