Selecting for Excellence

Gotland wool is fine, long, lustrous, and dense, in varying shades of grey - from almost white with just a hint of grey tone, to pale silver, to rich blue-gray, to dark charcoal or almost black. Gotland fleeces typically don't discolor from sun exposure.

The fleece grows in long, distinctive curls that feel clean, cool, and silky to the touch, with little lanolin. It typically measures 29 to 34 microns; lambs' wool can run in the low-to-mid 20s. Growing about 10 to 12 inches a year, the shimmering molten metal locks are shorn twice a year for the ideal staple length for hand spinners.

We are proud members of the Gotland Sheep Breeder's Association of North America. Kirsten served on the GSBANA board from 2019 to 2024 as Secretary, Education Committee Chair, and Registry Liaison, helping build breed-education resources that continue to serve Gotland breeders today.

It's said a Gotland isn't a Gotland without the characteristic three-dimensional curl. At River Birch Farms, we work hard to produce sturdy, correct, 100% Swedish pedigreed Gotland sheep, and the "fleece seeds" (lambs) that grow the distinctive long, lustrous, curly locks prized by hand spinners, felters, and fiber artists.