the Sheep
Gotland sheep: from the Vikings to today's hand spinners
Although much of the history of Gotland sheep is lost, what we know today is that they are a breed developed from the ancient “Gute” landrace sheep from the Gotland island off the east coast of Sweden. There is some discussion of how a double coated ancient breed became a single coated breed with silky, lustrous soft wool. In some places, it is written that English Longwool sheep were brought in to upgrade the native Gutes. However, many breeders on the Island say that the process was actually done by selecting the best lambs each year and breeding from those, rather than by bringing in foreign genetics. We will have to wait for better genetic testing to know the actual history, but in the meantime, we can enjoy this delightful breed.
More to come here
the sheep at Ambling Brook
more pictures and text to come here
Rams
We have rams in shades of grey ranging from pale silver to deep charcoal. Here are three of the lighter ones from 2018
Rams for lease
more to come
Ewes
This is ABF Joy, showing the correct structure, long body and beautiful grey color of a top notch Gotland; a true dual purpose sheep
ewes for sale
more to come