Old Norwegian landrace sheep

Norwegian Old Spael sheep, (23)

The Norwegian Old Spael sheep is named after the short, nearly wool less tail (spælen). The old Spael sheep is small subgroup of the Norwegian Spael sheep and has been kept separate from the main flock. The group is meant to be almost free from the influence of semen imports from Icelandic sheep and Faeroe sheep and has not been a part of the modern breeding program of the Spæl sheep. The sheep are representative of the kind of Spael sheep that were common in Norway in the middle of the last century. There is great variation in both colour and horns. The wool is double coated with fibre length of the outer wool up to 35 cm. The wool is used for making hand knitting yarn, blankets and carpets. Woolskin floor rugs are made out of the pelts. Adult live weight of the ewes is around 50 kg. The population size is not known but is probably less than 100 sheep and decreasing (year 2000).

Local name: Gammeltypisk spælsau
References: Mona G. Holtet, Norsk Landbruksmuseum, Pb. 5104, 1432 Ås, Norway
Photographs: Lars Bryhni


Origin and diversity of North European sheep breeds

	Norwegian Old Spael sheep, (23) The Norwegian Old Spael sheep is named after the short, nearly wool less tail (spælen). The old Spael sheep is small subgroup of the Norwegian Spael sheep and has been kept separate from the main flock. The group is meant to be almost free from the influence of semen imports from Icelandic sheep and Faeroe sheep and has not been a part of the modern breeding program of the Spæl sheep. The sheep are representative of the kind of Spael sheep that were common in Norway in the middle of the last century. There is great variation in both colour and horns. The wool is double coated with fibre length of the outer wool up to 35 cm. The wool is used for making hand knitting yarn, blankets and carpets. Woolskin floor rugs are made out of the pelts. Adult live weight of the ewes is around 50 kg. The population size is not known but is probably less than 100 sheep and decreasing (year 2000). Local name: Gammeltypisk spælsau References: Mona G. Holtet, Norsk Landbruksmuseum, Pb. 5104, 1432 Ås, Norway Photographs: Lars Bryhni	List of North European sheep breeds: Ålands sheep Cheviot sheep Dala sheep Dala fur sheep Danish landrace sheep Estonian Ruhnu sheep Faeroe sheep Fine wool sheep Finnish Grey landrace Finnsheep Forest sheep Fuglestad sheep Gotland sheep Greenland sheep Grey Troender sheep Gute sheep Icelandic leader sheep Icelandic sheep Latvian darkheaded sheep Lithuanian coarse wool sheep Norwegian feral sheep -Norwegian Old Spael sheep Norwegian Spael sheep Romanov sheep Roslags sheep Russian Viena sheep Rya sheep Rygja sheep Steigar sheep Texel sheep White faced Marsh

Created by ThEP and EE Edited by Emma Eythorsdottir for the North SheD group. Agricultural Research Institute of Iceland.