Finnsheep at 2014 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. This breed is thought to be several hundred years old and, as its name suggests, has its origins in Finland. (OSU) Though they are descendants of the Wild Mouflon and the Scandinavian Short-tail group, these sheep have been highly crossbred with other breeds of sheep. Those crosses include sheep outside of the Northern European Short-Tailed breeds. (Dýrmundsson and Niznikowski, Table 2)
Finnsheep are one of the most prolific breeds in the world and an ewe can have up to nine lambs in a litter. (Hatton) This tendency, as well as the animal’s adaptability to rugged climates, has made the sheep a very desirable addition to other bloodlines to increase numbers in herds by multiple births.
The wool can come in many colors (blacks, grays, browns, fawns, spotted), but is most commonly white. These sheep typically have a single coat, but double coated individuals still occur on occasion. (Ekarius and Robson, 159) The coat is usually fine and can have a soft curl and works well with combing.
Fiber Information:
Finnsheep are one of the most prolific breeds in the world and an ewe can have up to nine lambs in a litter. (Hatton) This tendency, as well as the animal’s adaptability to rugged climates, has made the sheep a very desirable addition to other bloodlines to increase numbers in herds by multiple births.
The wool can come in many colors (blacks, grays, browns, fawns, spotted), but is most commonly white. These sheep typically have a single coat, but double coated individuals still occur on occasion. (Ekarius and Robson, 159) The coat is usually fine and can have a soft curl and works well with combing.
Fiber Information:
- Staple length: 3-6 inches
- Fiber description: 24-32 microns in single coated sheep.
- Lanolin: 50-70%, but I found the samples I had to be quite unctuous.
- Fleece size: 4-8lbs
- Animal size: Rams are 150-200lbs with ewes weighing 120-190lbs.
- Notes: This wool has a nice crimp, combs and spins easily.
- Fleece type: Ryder has classified this fleece as ranging from Fine to Generalized Medium.
 Right Finnsheep ewes and lambs in Finland. Photo credit - David Smith from Elimäki, Finland. |  A Finnsheep ram in Finland. Photo credit - Andrei Niemimäki from Turku, Finland |
Resources:
Dýrmundsson, Ólafur and Niznikowski, Roman. “North European short-tailed breeds of sheep : a review,” 59th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. 2008
Ekarius, Carol and Robson, Deborah. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn (Storey Publishing, LLC), 2011.
Hatton, Grace. "FIBER BASICS: FINNSHEEP", Spin-Off Magazine, Summer 2005.
Oklahoma State University. “Breeds of Livestock Project”. www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/
Ryder, M. L. Sheep & Man (Gerald Duckworth & Co.), 1983.
Ryder, M. L. "A Survey of European Primitive Breeds of Sheep," Annales de Génétique et de Sélection Animale. 13, no. 4: 381−418, 1981.
Dýrmundsson, Ólafur and Niznikowski, Roman. “North European short-tailed breeds of sheep : a review,” 59th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. 2008
Ekarius, Carol and Robson, Deborah. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn (Storey Publishing, LLC), 2011.
Hatton, Grace. "FIBER BASICS: FINNSHEEP", Spin-Off Magazine, Summer 2005.
Oklahoma State University. “Breeds of Livestock Project”. www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/
Ryder, M. L. Sheep & Man (Gerald Duckworth & Co.), 1983.
Ryder, M. L. "A Survey of European Primitive Breeds of Sheep," Annales de Génétique et de Sélection Animale. 13, no. 4: 381−418, 1981.
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