HISTORY
It is believed that the breed was first established on the Swedish island of Gotland by the Vikings. They crossed the
native Swedish Gute sheep with Karakul and Romanov sheep brought back from expeditions deep into Russia. The Vikings took these
sheep on their travels providing their crew with meat and skins along the route. Those early travels contributed to the spread of
these Northern short-tailed sheep and the development of related sheep breeds such as Icelandic, Finn and Shetland. Primitive horned
Gute and Gotland sheep still exist on the island of Gotland today.
MULTIPURPOSE BREED
Intensive and selective breeding in Sweden
since the 1920s produced the modern Gotland, famous for its soft and curly pelts. While the pelts were the most notable produce
from Gotland sheep, Gotlands are a true multipurpose breed.
1. Gotland pelts - prized world-wide.
2. Gotland wool - a beautiful fiber for spinning and is a favorite wool for felting.
(The wool is typically 29-34 microns in diameter
at 18 months of age as measured midside at the 3rd rib. Lambs wool is typically in the low to mid 20s micron range and
frequently can be as fine as 18 microns.)
3. Gotland meat lambs are active, quick to suckle and fast growing, reaching
ideal slaughter at 5-7 months of age. The meat is mild, good flavored and close-grained.
4. Gotland sheep are
bright, active and friendly. They are easy to lamb, have a high lambing rate, produce abundant milk and have strong mothering
instincts.
Gotland sheep are very inquisitive making them an entertaining sheep breed to own. They are also hardy and adaptable
to a variety of management systems making them a resilient sheep breed. They are a relatively small breed making them an ideal
small farm livestock alternative.
The Gotlands received worldwide attention when the movie "Lord of the Rings" featured the Magic Elvin
Cloaks made of Gotland wool.
NORTH AMERICAN GOTLAND SHEEP BREEDERS ASSOCIATION
Gotland sheep are not a rare breed worldwide but
were newly introduced to North America in 2005 through a cross-breeding program using artificial insemination. As of 2006, there
are less than 30 Gotland cross sheep in North America and there are no Gotland sheep that yet meet the percentage requirements for
registration. Ronan Country Fibers is currently the largest Gotland Sheep breeder in North America.
The Association
was founded by the few breeders who began the Gotland Sheep AI program and some additional breeders, spinners and others who had an
interest in the breed. The first meeting was held at the Black Sheep Gathering fiber festival held in June, 2006 in Eugene Oregon.
The
North American Gotland Sheep Breeders Association was established to promote the introduction of the Gotland Sheep to North American
and enhance the breed by closely monitoring the genetic pool of the breed and establishing high breed standards for its members.
Carol
Ronan is the first Vice President of the Association and both Jeff and Carol are very closely involved in helping to set the standards
for the breed.
The BREED STANDARDS and Association By Laws are still being developed as of this writing but some decisions have already
been voted on by the members:
1. MINIMUM PERCENTAGE FOR REGISTRATION
In order to be registered, Gotland cross sheep
must meet the standards established for registry and possess a minimum percentage of Gotland breeding:
Ewes 75%
Rams 87.5%
Gotland cross
rams must be a minimum of 50% Gotland in order for the off-spring to participate in the NAGSBA registry.
2. RECORD
VS. REGISTRY
NAGSBA encourages breeders to record all Gotland cross sheep with the Association for genetic tracking. Gotland
cross sheep must be recorded with NAGSBA before off-spring can become registered.
3. BREED STANDARDS
The following
are some of the recommendations for BREED STANDARDS that will be considered by the membership.
a. The Breed
Standards must be met before sheep can be registered with NAGSBA even if they meet the minimum percentage requirements for registry.
b. General Sheep must exhibit the general appearance of Gotland sheep;
i. Fine-boned with bold eyes and alert medium sized ears.
ii. Small neat muzzle with even jaw and teeth set squarely on the pad.
iii. Slender neck and shoulders set smoothly into a level back with generous length, good depth and reasonable breadth
of body.
iv. Legs are slender, well spaced and upright.
c. A sheep should not be registered
if:
i. It does not have the general appearance of a Gotland sheep,
ii. It does not meet all of the standards listed below, or
iii. It is not generally robust, worthy or sound, including, but not limited to:
iv. Rams which do not have two descended testicles of approximately equal size.
v. Any sheep with serious hereditary health problems or abnormalitie
d. Body Size Ewes are 120-155
pounds and Rams are 165-190 pounds at mature body weight. The standard height range for mature Gotlands of either sex shall
be 22 to 26at the withers.
e. Horns Both males and females are generally and preferably polled.
f. Tail Naturally short fluted hair tipped tail which does not require docking. Tails shall not exceed six (6) inches
as measured at the underside.
g. Wool Type Fleece is fine, long, lustrous and dense. It has a clearly defined
curl and is soft to the touch.
h. Color Predominantly gray; occasionally black, white and brown.
i. Patterning No distinct pattern is allowed. (e.g., badgerface, black and tan) Solid colored animals are desired variation
in shades of the wool color is still considered solid.
j. Spotting generally not a desirably trait for Gotland sheep.
Carol Ronan
Ronan Country Fibers
Angora Goats, Shetland & Gotland Sheep