Sam's Icelandic Sheep Farm, llc

The two summers of 2007 & 2008 taught me
quite a bit about Icelandics and their survival
here in Missouri. My goals for breeding have
come from these tough lessons.

In 2007, the issue of extreme parasite
conditions hit very hard. My vet says that
everyone was hit hard, especially by the
baberpole worm.

In 2008, it was extreme heat for over 3
weeks straight. The temp never dropped below
100 the entire time. Once again, many in this
area lost livestock, including me.

Because of this, my focus for the next few
years will be on heat tolerance and parasite
resistance. Of course, heat tolerance might be
an easier thing to breed into the flock, but none
the less, I plan on working on those two items
until my flock is both heat tolerant and sturdy
against parasites.

It's important to note that both parasite
resistance & heat tolerance is not only based on
the animal's breeding, but also on the farm and
farmer's ability to provide consistant levels of
nutrition required for animals to thrive and
conquer these conditions.