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Shetland Sheep and Wool Products
| [The following material appears in its original form at the website of the Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal Science.] |
| The
Shetland's roots go back over a thousand years, probably to sheep
brought to the Shetland Islands by viking settlers. They belong to the
Northern European short-tailed group which also contains the Finnsheep,
Norwegian Spaelsau, Icelandics, Romanovs and others. The Shetland is the
smallest of the British breeds and it retains many of the
characteristics of wild sheep. Today they are considered a primitive or
"unimproved" breed. Rams usually weigh 90 to 125 pounds and ewes about
75 to 100 pounds. Rams usually have spiral horns, whereas the ewes are
typically polled. They are fine-boned and their naturally short,
fluke-shaped tails do not require docking. Shetland wool has a Bradford count usually in the upper 50's to lower 60's and a fiber diameter range of 20-25 microns. Fleeces usually weigh between 2 and 4 pounds (1-1.5 kg) and have a staple length of 2 to 4.5 inches (50-120 mm). Shetland comes in one of the widest ranges of colors of any breed. Besides the white, the sheep produce several shades of wool including moorit (reddy/brown), shaela (silvery grey), fawn, grey, dark brown and black. They are often patterned such as krunet (white crown), katmoget (dark belly) and gulmoget (light underneath). There are eleven main colors as well as thirty markings, many still bearing their Shetland dialect names. Unfortunately, many of these colors and markings have become quite rare as white wool has historically commanded better prices. The wool color and high quality is commercially important to the wool industry of the islands where natural wools are often used undyed to make high quality shetland knitwear. Extra fine ring shawls are knitted, so called because the finest can be passed through a wedding ring. In the UK as a whole the wool is prized by handspinners. Shetland sheep are very hardy, good mothers, easy lambers and produce plenty of milk. When crossed with an early maturing terminal sire (such as a Ryeland) the fat lambs make excellent eating and dress out well. Purebred Shetland meat is highly regarded on taste, but is slow to mature and wethers are often run through to shearlings. In the U.S. the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association (NASSA) was established in coordination with the Shetland Sheep Breeders' Group of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in the UK. The purpose of the association is to assist breeders of Shetland Sheep in North America in maintaining the purity and quality of the breed and to provide accurate registration and pedigree records for informed breeding decisions. |
| For more
helpful information regarding sheep breeds click here to navigate to the Oklahoma State
University Department of Animal Science. For specific information regarding Shetland sheep at O.S.U click here. |
| NASSA is the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association. Click here for more information. |
| The webpage of the Shetland Sheep Society also provides an abundance of useful information. Click here to navigate to the U.K.. |
| Breeding Ewes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Click the NASSA registration number beside each breeding ewe to navigate to the NASSA website and view her pedigree. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shetland Sheep at Pairodox Farm |
| While living in the Hoosier State of Indiana we purchased our first Shetland ram in 1989 from Gail Former of Underhill Farm. When we moved to Pennsylvania in 1995 we contacted Linda and Tuthill Doane at Maple Ridge Sheep Farm in Vermont and our original sire stocks were from there. Since that time we have traded and purchased animals with others in Pennsylvania and have culled our flock intensively. At present we have a small, purebred, flock of two rams and ten breeding ewes. Because our original and some subsequent breed stock included among other breeds Border Leicester and Cheviot, we breed, retain, and cull crossbred ewes as well. Crossbred rams become wethers and are sold as freezer lambs. The intent of our breeding program has always been to select for adherence to the Shetland breed standard and for fleece color and quality. |
| The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy lists the status of the Shetland as a breed in recovery. |
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| Flock Sires | ||||||
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| Click the NASSA registration number beside each breeding ram to navigate to the NASSA website and view his pedigree. | ||||||
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| Click here to return to the top of this page or here to return home to Pairodox Farm |
| Sale of Breed Stock | ||
| Breeding at Pairodox typically begins in October. Because we lamb in early spring we can offer lambs for sale anytime after they are weaned but prefer to wait until September or October to separate little ones from their mothers. We cull rigorously at Pairodox while selecting for fleece quality, individual conformation, and adherence to the Shetland Breed Standard. Yearlings and older animals are sometimes available and are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Please email to inquire about available stock at Info@pairodoxfarm.com. At present our flock numbers 28 animals; 12 lambs (4 ♀ / 8 ♂), 7 yearlings (4 ♀ / 3 ♂), and 9 older animals (8 ♀ / 1 ♂). Below are just three of the 13 ewes which lambed during March and April of 2008. | ||
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