What is gutefar?

The gutefår is one of Sweden’s oldest sheep breeds and is classified as a Nordic landrace. It is a breed shaped largely by nature itself, wind, weather, sparse grazing, and thousands of years of natural selection. This makes the gutefår one of the most original and resilient sheep breeds still existing today.

Preserved cultural heritage

In the mid-20th century, the gutefår was close to disappearing entirely. On the island of Gotland, only a small number of animals remained, scattered as small remnant groups on farms and natural pastures. Thanks to attentive animal keepers and early conservation efforts, these remnants were gathered together. From this small but genetically valuable population, the breed was rebuilt with a focus on preserving its original characteristics.

Since then, the breed has recovered. Today, gutefår are considered a living cultural heritage breed, still genetically unique and an important part of our Nordic agricultural heritage.

Friska och duktiga

Gutefår are known for being:

  • hardy, well adapted to the Nordic climate
  • healthy, with a low tendency toward disease
  • long-lived, often reaching a higher age than many other sheep breeds
  • excellent landscape grazers, feeding on grass but also enjoying shrubs and trees
  • agile and alert, able to move easily through rough terrain while thinking and reacting quickly
  • easy lambers with strong lamb survival, the lambs are long and narrow, making them easier to deliver, and the ewes are attentive and caring
  • naturally shedding their fleece, many individuals shed most or all of their wool on their own

What the gutefår is probably best known for among those less familiar with the breed is its horns. Rams have powerful, more or less curved horns, while ewes have slimmer horns that are often set higher. Lambs are born with visible horn buds, and gutefår keep their horns throughout life, they do not shed them.

Tidig vår, en yngre tacka med sina lamm. Det främre lammet är ett tacklamm, det bakre till höger är ett bagglamm.

The Gutefår Association

The Gutefår Association has existed since 1979. It safeguards the interests of the gutefår and its members, administers the gene bank, inspects rams, and organizes activities. Read more on their website! Read more on their website!