Icelandic sheep are a mix of adorable and fascinating. During the summer, you can find them roaming freely around the country. For months they are on what seems like the ultimate Icelandic summer vacation - eating, sleeping, and walking wherever they please. Before winter sets in, they are rounded up by the farmers that own them so they can be sheltered from the harsh Icelandic weather.

Regardless of the season, the Icelandic sheep farmer is always at work. If you are interested in hearing a first-hand account of what life on an Icelandic sheep farm is like, I recommend checking out my interview with Pálína Axelsdóttir Njarðvík, creator of the popular Instagram account (@farmlifeiceland). Her account showcases what life on an Icelandic sheep farm life is like from her perspective.

Contents

* Quick facts about Sheep in Iceland* Icelandic sheep history & heritage* When is the lambing season in Iceland?* What is Réttir?* Sheep farms to visit or stay on in Iceland* Meat Production of Icelandic sheep* Wool Production from sheep in Iceland* How to buy an authentic Icelandic sweater?* Does Iceland have more sheep than people?

Quick Facts About Sheep in Iceland

* There are more sheep in Iceland than the number of people that live here* The color of their fleece can be white or a range of browns, grays, and blacks* Multiple births, such as twins, triplets or more, are very common in this breed because of a gene called Þoka that many Icelandic ewes possess* Norwegian Spelsau and Icelandic sheep descend from the same stock* Sheep in Iceland have been bred in isolation for more than a thousand years* Meat production is the main reason for raising sheep in Iceland* Sheep milk was once more widely consumed than cow milk in Iceland

Sheep in Iceland have played an important role in the way of life in the country since the first settlers came to Iceland back in the 9th and 10th centuries. I was surprised to learn so many fascinating facts about them after talking to Pálína and doing some research. 

Icelandic Sheep History & Heritage

They are classified as Northern short-tailed sheep and are the largest in their group, which includes Finn, Romanov, Shetland, Spelsau and Swedish Landrac. As mentioned in the quick facts above, the Icelandic sheep descends from the same breed as the Norwegian Spelsau.

While it is the case that sheep in Iceland today are pure breeds, at one time farmers did try crossbreeding with foreign breeds. However, those experiments ended because the cross breeding brought on disease. Eventually, all of the sheep that the result of cross breeding were killed, or what is known as culled. Culling is defined as reducing the population of an animal by selective slaughter.