Grey Troender sheep
Encyclopedia
The Norwegian Grey Troender is an endangered breed of domesticated sheep that originated from crossbreeding native landrace
sheep with the now extinct Tautra
sheep in the late 19th century. There are currently approximately 50 individual animals, nearly all residing within Norway
.
Originally bred in the Trøndelag
region of Norway, from where the sheep derives its name, the Grey Troender are most commonly varying shades of grey in color with distinctive white markings under the eyes. However, black, brown and white woolled Grey Troenders occasionally do occur.
Both rams and ewes are polled with and the breed have half-long or variable length tails. The wool
of the sheep is uniform with mean fibre diameter of 32.3 micrometres and 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb) greasy fleece weight. The wool was traditionally used for handicrafts and the pelts were used for woolskin rugs. The adult live weight of ewes is between 70 and 80 kg (154.3 and 176.4 lb). The mean litter size is 1.8 lambs born per year. Lambs are generally slaughtered at 6 months age (30 to 40 kg (66.1 to 88.2 lb) live weight).
The present population numbers only around 50 sheep but is increasing. In 1998, the Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources established a project for collecting and freezing semen from Grey Troender sheep rams in an effort to revive the breed.
Landrace
A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
sheep with the now extinct Tautra
Tautra
Tautra is an island in the municipality of Frosta in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Trondheimsfjord, just north of the city of Trondheim. The island is connected to the rest of Frosta by a long causeway bridge....
sheep in the late 19th century. There are currently approximately 50 individual animals, nearly all residing within Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Originally bred in the Trøndelag
Trøndelag
Trøndelag is the name of a geographical region in the central part of Norway, consisting of the two counties Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag. The region is, together with Møre og Romsdal, part of a larger...
region of Norway, from where the sheep derives its name, the Grey Troender are most commonly varying shades of grey in color with distinctive white markings under the eyes. However, black, brown and white woolled Grey Troenders occasionally do occur.
Both rams and ewes are polled with and the breed have half-long or variable length tails. The wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
of the sheep is uniform with mean fibre diameter of 32.3 micrometres and 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb) greasy fleece weight. The wool was traditionally used for handicrafts and the pelts were used for woolskin rugs. The adult live weight of ewes is between 70 and 80 kg (154.3 and 176.4 lb). The mean litter size is 1.8 lambs born per year. Lambs are generally slaughtered at 6 months age (30 to 40 kg (66.1 to 88.2 lb) live weight).
The present population numbers only around 50 sheep but is increasing. In 1998, the Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources established a project for collecting and freezing semen from Grey Troender sheep rams in an effort to revive the breed.