Breed Standards

BREED STANDARD – Characteristic & Description

  • GENERAL CHARACTER & APPEARANCE – A medium sized, solid colored, luster longwool sheep with clean head and legs. Curious, bold and alert appearance with fine bone and good breadth and depth of body.
  • VISIBLE COLOR AND PATTERN – To be registered or recorded with GSBANA, all sheep should be light silver grey to black with black heads and legs. Genetic patterns other than grey and/or self/solid are not allowed. Non-allowed genetic patterns include but are not limited to the following genetic patterns (these patterns are visible at birth): English Blue, Mouflon, Badgerface, and Blue. Lamb birth coat is usually black. Most of the black lambs become grey within several months. This is effective with all lambs born after 12/31/2025. Small white spots on head, are accepted but discouraged; such spots shall be less than 30% of the areas on which they appear. (Light grey eye circles and muzzles are not white spots and are allowed.)  Any sheep of ineligible color that are currently registered with GSBANA, and lambs born prior to 12/31/2025 will be grandfathered in and remain in the registry.
  • SIZE – Medium size with substance. Ewes generally weigh from 120 to 155 lb. Rams are heavier weighing 165 to 190 lb at mature body weight. The ideal height range for mature Gotland ewes is 25.5″ to 30″; for mature Gotland rams is 29.5″ to 32″ at the withers. Plus or minus one inch (1″) in height is acceptable for either sex.
  • HEAD – Preferably solid colored head generally free from wool. Bold eyes, alert medium sized ears set slightly above horizontal. Small, neat and straight muzzle with even jaw and teeth set squarely on the pad. Both males and females are polled.
  • NECK & BODY – Slender neck and shoulders set smoothly into a level back with generous length, good depth and reasonable breadth of body. Well suited for market production.
  • TAIL – Naturally short, hair tipped tail measuring less than 6″ as measured at the underside. Generally broader at the base and tapering to the tip.
  • LEGS – Slender legs well spaced and upright. Preferably solid color and free from wool.
  • WOOL – Fleece is fine, long, lustrous and dense with clearly defined curl and staple; soft to the touch. It is typically 29 to 34 microns in diameter at 18 months of age, as measured midside at the last rib. Lamb’s wool is typically in the low to mid 20’s micron range.
Gotland Sheep-Spinning W Farm, WA
Gotland Sheep
Gotland Ewe-Namekagon Valley Farm, WI
Gotland Ewe
Gotland lamb-VT Grand View Farm, VT
Gotland lamb

DISQUALIFICATIONS – sheep exhibiting the following traits cannot be registered with GSBANA:

  • Long heavy tail, broad to end, or docked tail.
  • Uncharacteristic wool, double coated, dull or straight locks, indistinct lock formation, overly coarse or harsh wool.
  • Deformities of jaws.
  • Greatly undersized or oversized animals, or overly coarse or cloddy animals.
  • White spots in the wool adjacent to the head, legs and/or tail are disqualifying in rams and discouraged in ewes. In ewes only, white spots in the wool that are adjoining allowed white spots in the haired areas (<30% of the haired area) and are smaller in area than the adjoining haired white spot, are discouraged, yet allowed. In ewes, these spots shall be smaller in area than the adjacent portion in the non-wooled area.
  • Horned animals. Small scur growth that is non-fatal is discouraged, but does not disqualify the animal.
  • Rams without two normally descended testicles of approximately equal size.
  • Any sheep judged to be generally unthrifty, unworthy, or unsound

Sheep submitted for GSBANA Registered status shall meet the breed standard set forth by GSBANA. Otherwise, worthy sheep who do not meet the GSBANA standard may be Recorded with the Association and used in breeding programs. This would include sheep with patterned fleece, sheep with atypical tails, horns or excessive white spots, but not sheep with jaw deformities, undescended testicles or other known genetic abnormalities.