“Shetland Sheep are very hardy, good milky mothers and easy lambers with the highest quality fine fleece, tasty, sweet meat and a gentle nature.”
This is the introduction to the breed on the Shetland sheep society website – http://www.shetland-sheep.org.uk
The website gives detailed information about the Shetland breed, its long history dating back to prehistoric and Roman times as well as its development in the last centuries in the Shetland Islands and mainland Britain. The breed standard was set down in 1927 in order to maintain the breed rather than ‘improve’ it.
In the 1970s it was recognised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as ‘Endangered’ but in recent years and through the work of the breed society, it has become popular, especially with smallholders, due to its size and colour variations and now is no longer classed as endangered or a minority breed.
Shetlands come in 11 different whole colours and over 30 different face and body markings which produce all the variations in fleece colours so sought after by spinners, weavers and crafters. This poster is available from the Shetland Sheep Society which describes the many colours and patterns which occur in the breed.
Downacres Farm 