Your personal guide to ISBONA's many resources starts here. My name is Lars. Let me show you around.

We are glad to have you as part of our community. As one of the oldest purebred breeds of sheep in the world, Icelandic sheep have a lot of history and an equivalent amount of valuable information. Our website contains articles on just about anything and everything you could think of having to do with Icelandics. It can be overwhelming at times when you are looking for something specific. 

That is why we created this guide. 

We have tried to orient the guide to your needs depending on your "lifestage" with sheep. You may be just beginning to get interested and looking for some basic facts about Icelandics to see if they might be right for you. Or you might have already decided Icelandics are your breed of choice, and now it is time to actually acquire a few. If you have had your sheep for a while, you might be looking to breed them and need information on how to arrange good breeding groups in the Fall and then register your new lambs in Spring. And some of you are already, or soon will be, accomplished shepherds looking for advice on making your sheep business successful. We can point you to resources in all of these areas and get you off to a good start exploring even more of what our website and organization have to offer.

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE, please make sure after you have joined ISBONA to setup your farm account so we have all your contact information and your farm description. Our newsletter is on line and available in a section for Members Only, and you will need your farm ID and password to access it. Go HERE to set up your account if you have not already done so. 

Choose your sheep "lifestage" and let's get started. Under each stage, we have listed a few of the resources that answer common questions we get from our members. Please feel free to jump around, though. For example, no matter how experienced a member might be at registering sheep, it never hurts to check the rules for coding to make sure you "name" your lambs correctly. That is a good way to help future shepherds understand what they are getting when they buy one of your purebred animals.

 

 

Beginner:

• Facts on Icelandic Sheep.
• The story of how Icelandics got to North America is well worth reading. 
• Our Tri-Fold Brochure is a good overview. Someday, you may want to print brochures for potential customers.
• Find Us on Facebook. ISBONA has a closed Facebook page with over 2000 members. Click "Join Group" and an Admin will help you out. 
• Bylaws and Policies. ISBONA is a membership directed not for profit organization. 

 

Buyer:

• Questions to Ask Your Breeder is an older but still valuable article by one of the No. American pioneers in our breed.
• Conformation Standards for Icelandic Sheep will help you choose the best stock with which to get started.
• Breeders Directory lists members by state or province with information on their farms.
• Try our unique Lending Library. Some of our volumes are very hard to find commercially.

 

Breeder:

• Learn about registering your sheep. 
• Visit CLRC to research extensive pedigrees and even try Virtual Mating.
• Learn about the genetics of Icelandic sheep. Iceland has been studying sheep genetics for years, and we know a great deal about the inheritance of colors and patterns. This article even lets you test your knowledge.
• Coding for registration purposes. Use the same coding system to "name" your lambs so that shepherds in years to come understand some of what can be known about the genotypes of your sheep.
• Tips on Breeding Ewe Lambs. Not everyone does, but there are some hints to make it easier on you.
• The tutorial on tubing lambs can be a literal lifesaver and even the most experienced breeders review it every Spring.
• Tattooing your sheep with your farm code for identification is a requirement for registration (you can tag now too in the US).
• Volunteer to work on an ISBONA Committee and get to know some of your fellow sheep breeders.
• Sheep shows and other participatory events are highlighted in the News on Page 1 when we get them.

 

Business:

• Consider running for the Board of ISBONA to help direct the organization. 
• Our Archives section holds articles on Meat, Milk, Fiber and more from our Newsletters.
• Help on Farm insurance from an older ISBONA newsletter.