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| Incredibly Rugged Icelandic Sheep August 14, 2009 |
| When we began planning the leap into the Icelandic sheep adventure, we had no idea what lay ahead for us. I bought a book that had plenty of information on sheep illnesses and problems ranging from foot rot, to pink eye, to weak lambs, to lambing problems...To say the least, it was enough to make me a bit uneasy about the undertaking from the start, but I was told that Icelandic sheep are different from other breeds of sheep. What we ended up with was nothing like the books had described. I have told so many people over the years how few problems we have had with our Icelandic sheep having illnesses or any of the 'usual' sheep problems. It's just amazing how truly sturdy they are. We have had our Icelandics live through so many freak accidents and just thrive after they manage to recover from the initial injuries. Several of our sheep are permanently damaged because of injuries, but they go on each year to lamb, raise beautiful babies, and produce a wonderful fleece as well as enjoy a semi-normal life with the rest of the flock. We have never had a case of pink eye, or foot rot, and lambing problems are so rare that I don't lose any sleep during lambing season due to worry, nor do we regularly visit the barn at night during lambing. We don't have weak lambs, or lambs that can't figure out where their dinner comes from or how to get it once they find it. When I attempt to describe how rugged the Icelandic breed is, I will always be able to remember how very few people thought our sheep would live after the dog attack on our farm in Feb. 2008. My brother happened to arrive at our farm as we did that morning and when we started carrying sheep to the barn, he just couldn't imagine any of them living. When the vet arrived at the farm, he described the scene as looking like 'a battlefield'. He sure didn't act like there was a whole lot of hope for most of them. The man who hauled the sheep to the vet. hospital didn't want to charge us full price till we saw if any of them lived. Although we did lose one ewe, and we had many miscarriages due to the injuries, surgeries, trauma, etc... the other 7 ewes, who had been mangled beyond words, eventually survived and are doing well in the pasture to this day. Yes, Mazi lost her back leg. Surprise and Clairie both have joint damage that shows up from time to time in the form of a limp and swelling in the legs. We have anxious nights even with the addition of several guard dogs to this day. But, I know we were very, very blessed that we had chosen a breed that is known for its hardiness and determination to live through and beyond what anyone would believe possible. I am completely sold on the rugged, determined Icelandic sheep breed. |