Shetland sheep facts for kids
A Shetland ram lamb with the common "Moorit" brown colour
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| Country of origin | Scotland (Shetland) |
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| Type | Northern European short-tailed |
| Use | Wool, meat, conservation grazing |
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| Weight |
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| Wool color | Variable |
| Face color | Variable |
| Horn status | Males horned, ewes occasionally horned |
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The Shetland is a small type of sheep that makes lots of wool. These sheep first came from the Shetland Isles in Scotland. Now, you can find them in many other places around the world.
Shetland sheep are part of a group called Northern European short-tailed sheep. They are related to an old Scottish sheep breed called the Scottish Dunface, which no longer exists. Shetland sheep are known as a "landrace" breed. This means they are a natural, old type of sheep that hasn't been changed much by people.
People raise Shetland sheep for their very fine wool. They are also kept for their meat and to help keep grasslands healthy. Even though they are small and grow slowly, Shetland sheep are very tough. They are good at surviving in difficult places and don't need a lot of food. They are also easy to care for and live a long time.
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History of Shetland Sheep
For a very long time, up to the Iron Age, sheep in Britain and parts of Europe were small. They had short tails and only the males had horns. They also came in many different colours. Over time, sheep with long tails became more common. This meant short-tailed sheep were only found in hard-to-reach places.
One of these short-tailed sheep was the Scottish Dunface. This was the main type of sheep in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, including Orkney and Shetland. The Dunface sheep disappeared from mainland Scotland by the late 1800s. But their descendants, the Shetland sheep, continued to live on the Shetland Isles. People have seen Shetland sheep as a special type since the early 1800s.
Protecting the Breed
By the early 1900s, people worried that Shetland sheep were changing too much. They were being mixed with other sheep breeds, which made their wool less good. To stop this, the Shetland Flock Book Society was started in 1927. This group still works to protect the breed in Shetland today.
In the 1970s, a group called the Rare Breeds Survival Trust was formed. At that time, Shetland sheep were quite rare. They were listed as "Endangered," meaning there weren't many left. But since then, many people who own small farms have started to keep Shetland sheep. Now, there are over 3,000 of them in the UK. This means they are no longer endangered.
Shetland Sheep Around the World
An interesting fact is that Thomas Jefferson, a president of the United States, owned a Shetland ram in the early 1800s. This ram was unusual because it had four horns, unlike most modern Shetlands. It lived with about 40 other sheep near the White House.
In 1808, this ram caused some trouble. It attacked people who walked across the park, hurting some of them. Later, it was moved to Jefferson's home, Monticello. Sadly, the ram was eventually killed after it hurt several other rams. President Jefferson called it "this abominable animal." But don't worry, most Shetland rams are not aggressive like that one!
The original Shetland sheep that President Jefferson owned did not have babies that survived. But other Shetland sheep were brought to North America later on. Today, there are thousands of Shetland sheep in North America. There is even a special group called the North American Shetland Sheep Registry to help protect them.
Modern Farming of Shetland Sheep
Today, most Shetland sheep live on the Shetland Isles. They are also found in a few other places. They are very good at living on land that isn't very fertile. This means they can survive where other farm animals might struggle.
Shetland sheep also have a calm and friendly nature. This makes them nice to be around. People mostly raise them for their valuable wool. But they are also kept for their meat.
What Makes Shetland Sheep Special?
The Shetland is one of the smallest sheep breeds in Britain. Female sheep, called ewes, usually don't have horns. Male sheep, called rams, usually do have horns. But sometimes you might see a ewe with horns or a ram without them.
These sheep are famous for their very fine and soft wool. Their meat is also very good quality. However, because they are small, they are not used as much in big meat farms. Shetland sheep have small bodies and some wool on their faces, noses, or legs. Their legs are not too long and have thin bones. They also have small, upright ears.
A special thing about northern short-tailed sheep is their tail. It's short and shaped like a fluke, wide at the top and getting thinner at the end. The tip of the tail is covered in hair, not wool.
Shetland sheep come in many different colours and patterns. Many of these colours have special traditional names. Rams usually weigh between 41 and 57 kilograms (90 to 125 pounds). Ewes weigh about 34 to 45 kilograms (75 to 100 pounds).
Amazing Shetland Wool
The wool from Shetland sheep has always been very important. Shetland sheep produce wool in many different shades. This wide range of natural colours was very useful for the wool industry on the Shetland Isles. They often used the wool without dyeing it.
Coarser Shetland wool is used to make a fabric called tweed. But the Shetland Isles are most famous for their colourful knitted items. These are made using a special technique called Fair Isle knitting. They also make traditional knitted lace shawls that are so fine, they can be pulled through a wedding ring! Each sheep usually produces between 1 and 2 kilograms (2 to 4 pounds) of wool.
In 2011, Shetland wool produced on the Shetland Isles received a special award. It was given "protected geographical status" as "Native Shetland Wool." This means it's recognized as a unique product from that specific place. It was the first non-food product in the UK to get this special status.
Colours and Patterns of Wool
Shetland sheep can have almost every possible sheep colour and pattern. White, reddish-brown (called moorit), or black are the most common solid colours. Many of the colours and patterns have names from the old Shetland dialect. These names come from the Norn language, which used to be spoken in Shetland. Similar names are also used in other Nordic languages, like Icelandic.
There are eleven main colours that the breed association recognizes. These include many different shades:
- Light grey
- Grey
- White
- Emsket (a dusky bluish-grey)
- Musket (a light greyish-brown)
- Shaela (a dark steely-grey)
- Black
- Fawn
- Moorit (a reddish brown)
- Mioget (a honey-toned, yellowish-brown)
- Dark brown
There are also thirty recognized coat patterns and markings. Many of these can be found together on one sheep. Some examples include:
- Katmoget: This means "badger-face." The sheep has a dark belly and dark shading around its nose and eyes, but is lighter elsewhere.
- Gulmoget: This is the opposite of katmoget. The sheep has a light belly, a dark face with light marks around its eyes, and is dark everywhere else.
- Yuglet: Generally light-coloured with dark "panda" patches around the eyes.
- Bleset: A dark sheep with a white stripe down its face.
- Smirslet: A white marking around the muzzle.
- Sokket: The sheep has white "socks" on its legs.
- Bersugget: Irregular patches of different colours.
- Bielset: A sheep with a collar of a different colour.
Lambing and Reproduction
Like other old sheep breeds, Shetland ewes can only have babies at certain times of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, they become ready to have babies in October and November. They then give birth to their lambs in the spring or summer.
When the ewes are on the poorer grazing land of Shetland, they usually have about 130% lambs. This means for every 100 ewes, about 130 lambs are born. But if the ewes are on better grass, they often have twin lambs, especially if they are older. Shetland ewes are strong and give birth easily. They are also good mothers and produce plenty of milk for their babies. Healthy lambs are born weighing between 1.8 and 3.2 kilograms (4 and 7 pounds).
