Finnsheep Sheep Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Finnsheep is an old breed of sheep that has been produced in Finnland over the centuries to accommodate the needs of the Finnish sheep market. They have also become quite a popular sheep breed in many other countries amongst sheep farmers/breeders due to their high prolificacy and high lambing numbers per birthing.

They are a docile, calm and easy to manage and maintain sheep breed that are also excellent landscape managers.

FINNSHEEP SHEEP QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Finnsheep are a multipurpose sheep breed that have a high production value as well as being able to produce a high number of lambs per birthing.
Country of Origin:	Finland
Other Names:	Finn or Finnish Landrace
Breed Size:	Medium to large
Main Purpose:	Meat, wool, milk, skin and landscape management
Can be used for	Breed, Meat, Milk, Skin, Wool **LSC (Landscape Management)
Temperament:	Calm, docile and alert
Ideal Climate:	Most climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status/ Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Sheep?	Novice to intermediate sheep farmer/keeper level
Sheep Associations:	Finnsheep Breeders Association and the International Finnsheep Registry
Sheep Clubs:	Finnsheep Breeders Association and the International Finnsheep Registry
Note: ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy * LSC stands for Landscape Management – the animal is used for controlling various vegetation growth

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They are a medium to large sized breed with no wool on the fine boned faces or long strong legs.
They have a well-proportioned smooth body that is of medium length with a straight strong back. Their tails are usually docked to length of around 4 to 6 inches long.

Color(s):

Mainly white but there are various other colors such as black, brown, reddish-brown and more

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Breed Weight:	68 to 90 kgs	55 to 86 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear they are a medium to large sized breed	Unclear they are a large sized breed
Hair:	Single coat that is uniform, soft to the touch of medium length and free of matting or coarse birch fibers. It has a good curl and spring to it.	Single coat that is uniform, soft to the touch of medium length and free of matting or coarse birch fibers. It has a good curl and spring to it.
Ears:	They have small to medium length pointed alert ears	They have small to medium length pointed alert ears
Horns:	No horns/polled	No horns/polled
Matures at age:	10 weeks/15 months or 15 years	10 weeks to 15 months
Puberty Age:	5 to 12 months	5 to 7 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Ewe Breeding & Milking Info.	Cover 5 to 10 Ewes in 1 season

EWE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Finnsheep take advantage of the short summers due to the long dark Finnish winters. They breed out of season and can lamb all year around. They are highly prolific and tend to have large litters or lambs. They have an excellent maternal instincts and will raise their lambs with no problems. They have a high birthing percentage with hardly any birthing difficulties as they are adept at surviving in the harsh Finnish climates and environments. They also produce ample milk that can be milked as they are very easy on a milking stand.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 16 to 59 hours
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days/15 to 20 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 149 to 155 days but most gestation is 152 days
No. Lambs/Litter:	Between 1 to 6 there has been a recorded birth of 7 lambs in one birthing
Lactation Period:	Usually, around 150 to 240 day but most are milked for 180 days
Milking From:	4 to 6 weeks after lambing
Milk Quality:	Good, Quantity: Ave. 495 liters , Per: Lactation period
Milk Ideal for:	Lambs, human drinking and specialist cheese production
You may Also Like:	10 Best Sheep Breeds for Milk

SHEEP MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Finnsheep breed has a high quality of meat with the lambs reaching an acceptable size at around 5.5 months of age. They sheep have very little fat as they tend to keep their fat around their organs rather than between the muscles cells. This makes them very low in fat with a lean, fine textured, tender mild flavored meat.

Meat Production:

Yes, Quality: Excellent

SHEEP ⇒	LAMB	HOGGET/MUTTON
Approx. Maturity Weight:	25 kgs	55-90 kgs
Approx. Maturity Age:	5.5 months	1 Year

SHEEP WOOL PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Finnsheep breeds wool has and superb quality of wool with an excellent luster, very silky with a great curl. As Finnsheep tend to come in quite a few colors around the world there is the possibility of numerous natural wool colors. The wool is durable, light weight and so soft. In is good to note that in the US the Finnsheep are predominantly white in color.

Wool Production?

Yes, Quality: Spinning count of 53 s to 54s

Wool is used to Produce:

Knitted garments, clothes, blankets, etc. Most desirable for hand spinners and knitters.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months	6 to 8 months
Approx. Length:	2 to 7 cm some up to 18 cm	2 to 7 cm some up to 18 cm
Microns:	24 to 31	24 to 31
Approx. Quantity:	From 1.8 kg up to 4 kgs a year	From 1.8 kg up to 4 kgs a year

SHEEPSKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Finnsheep is said to have a superior quality of fine, soft, resilient leather.

Skin Production?

Yes, Quality: Superior

Skin is used to Produce:

Kid skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, etc.
Chamois cloths, leather goods such as seats, shoes and other garments and leather materials such as furniture, etc.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	3 to 10 months for Kid skin 1 to 2 years old for Normal leather	3 to 10 months for Kid skin 1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE FINNSHEEP BREED OF SHEEP
A few more interesting facts to know about the breed
Child-Friendly?	Even though they are docile and calm they should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
Landscape Management?	Finnsheep are exceptional for use with landscape management projects. They suite most types of file and environmental managements and tend to give excellent results. They are excellent foragers and enjoy shoots from bushes, shrubs and trees. Thus they can clear out a field, bushes and undergrowth effectively.
Where to buy them?	Please refer to the Finnsheep Breeders Association and the International Finnsheep Registry for information on breeders
General Information	The Finnsheep are designed to handle extreme conditions and take full advantage of the short summer seasons of Finland due to the long dark winters. The ewes are capable of breeding out of season. The Finnsheep are known for their multiple births with one sheep having been recorded having 7 lambs in one birthing. They are in demand all over the world for their high reproductive rate, easy lambing, hardiness and even, calm temperament with a good wool clip and excellent meat qualities.

HISTORY

The Finnsheep is a breed of sheep that was developed in Finland. It was developed over the past few centuries and the breed continues to evolve as it is improved through selective breeding in order to efficiently supply the needs of the Finnish people.

The Finnsheep genes show that it was developed through the crossing of sheep that were native to Finland with sheep that were brought to Northern Europe through various trade routes that were established along the Volga River Systems, Danube and Atlantic Coast line.

The first Finnsheep imported to North America were done so by the University of Manitoba, Canada. The sheep were first taken to Canada in 1966 where some of the off-spring were then bought by private breeders in the USA.