Alberta Sheep Breeders' Association

Blue-faced Leicester

The University of Manitoba first imported Finnish Landrace to North America in 1966. The breed is considered to be several hundred years old, descending from the mouflon that live in the wild on Sardinia and Corsica. They are also said to be related to other Scandinavian short-tailed sheep. The Finnish Landrace is best known for its exceptional prolificacy, with purebred ewes usually producing three to five lambs per lambing.

Mature Finnish Landrace rams will range in weight from 68 to 90 kg; females are slightly lighter with a range of 55 to 86 kg.

The fleece from a mature ewe will range in weight from 1.8 to 3.6 kg, with a high yield percentage. Fleeces have a numerical count of 50 to 60 or 23.5 to 31.0 microns with a staple length of 7.5-15 cm

Since their arrival in North America, Finnish Landrace rams have been used extensively in crossbreeding programs to produce a prolific crossbred ewe. Crossbred Finnish Landrace lambs have slower than average growth rates, less subcutaneous fat and more fat in the body cavity.

Alberta Finnish Landrace Breeders