History of the Shetland Breed
The Shetland’s roots go back over a thousand years, probably to sheep brought to the Shetland Islands by Viking settlers. 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.
In the US the North American Shetland Sheep Breeders 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.
The number of pedigree animals is approximately 2,000 breeding ewes in the UK which is an increase over the last ten years. They are now classed as a minority breed under the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) having previously been a rare breed.
Shetland Sheep Characteristics
- one of the smallest of the British sheep
- fine-boned
- agile
- calm, docile and easy-to-manage
- respond well to attention and wag their tails when petted
- have a natural hardiness and thriftiness
- easy lambing
- adaptable
- long-lived
- have naturally short fluke-shaped tails do not require docking
Rams
- weigh 90 to 125 pounds
- have beautiful spiral horns
Ewes
- weigh 75 to 100 pounds Rams
- typically polled but many do have horns
Shetland Wool
- one of the finest and softest of any UK breed
- with an average fiber diameter of 23 microns. Highly variable, the Shetland fiber can range from an incredibly fine 15 microns fiber found around the neck to 36 microns a coarser wool as to make rugged, warm fabrics like woven tweeds and Fair Isle Knitwear.
- Shetland wool comes in one of the widest ranges of colors of any breed — everything from the purest white to the deepest coal black. There are 11 main colors and 30 markings.
Hello, I have just started spinning and am looking for sources of fiber. I currently live in Tennessee (10 years now) but my mother lives in Linton and I grew up in Lyons and I visit Indiana several times a year. I would like to know about your fiber for sale and how I can purchase it. ( processed is best for me just now since I don’t have a carder or have done any raw wool cleaning yet.) But I am willing to learn. I am interested in sheep but would like to try some alpaca too.
Mary, it was nice to talk with you on the telephone tonight. Someday, if you would like some Shetland sheep just let me know. Also, if you are not interested in breeding alpacas, you can sometimes get some nice alpacas from the Southeast Llama Rescue organizations. That is how I got Rowdy a suri alpaca for $250 and some very nice llamas also. I look forward to meeting your mother.