Selecting for Excellence

Gotland wool is fine, long, lustrous and dense. It can be varying shades of grey, from pale silver to a rich blue-gray to a dark charcoal or almost black.  Typically, Gotland fleeces do not discolor due to sun exposure. 

The fleece grows in long, fine, and lustrous distinctive curls. Soft to the touch, the smooth silky curls feel clean, having little lanolin. The fleece is typically 29 to 34 microns in diameter. Lambs wool can be in the low to mid 20’s micron range. 

Gotland wool falls in soft ringlets and grows about 10 to 12 inches a year. We shear twice a year to be able to offer fleeces with the ideal staple length for hand spinners.

We are proud to be active members of the Gotland Sheep Breeder's Association of North America and the American Gotland Sheep Society. Kirsten is currently on the GSBANA board and actively working to improve the resources available for all Gotland breeders.

It's been said that a Gotland sheep isn't a Gotland if it doesn't have the characteristic 3-dimensional curl.  At River Birch Farms, we are working hard to produce sturdy, correct 100% Swedish Gotland sheep and "fleece seeds" (lambs) that grow the distinctive long, lustrous curly locks prized by hand spinners, felters, and fiber artists.