Crossbreeze Farm Icelandic Sheep

Welcome to Crossbreeze Farm Icelandic Sheep and Icelandic Sheepdogs

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 This is our new black badgerface ewe from

Dancing Lamb Farm & Icelandic Sheep Dairy

Michigan Fiber Festival 2009

Our yearling Lydia was named Grand Champion Icelandic Ewe 

 

Spring 2010 Lambs are starting to be reserved.  Look at the pairings and see what you like!

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Welcome to Crossbreeze Farm!

 We specialize in raising and selling registered Icelandic Sheep.  This ancient breed is known for its high quality wool, meat and milk. 

Our sheep are registered with the Canadian Livestock Corp. and we participate in the Voluntary Scrapie Prevention Program

We have found Icelandic sheep to be wonderful animals for a small farm setting.  They are excellent mothers, usually producing twins and raising fast growing lambs on hay or pasture without grain supplementation.  They are curious, friendly and playful.  We halter train all of our lambs for ease of handling.  Icelandic sheep are wonderful for clearing brush.  They will eat just about anything (they love poison ivy!)  Some farms milk their sheep and use the milk in cheese or soap production.  Their fleeces are great for hand spinning and felting art.  These sheep are truly versatile!

Feel welcome to tour our site to view our Icelandics. We are certain you will enjoy them as much as we do. We believe that these beautiful creatures are a gift of God for all to enjoy.

Thanks for visiting.

Enjoy your stay at Crossbreeze!

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Icelandic Sheepdogs Laki and Vera

See more photos on the Sheepdog page

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Contact us with any questions. 

We love to talk about our sheep!

For more info on Icelandic Sheep,

Visit ISBONA (Icelandic Sheep Breeders' Association of North America)

Here are a few tips I have picked up from experience and other shepherds:

Company:  Sheep should be kept in groups of three or more.

Shelter:  Always provide shade.  Sheep are more sensitive to heat than to cold.

Water:  Fresh water must always be available.

Food:  Icelandic sheep thrive on grass and hay.  They will eat almost anything, but introduce new foods gradually.  Avoid too much alfalfa.  If a sheep eats too much rich food, it can “bloat.”  You should keep a bottle of Therabloat on hand just in case.

Minerals:  Loose sheep minerals offered free choice.  I use Tractor Supply’s Dumor brand.  I also offer kelp with a little soy meal added to make it more appealing. 

Protein block:  If the sheep are stressed by heat, lambing, travel, heavy worm infestations, etc. I give them a Dumor Sheep Protein block.  They love these!

Treats:  Roasted soybeans, sunflower seeds and shredded beat pulp are all healthy snacks.

Worming:  There are many chemical wormers.  Some are no longer effective on sheep parasites. I use: Safeguard/Panacur (fenbendazole), Valbazen (albendazole), Levasole (levamisole), and Cydectin (Moxidectin).  Check with a vet or Pipestone for availability.  Worm according to weight and do not under dose!  Wt. Formula: measure around sheep. This is the girth (G).  Measure the length of the sheep from shoulder to hip (L).  G x G x L divided by 300 = weight.  Worm the sheep based on the color of its inner eyelid.  Pull out the lower lid and examine it.  If it is pale pink or white, worm the sheep.  In spring and summer, check eyelids often (every week or two).  Another sign of serious parasites is “bottle jaw.”  This is a swelling under the lower jaw.  If you see this, worm immediately!  Some shepherds use organic methods of worming with or instead of chemical wormers.  See Drench Recipe in packet for one vitamin and mineral drench that I use.

Vaccinations:  Sheep should receive a CDT booster every spring.

Shearing:  Icelandic sheep are generally sheared in spring and fall (March and November.)  The spring clip is shorter and better for felting; the fall clip is longer and is used for spinning.

Hooves:  Most shepherds trim their sheep’s hooves a couple of time per year with trimmers made for that purpose. (Pipestone or Premier)

Supplies:  Syringes and needles, BoSe (selenium and vit. E) PenG and LA 200 (antibiotics)

Ask questions!  Call or e-mail myself (269-792-1437, colleen@crossbreeze.com), other shepherds, the Yahoo ISBONA group, Pipestone Vets, or your own vet.