Shetland Sheep Information

The tail should reach to the hock.

Shetland sheep information. They are often called shelties as a shortened down nickname. Shetland sheep roots go back more than 1 000 years probably to sheep brought to the shetland islands by viking settlers. Dewclaws are sometimes removed. Linda wendelboe of fibre works farm and kathy baker of nier lakes shetlands have developed this web the ssi for shepherds of shetland sheep.

The shetland is a small wool producing breed of sheep originating in the shetland isles scotland but is now also kept in many other parts of the world. The shelties we know today are somewhat larger than their original ancestors but they retain a reputation for intelligence willingness to work and good humor. But today the breed is also raised in many other parts of the world. It is part of the northern european short tailed sheep group and it is closely related to the extinct scottish dunface.

The shetland sheepdog also known as the sheltie is an extremely intelligent. Rams usually weigh 90 to 125 pounds and ewes about 75 to 100 pounds. Rams usually have beautiful spiral horns whereas the ewes are typically polled. The long tail is feathered carried straight down or at a slight upward curve.

They were an offshoot of the border collie which was brought to scotland and bred down in size. Norse settlers probably brought the ancestors of our shetlands to the shetland isles. Shetland sheep are a small calm breed of sheep ideal for a small flock. We call it a quick start guide as it has articles links and other resources that we have found useful and would have liked to have known about when we started our own flocks.

The double coat is long and abundant all over the body but is shorter on the head and legs and the coat forms a mane around the neck and chest. Shetland sheepdog information including personality history grooming pictures videos and the akc breed standard. It is a small sized wool producing breed originating in the shetland isles scotland. The shetland sheep is a breed of domestic sheep from scotland.

Life span is 13 years with 12 to 15 years being in the typical expected range. Average sized litter is 5 puppies with 4 to 6 being in the normal range. The shetland sheepdog was bred to herd sheep and was considered a kind smart hardworking animal. Shetlands are one of the smallest of the british sheep.

General information even though shetlands are considered a british breed the shetland sheep in canada and the united states have roots going back over a thousand years to scandinavia.