Grey Troender

The Grey Troender (Norwegian: Grå Trøndersau) is an endangered Norwegian breed of domestic sheep. It originated in – and is named for – the Trøndelag region of central Norway, and is thought to derive from cross-breeding in the late nineteenth century of local feral sheep of the area with stock of the now-extinct Tautra.

Grey Troender

Conservation status	FAO (2007: no data[1]: 86  DAD-IS (2025): at risk/endangered-maintained[2]
Other names	Grå Trøndersau Grey Trønder
Country of origin	Norway
Standard	Norsk Sau og Geit (in Norwegian)
Traits
Weight	Male: 60–90 kg[3] Female: 50–80 kg[3]
Wool colour	usually grey
Sheep Ovis aries

The sheep are usually grey, in varying shades, with black face and legs and a small distinctive white marking under each eye; other colours including black, brown and white are seen in about 20% of the population.^{[4]: 817 [5]}

History

The Grey Troender originated in the Trøndelag region of central Norway, from which its name derives. It is thought to have resulted from cross-breeding in the late nineteenth century of local feral sheep of the area with stock of the now-extinct Tautra, from the island of Tautra in the kommune of Frosta in Trøndelag. It became identifiable as a distinct breed or type in the late nineteenth century^[4]: 817 or from about 1930;^[6] a full description was written by Fritz Loyt Johnsen in 1941.^[6]

By the 1990s it considered to be extinct. In 1992 a surviving group was identified and rescued when already on its way to the slaughterhouse; this formed the basis of the first conservation flock.^[6]

At the turn of the century there were approximately fifty of the sheep.^[5] In 2025 a total population of 1959–9275 head was reported, including 1959 breeding ewes; the conservation status of the breed was listed in DAD-IS as "at risk/endangered-maintained".^[2]

Characteristics

The Grey Troender is of medium size; ewes weigh from 50 to 80 kg, rams about 10 kg more.^[3] The fleece is usually grey, varying in shade from light grey to almost black; other colours including black, brown and white are seen in about 20% of the population.^{[4]: 817 [5]} The face is black, with a small distinctive tear-shaped white marking under each eye and sometimes with some white on the ridge of the nose; the legs are also black. The tail is of medium length.^[3]

Use

The Grey Troender yields a fleece weighing some 2–3 kg greasy, with an average fibre diameter of 32.3 μm (equivalent to a Bradford count of 48s).^[5]

When raised for meat, lambs are sent for slaughter after about six months, when they weigh some 30–40 kg.^[5]