Английская Википедия:Icelandic sheep
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:More citations needed Шаблон:Infobox sheep breed
The IcelandicШаблон:Efn is the Icelandic breed of domestic sheep. It belongs to the Northern European Short-tailed group of sheep, and is larger than most breeds in that group. It is thought that it was introduced to Iceland by Vikings in the late ninth or early tenth century.Шаблон:R
It is generally short-legged and stocky, slender and light-boned, and usually horned, although polled and polycerate animals can occur; there is a polled strain, the Kleifa. The fleece is double-coated and may be white or a variety of other colors; the face and legs are without wool. The sheep are highly resistant to cold, and are generally left unshorn for the winter. Icelandic ewes are highly prolific, with a lambing percentage of 175–220%. The Þoka (Thoka) gene is carried by some ewes, which may give birth to large litters of lambs. A unique strain within the population is the Leader sheep, which carries a hereditary ability or predisposition to lead other sheep safely over dangerous ground.Шаблон:R
History
It is thought that the sheep were introduced to Iceland by Vikings in the late ninth or early tenth century.Шаблон:R
Breed numbers reached a peak in 1978, when there were approximately 891 000, or about four sheep for every inhabitant of Iceland. By 2007 the total number had fallen to about 450 000.Шаблон:R In 2018 a population of just over 432 000 was reported to DAD-IS.Шаблон:R
Characteristics
The colors of Icelandic sheep are inherited in a similar way to those of other sheep, but they display more variety in color and pattern than most other breeds, and some variations are seen which are not seen in other sheep. Each sheep carries three genes that affect the color of the sheep, and each gene has dominant and recessive alleles.Шаблон:Cn
Use
Until the 1940s the Icelandic sheep was the predominant milk-producing animal in Iceland.Шаблон:R In the twenty-first century this sheep is reared principally for meat, which accounts for more than 80% of the total income derived from sheep farming.Шаблон:R
The fleece is double-coated, with a long outer coat (Шаблон:Lang) which gives protection from snow and rain, and a fine inner coat (Шаблон:Lang) which insulates the animal against the cold.Шаблон:R The wool of the outer coat has a diameter of about Шаблон:Nobreak or sometimes more, and a staple length of some Шаблон:Nobreak the inner coat has a diameter of Шаблон:Nobreak or sometimes less, with a staple length in the range Шаблон:Nobreak The two types may be used separately, or spun into a single yarn, lopi, a soft wool which provides good insulation.Шаблон:R
Notes
References
Further reading
- Stefán Aðalsteinsson (1970). Colour inheritance in Icelandic sheep and relation between colour, fertility and fertilization. Journal of Agricultural Research, Iceland. 2 (1): 3–135.
- Stefán Aðalsteinsson (1975). Depressed fertility in Icelandic sheep caused by a single colour gene. Annales de génétique et de sélection animale. 7 (4): 445.
- Stefán Aðalsteinsson (1977). Albinism in Icelandic sheep. The Journal of Heredity. 68 (6): 347–349. Шаблон:Doi.
- Stefán Aðalsteinsson (1983). Inheritance of colours, fur characteristics and skin quality traits in North European sheep breeds: a review. Livestock Production Science 10:555-567.
- Jón V. Jónmundsson, Stefán Aðalsteinsson (1985). Single genes for fecundity in Icelandic sheep. In: R.B. Land, D.W. Robinson (1985). Genetics of Reproduction in Sheep. London: Butterworths. Шаблон:ISBN, pages 159–168. Шаблон:Doi.
