FinnSheep are Northern speciality and sheep breed is native of Finland. Because of that uniqueness I want to introduce the FinnSheep to my readers.
I was walking on the field nearby my cottage as I had seen a hawk flying there. Hawk was too far away to be photographed but instead I found sheep grazing in the field.
The FinnSheep are effective landscape caretaker
Traditional environments in Finland have declined over the past 50-100 years. In the past, cattle grazed on natural pasture, but now it is very limited. Fields near my cottage belong to Lohja city and nowadays nobody is taking care of them. The fields are grassed and during summer there are lots of ticks.
It was nice surprise to meet the flock of FinnSheep in one of the fields. When I approached the sheep observed me with suspicion and ran away from me. They just wanted to be at peace and continue eating grass.
The FinnSheep are effective landscape caretaker. During couple of months the change in the landscape was enormous. Next summer there might be growing flowers and because of the flowers more butterflies, more birds etc. Hopefully the sheep return next summer!
The FinnSheep is native breed of Finland
The Finnsheep is the native sheep breed of Finland. Because of its special characteristics, the breed is a globally important genetic resource and Finnsheep breed has been exported to over 40 countries in five continents.
The gene pool of Finnsheep has improved the profitability of sheep farming in the world. The Finnsheep is the best-known Finnish breed globally and Finland has a national responsibility to conserve this multi-purpose breed.
History of FinnSheep
The sheep has belonged to the Finnish domestic fauna at least since the Bronze Age. These oldest sheep stocks once brought to Finland are most likely the ancestors of the native sheep breed of Finland, the Finnsheep.
The genetics of Finnsheep has been investigated and the studies have indicated that the genetically closest relatives to the Finnsheep are the Karelian landrace populations in western Russia.
Last but not least
Before I finish my FinnSheep post here are some photos of Icelandic sheep just for comparison. As you notice Icelandic sheep have horns, which FinnSheep don’t have. Also the shape of the head is different. I shot these photos 2017 when I had one week holiday in Iceland.
Thank you for visiting my blog! Hopefully you enjoyed reading my FinnSheep post.
Minna 😊
FINNISH NATURE photos 
Always fun when you get to learn something new, never heard of this domestic sheep breed. Fun with those that are two-colored as well.
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I am learning new every time I am posting something. Info regarding FinnSheep was new for me as well 😑. If I someday decide to be a farmer 😁 I will definitely have FinnSheep!
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A good idea!
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Interesting to see different breeds of sheep. There are quite a few in the fields near where I live. Always love to see them.
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I have no checked how many breeds of cheep exist, but I assume there are many. I love too see sheep too.
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Lovely photos of some gorgeous looking sheep. And I love the golden autumn colours in your first photo of the fields.
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Thank you Sue! This year the autumn colors were over in a second as we had a storm in September and it tear the leefs of the tree🥴
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They definitely are an important resource, and good that they were doing some meadow grazing. There’s something very calming about sheep.
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Yes they are an important resource! If I would have a farm, I definitely would have sheep.
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We have a lot of sheep here in Wales, and they aways make me smile when I see them in the fields. Thank you for such an informative post 🙂
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😇 my pleasure!
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I learned something new! Great photos!
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Thank you Magickmermaid!
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Great post! We have domestic sheep that look very similar to your Finn Sheep. They are mostly white and rarely there is a black one. They are free range in the mountains and you can run into large herds while hiking. We also have wild Bighorn Sheep that look more like goats.
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Thank you Denise! FinnSheep is exported to other countries so may be it is FinnSheep you have run into it while hiking on the Mountain😊
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Maybe the herds are huge!
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