Viking Grazers

26/08/2025

The two main rams and their sons are now in one mini mob having been weaned a week or so ago.

Currently working out which ones to keep for ourselves, any to register & sell and any suitable for commercial crossing.

I've got some some idea based on growth rates, lambing data and conformation etc but want one more weighing session first.

I also dont want to sell something that will undermine future selling options and spread too many of our genetics out there within the UK Icelandic population.

Hmm.

20/08/2025

Last Friday I was watching the ram lambs that had been weaned and put in the ram paddock that morning when Bongull wandered over to me.

As we had a show the next day, I plucked out a few bits of moss and lichen from where he'd been rubbing on the d**e, when he decided to plonk down next to me.

It was quite a chill moment, but obviously you should never trust a ram as they can do a lot of damage.

The ram lambs are doing well and sre looking sound currently, so i hope i will have a few registered ones to grow on for next year.

We'll have some unregistered but pedigree Icelandic ram lambs available for anyone wanting to try an Icelandic lamb on their ewes lambing as hoggs. Ill make another post about that in the future.

20/08/2025

Oh and speaking of shows, I forgot to share this excellent news here...

We had Scotlands (maybe the UK's) first ever Icelandic sheep specific class at the Border Union, Kelso show a few weeks ago.

Id had a chaotic few weeks with vehicle problems so wasnt sure I'd even make it until 1900 the evening before when we got the vehicle back

It took around three hours to get to Kelso

Ram class - first class up was rams, and once again I brought Normannsson Bongull for a day out.

We went up against 4 other rams, 1 x letham and 3 x knoweside owned (2 home bred).

The judge was THOROUGH, and I mean that in a good way, probably the most in depth checking of sheep I've had in my short time showing sheep.

Bọngull behaved admirably and he came away with 1st place.

2nd and 3rd both went to Knoweside owned and bred rams.

Ram Lamb - I'd brought son of Wystan Verdandi x Bọngull for my selection today. I tried halter training him, but he acted like he was in those fainting goat videos 🙈

He was so wriggly and I was nervous given the growing crowd next to our ring that I cant actually remember how many others there were, just that he came 2nd.

EWE - I'd chosen Normannsson Astrid for my ewe today. Same ewe that got 1st at Stranraer AOB native last year. Our judged, asked how old she was, how many lambs she has raised this year, when she lambed etc and gave her a good going over.

Astrid came away with 1st ewe
2nd was Letham Primrose.

GIMMER was the only class not to write home about. I did want to swap the ewe i was taking but with no vehicle for previous weeks, I wasnt moving the main mob of 50 other sheep from one end of our land to the other just to change gimmers. Maybe I should've. Youll see why in the end 🤣

1st was Linda with Letham Qberry
2nd was Iva's gimmer Letham Quatrro
3rd Normannsson þufa

EWE LAMB - this was the second trip out for the daughter of Astrid x Bongull. She's grown really well since her first outing at the sodden Dalry Show in June.

She stood well, didn't fight snd looked the part.
She ended up taking 1st place.
2nd was Letham Rosie

WOOL ON THE HOOF

The organisers had also added a bonus Wool on the Hoof class, so I threw Bongull into the ring for this one. He'd blown his fleece out in March and was now a chonky wooly unit.

He took 1st place.
Second was Letham Quiver
Third was Knoweside Oslo.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

With all the classes done it was now for the championship round. I ended up with needing to borrow Iva and her friend to take Astrid and her lamb for this. Thank you for this 🥰

🥇Best of Breed / Champion went to Letham Qberry
🥈Reserve Best of Breed / Reserve Champion went to my Bọngull 😁

An excellent showing and decent sheep from all who entered.

After the round it was time to out the sheep back to their pens, or so i thought only to be told I needed photos taken with Bongull. Oh.

Iva kindly decorated Bongull with his bunch of rosettes, but by this point I think he was bored of being in the ring and was getting restless 🤣

BEST SHEEP IN SHOW

Linda went on to go for the Best Sheep in Show round against all the other breeds, but sadly stood no chance against the bigger commercial breeds. Hebs, Shetlands were shortlisted in that round either.

Oh well. It was a great result to even get that far for any of us.

Thank You time.

A big thank you to Zoe the event coordinator for the Border Union Agricultural Society for dealing with my questions about getting the class organised and what was needed to get us space and time for Icelandic specific class. She made it straightforward about what both we and they were after.

A huge thank to our judge, Maddy Welford for judging the class and doing such a thorough job. IIRC this was her first time seeing Icelandics in person, but she had done a tonne of research on the breed to prepare for the show.

