Me and Norregård farm.
We started up buying 8 Gotland sheep in 2009, and by 2012 we had almost 50 sheep on the farm. In the early days we sold skins to friends and acquaintances but as interest grew, we opened our webshop "Gotlandskin.com" in 2011.
We started out selling the skins we had from our own sheep but soon discovered that this was not enough. So we began to make agreements with other sheep breeders in the area, and today we work with sheep breeders all over Denmark and Sweden.
In 2014 we moved the company to Denmark but there are still sheep on the Swedish farm, now cared for by our good neighbor Olaf, who has been our mentor and taught us everything about sheep.
It is of utmost importance to us that our customers can rely on a consistently high quality in the sheepskins from Gotlandskin.com, and we continue to work very hard at building our network with breeders and working with them on maintaining and improving animal welfare as well as skin quality.
Buying high-quality sheep skin is not easy, approx. 90% of all skin are not in an quality we want - and we have chosen not to compromise on quality. We consider it important that our customers can rely on our assessment, and be sure that we always deliver skins in high quality.
We have therefore not a huge selection of skins on our site, but those we have are all of high-quality and very beautiful, exactly as we want them - and we hope that you also will like them.
We started out selling the skins we had from our own sheep but soon discovered that this was not enough. So we began to make agreements with other sheep breeders in the area, and today we work with sheep breeders all over Denmark and Sweden.
In 2014 we moved the company to Denmark but there are still sheep on the Swedish farm, now cared for by our good neighbor Olaf, who has been our mentor and taught us everything about sheep.
It is of utmost importance to us that our customers can rely on a consistently high quality in the sheepskins from Gotlandskin.com, and we continue to work very hard at building our network with breeders and working with them on maintaining and improving animal welfare as well as skin quality.
Buying high-quality sheep skin is not easy, approx. 90% of all skin are not in an quality we want - and we have chosen not to compromise on quality. We consider it important that our customers can rely on our assessment, and be sure that we always deliver skins in high quality.
We have therefore not a huge selection of skins on our site, but those we have are all of high-quality and very beautiful, exactly as we want them - and we hope that you also will like them.
Life on a farm...
Norregård farm is located in a small idyllic village. The area around the village is hilly, with dense pine forest, small lakes and fields.
The area is equally beautiful all year round, and I enjoy each season.
I lived in an old farmhouse from 1750, I am renovating the farm continuously over time, but there is much to do and I am far from finished.
Besides the main house, the farm has several other buildings, including a large barn where we keep our sheep during the winter.
As you know, the year is divided into 4 seasons, and on our farm, we have different tasks with our sheep in every season.
Winter
The country is covered by ice and snow, it`s at times very cold, making it difficult to work outdoors. Our sheep are housed throughout the winter, but we allow them to go outside if they wish. Their thick fur makes them withstand frost, and they enjoy playing in the snow and just to be outdoors.
At least 2 times a day, we give our sheep water and food. When it is very cold, the water freezes into ice in a few hours, and we have to defrost the water by pouring hot water in their water tank.
Once a week we clean the barn, and give them fresh hay and remove their droppings, at the same time all sheep gets their weekly health-check.
In wintertime it is not possible to feed them with fresh grass. To cover their vitamin, mineral and fat needs, we give them a product in pill form, which contains everything they need - of course, they always have free access to fresh hay and straw.
Spring
Normally all sheep give birth in March and April, and these two months is very stressful as it can still be very cold, and lambs can be to cold and die, lambs can also lay wrong in the womb, and must be reversed, sheep mothers can not always understand that it is their lambs, and sometimes we have to explain to them that it's theirs and they should take care of it.
Sheep usually get between 1 and 3 lambs and sometimes up to 4, the average is 2 and that is what a sheep can handle without problems. Some times we are lucky to get another sheep to adopt a surplus lamb, and sometimes we have to take care of the lamb. This means that at the beginning we must provide the lamb with milk every 3 hours around the clock, if there are several so-called "bottle lambs" or surplus lambs, it is something of a work to be a substitute mother in the 3-4 months it takes before they can take care of themselves. During this period, It´s non-stop work day and night, and we are very tired when it's all over. But it is important for us that all sheep and lambs are doing well and survives, and it is worth the effort to make sure that it happens.
In April, most snow melted and fences must be made and repaired, so everything is ready for the sheep to come on grass later in the spring. In May, the grass has grown to approx. 10 cm. and the landscape is colored green everywhere, now it's time for the sheep to go out and taste the fresh nutrient-rich grass. To look at sheep and lambs on grass the first day, warms my heart, they jump giddy around and is clearly very happy to get on grass. All sheep and lambs live then outdoors all summer, nature ensures that they get everything they need.
Sheep usually get between 1 and 3 lambs and sometimes up to 4, the average is 2 and that is what a sheep can handle without problems. Some times we are lucky to get another sheep to adopt a surplus lamb, and sometimes we have to take care of the lamb. This means that at the beginning we must provide the lamb with milk every 3 hours around the clock, if there are several so-called "bottle lambs" or surplus lambs, it is something of a work to be a substitute mother in the 3-4 months it takes before they can take care of themselves. During this period, It´s non-stop work day and night, and we are very tired when it's all over. But it is important for us that all sheep and lambs are doing well and survives, and it is worth the effort to make sure that it happens.
In April, most snow melted and fences must be made and repaired, so everything is ready for the sheep to come on grass later in the spring. In May, the grass has grown to approx. 10 cm. and the landscape is colored green everywhere, now it's time for the sheep to go out and taste the fresh nutrient-rich grass. To look at sheep and lambs on grass the first day, warms my heart, they jump giddy around and is clearly very happy to get on grass. All sheep and lambs live then outdoors all summer, nature ensures that they get everything they need.
Summer
All I need to do every day is to make sure that they have water, count them and check for diseases and that everything is ok.
After 1-2 months, depending on the weather, they moved to our neighboring field. This is to ensure sufficient fresh grass, and to have balance in my fields, so as they constantly produced kvalites grass in the quantity needed. This is done several times during the summer. If the grass gets too high, it will be cut, dried and pressed into hay bales -then placed in stock and will be used as grants feet during winter.
Autumn
In September / October, all lambs are evaluated, and all sheep who should stay on the farm next year get their fur cut, some must be retained for breeding, others for slaughter.
The very best we keep for breeding to ensure that the next generation of lamb is at least of the same quality or better than last year.
At this time of year, it is also time to think about housing for the winter, the stable must be cleaned and maintained. Bookkeeping of lambs and sheep must be completed before winter. It is also time to find a good ram (male sheep), who is going to be the father of next year's lambs.
We have a good network of sheep breeders in the area and we help each other to find a suitable ram as we then either swap with one of our own or borrow until he has done his job.
Thanks !
We have through time (breeding) secured skins of a very high quality, and all our sheep and lambs are 100% ecological -because we never sprayed with
growth-promoting substance or other chemicals on our fields.
Being a small breeder is a non-profit business, we do it because we love our animals, and are happy if the financial statements do not show red numbers.
It is our hobby and we have our normal work/job besides having sheep.
We are grateful to everyone who buys one of our skin, it helps us to continue our work with Gotland sheep.
growth-promoting substance or other chemicals on our fields.
Being a small breeder is a non-profit business, we do it because we love our animals, and are happy if the financial statements do not show red numbers.
It is our hobby and we have our normal work/job besides having sheep.
We are grateful to everyone who buys one of our skin, it helps us to continue our work with Gotland sheep.