Icelandic Sheep Dairy Page at Woolfarm.com

       This page is "Udder Construction"
 (please check back often!)

Photos below show a variety of Icelandic ewe udders in our flock, several days PRIOR to lambing. Notice not only the capacity of the udders, but the excellent construction as well.  They have excellent built-in "support" for the large volume of milk they will produce.  For "machine" milking, it is very important for the teat to be located at the bottom of the udder, so that ALL the milk drains each milking 
instead of getting caught in a bottom "pocket" (which necessitates additional manual labor during the milking process).  Notice how well these various udders are constructed.

My reason for originally obtaining Icelandic sheep back in 1996  was my intense desire for eventually having my own sheep dairy.  We had recently moved from a 7-acre property to our 130-acre farm, which until we took over, had been an operating "dairy farm" of Holstein cows.  The house lacked updates, outlets in some rooms, and heat to most bedrooms, but the barns were my dream. 

It seemed a waste not to utilize all this wonderful equipment, complete with bulk tank, pipeline, etc. somehow, although I knew we weren't up to being tied down to "milking" dairy cows twice a day, 365-days-a-year.  I began investigating the possibility of "dairy sheep".  I knew I liked working with sheep since I was already raising 4 registered sheep breeds for their fiber.  Devoting myself to milking sheep seemed a more likely option than cattle , since a sheep's lactation is usually not longer than about 200 days (whereas with cattle, the herdsman is basically milking year-long).  I figured that even with committing myself to milking a 200-day sheep lactation, that still left me plenty of free-time to schedule vacations, time away from the farm, etc. if we so desired.

I looked into the possibility of the "East Friesan" breed. Their "milk production" records sounded impressive. When I actually saw photographs of the breed however, I realized that Friesans weren't for me.  If I am going to be raising and working with a breed of sheep, it is imperative that I enjoy its appearance as well as it's potential.

Then I heard about Icelandic sheep! Their possibilities are amazingly versatile. A TRUE triple-use breed-----Wool - Meat - AND Milking potential!  Not only that, but they are absolutely BEAUTIFUL simply grazing the pasture! (don't laugh, that's many folk's main reason for having sheep!)   I was quickly addicted, yet thrilled that I had found ONE breed of sheep that could do EVERYTHING I raised my other breeds for. After having my Icelandics for only a year, I dispersed my other 4 breeds of sheep.
(to be continued......)

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