One thing I've learned now, for the future is that I need to specify if we are showing haltered or unhaltered, as I'd come expecting unhaltered like Blackies, Cheviots and most AOB classes here, when everyone else was prepared for haltered. Oops 🙈

It was a great day and good to meet people again.

Hopefully we'll have the same again next year with even more sheep!

Lastly, thank you to those who attended and promoted our breed.

Once again I got zero photos. So thank you to everyone who sent me Bongers in all his glory.

20/08/2025

It was Coylton Show on Saturday and this was the first time going here.

I took 5 sheep and we were in Any Other Breed.

Normannnson Bongull (ram), Normannsson Astrid (ewe) Astrid x Bongull ewe lamb, bongull x Wystan Verdandi ram lamb and Normannsson þoka (Shearling ewe/gimmer)

Our Results.
Ram class - 1st
Ram lamb - 2nd
Ewe class - 2nd
Shearling ewe/gimmer - 2nd
Ewe lamb - 3rd
Group of three - 2nd.

In the championship round for AOB Bongull didnt get anything. Champion went to a giant Dorset whilst reserve went to a Suffolk cross? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Had a fair bit of interest from people wanting to know more about the breed, the ages, the weights I have etc.

I'm afraid no photos of the event as was dying of heat by the time we got to showing.

08/07/2025

This is tomorrow for any of our Ayrshire/South West Scotland friends.

⭐️Coming up⭐️

Don’t fence me in! Starting out on Rotational Grazing, Virtual Fencing and a visit from the Moredun Mobile Laboratory.

📅 Wednesday 9th July
⏰ 3pm
📍 Knockroon Farm

Find out more and sign up here: https://Dontfencemeinayr.eventbrite.co.uk

30/06/2025

Heyskapur er víðast hvar langt kominn eða við það að byrja. Bændablaðið tók stöðuna hjá nokkrum bændum í kringum landið og voru allir bjartsýnir á að ná góðum heyfeng í ár.

Frétt í athugasemd

30/06/2025

Excited to see how the ram lambs develop.

Photos are a couple of weeks old atm. As it has either been too soggy, or I've been gradually blade shearing the ewes, heptavaccing the lambs and performance recording the lambs growth rates from milk.

One is already spoken for (not pictured) but the rest I'm saving for ourselves for growing on or selling as tups for farmers wanting to tup commercial ewe lambs to lamb as hoggs for an easy lambing first time mum. Not to mention the hybrid vigour benefits!

Thankfully all the lambs are growing well thanks to their mums. They'll be weighed again in a week or so to see how they're getting on now they're taking in grass.

The best ewe was pumping out an average of 265g DLWG to both her twins from milk, with most ewes not far behind behind. Cant wait to workout the ewe efficiency come weaning.

#

30/06/2025

Old Hills Pika having a time out.

30/05/2025

🐑New Sheep Classes at the 2025 Border Union Show🐑

-Blue Texel (MV)
-Beltex (Non-MV)
-Bluefaced Leicester (Traditional Type) Progeny Show (Non-MV)
-Crossbred (Non-MV)
-Hebridean National Show (Non-MV)
-Icelandic (Non-MV)
-Ryeland (Non-MV)
-RBST AOB (Non-MV)
-AOB split into Continental & Native (MV and Non-MV)

To view the 2025 Schedule and enter please visit our website, linked below⬇

https://borderunion.co.uk/border-union-show/competitors/

RBST Scotland

23/05/2025

How would you describe this fleece?

Roll it skinside in or out? I'm doing skinside in for now

22/05/2025

Managed to get the first of the adults ewes shorn yesterday and chose Pika as she had started blowing her fleece around her neck and rear end.

So I got her onto the dressing stand for a well deserved trim and potentially get ready for some summer shows.

However despite her bum, neck and a spine being ready for shearing, her sides and chest were not so it took a good while longer than expected, but we got it done.

She was rewarded with some grass pellets for good behaviour and now looks a completely different sheep with the fleece was removed.

It was about 1/4 rooed and 3/4 done with blades.

I don't have a table suitable for rolling and skirting fleeces, but the roof of my little P7E trailer is quite a good height for me.

Not sure what im doing just yet regarding this year's fleeces, but I'm considering selling at local shows and potentially via appointment onky from our little barn/shed.

I want to make some felted rugs from some too, so could exchange some fleeces for being taught that perhaps?

But I shall keep you all posted when ready for selling or if we'll be popping somewhere with fleeces, as i can't keep anymore 🤣