My Breeds
I breed and raise a flock of Navajo Churro and Icelandic sheep outside of Camrose, Alberta. I currently have a flock size of 35, 31 ewes, 2 fibre wethers , and 2 rams. Once I graduate and have my own land, I hope to continue growing and expand my flock to 60-80 ewes. When I got into sheep, I wanted sheep that would thrive in our Alberta temperatures, have strong maternal instincts and easy lambing abilities, be easy for me to handle, and I was interested in triple purpose usage and both these breeds were exactly what I was looking for.
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Navajo Churro Sheep
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Navajo Churro sheep are descended from the Spanish, which consisted of several breeds brought to North America in the 1540's by Spanish conquerors and colonizers. They are a mid sized triple purpose breed of sheep that can be used for wool, meat, and dairy. The ewes are 80-120 pounds, with the rams maturing at around 160 pounds. Their fleeces are dual coated having both the tog and thel, and can have a range in colors. They can be both horned and polled, and many carry genetics of 4+ horns.The ewes have amazing maternal instincts, lambing with little assistance, producing singles and twins with the occasional set of triplets.
Snow and her 2024 ram/ewe Navajo Churro twins sired by Rowan
Remy & Ronin, Rosie's 2024 ram/ewe twins sired by Rowan
Cruze, one of the Navajo Churro rams
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Wool :
Navajo Churro's have dual coats. The inner coat is fine to medium and is protected by a long outer coat that is medium to coarse and you can expect 6-8 inches of wool growth in just 6 months. You can expect 3-5 pounds of wool per shearing, with a yearly amount of wool between 7-10 pounds. The yarn is lustrous, strong, and durable, making it excellent for weaving blankets, rugs, horse saddle blankets, and more. Along with the yarn, it is also really great for felting and can be used for dryer balls, felted rugs, hats, and other crafts.
Navajo Churro lambs
Navajo Churro wool batt from Rowan
Navajo Churro wool dryer balls from Magenta
Navajo Churro lamb locks from "Archer"
Navajo Churro fleece from "Magenta"
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Meat :
As Navajo Churro sheep are smaller framed sheep, they take a bit longer to finish, and can be processed between 10-12 months of age. Their meat is lean, with a low fat content.
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Milk :
Navajo Churro sheep aren't primarily used for dairy, but have become some of my favorites to milk here on the farm. Their milk is very creamy and and sweet, and can be put towards for yogurt, butter, cheese, soaps, and more. My ewes often produce 3/4-1 cup of milk per milking.
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Icelandic Sheep
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Icelandic sheep are one of the worlds oldest and purest breeds of sheep.
Icelandic's are a mid sized triple purpose breed of sheep that can be used for wool, meat, and dairy. They are generally short and stocky in shape with the ewes averaging 120-145 pounds, and rams following at 180-220 pounds. Their fleeces are dual coated having both tog and thel, and can range in color from white, black, moorit, and grey. Icelandic's can be both horned and polled, although my flock currently is only horned. The ewes are seasonal breeders, generally coming into heat in October, and will continue cycling until the springtime if not bred. The rams can be used for breeding year round, with the ram lambs able to conceive around 7 months of age. Twins are most common with Icelandic's, but triplets are not uncommon. The ewes have amazing maternal instincts, lambing with little assistance. Most will have their lambs up and nursing when you arrive outside.
Inrama, one of my registered ewes
Cecelia and her 2024 ram lamb sired by Ragnar
Helga, registered Icelandic lamb from 2024
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Wool :
Icelandic's have dual coats with a fine, soft undercoat called thel and a longer, coarser outer coat call tog, and you can expect 6-8 inches of wool in just 6 months of growth. You can expect 2-4 pounds of wool per shearing, with a yearling amount of wool between 4-7 pounds from one sheep.
Icelandic wool batt from Badger
Gwen in full fall fleece, 2022
Icelandic wool dryer balls from Ragnar
Icelandic locks from "Annie"
Icelandic fleece from "Ida"
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Meat :
Icelandic lambs can be processed around 7 months of age. Their meat is very tender with a mild flavor, and is generally described as a gourmet meat.
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Milk :
Along with wool and meat, Icelandic's can also be used for dairy. Icelandic sheep are very milky, and can easily support twins with many raising triplets without assistance. The ewes can produce allot of milk, around one to two litres every day, with their milk being very creamy and sweet in taste. Their milk can be put forward to produce yogurt, butter, cheese, soaps, and more.