Michels Mountain Sheep

This page is here to share our adventure in the world of sheep. We have studied sheep from all over the world. There are hundreds of breeds, with terrific diversity. Our goal is to create a very hardy breed of sheep that has some very specific attributes. We are creating a milking breed while blending the #1 sheep milk producer, the East Friesian, with the #4 milk producer, the Icelandic. Both have been used for dairy production for over 1,400 years! We are using these old heritage breeds for other reasons. We want a sheep with some sense. Sheep are commonly called stupid animals, but go play around with an Icelandic sheep and see how dumb they are. Not the case at all. This heritage breed is very wary, which we want. The E.F. are noted for having a very calm personality, and yet they are also quick witted, as they are trained for their job in the dairy. Icelandics have spectacular horns and with the right breeding we are bringing that into our Michels Mountain Sheep. We prefer horns for handling ewes and rams, as well as giving them a good tool for natural defense. They will take on a dog without hesitation, even working together to pin down an intruder. We are breeding for the highest quality meat. No strong flavored mutton here. These animals are graded as lamb until two years old. The meat is very mild as they lack virtually any lanolin, which makes most sheep strong. We are also working to maintain the varied colors of the Icelandic sheep in our blood lines. The E.F. are typically black or white, but the Icelandics have 17 color variations which we are working to bring forward in our Michels Mountain Sheep. Our sheep's wool is single coated and a true blend between the E.F. and Icelandic. The Michels Mountain Sheep is a true triple purpose breed Milk -Meat - Fiber. They are tough enough to stand the extreme cold of the far northern Montana winters, as well as being great foragers on dry land pasture. They are an animal that can truly supply a families needs, while being very efficient. They are a medium sized breed making them easy to handle and requiring less feed. Speaking of feed - things like Knapweed, thistle, and lamb's quarter are on the top of their list! Nothing cleans up a dirty pasture like these sheep.
As you follow our page you will see pictures and articles about different sheep from all over the world. They are a fascinating animal that we are happy to share with all of you!