HIGH HILL GOTLANDS

About High Hill Gotlands

If you click on the tabs above to visit the pages they will be displayed at the very bottom of this page instead of sending you to the individual pages! Not sure why and can’t figure out how to fix it!

High Hill Gotlands is dedicated to raising, showing and selling high quality registered Gotland sheep and fleeces. High Hill Gotlands is located in Chandlersville, Ohio and shepherded by Michele Potts. While I have raised and shown registered sheep most of my life I started my Gotland flock in 2015. High Hill Gotlands currently consists of 20 adult ewes which are bred naturally each year without the use of any hormones. I also keep a few ewe lambs each year that move into the brood ewe flock after their yearling year. High Hill Gotland ewes are very prolific and have had a 200%+ lambing percentage for the last several years. My ewe flock has been closed since 2016 which means I do not purchase ewes but choose my replacement ewes from the ewe lambs born on my farm each year. Breeding rams are both raised and purchased.

In my Gotland flock I have been concentrating on improving the overall conformation, structure and carcass traits of the Gotland breed while also maintaining and improving fleece quality. I am working towards breeding Gotlands that have strong, wide, level tops with good muscle that extends into their rump and lower leg all underneath the soft, silky, shiny and curly fleece that Gotlands are known for. My Gotland ewes are prolific, lamb easily, milk like crazy, are great mothers, have very few health issues and virtually no hoof problems. My Gotland lambs should be vigorous at birth, fast growing, good topped, good muscled and correct with beautiful fleeces. My Gotlands have a wide range of fleece colors from very light almost white through all the shades of medium gray to almost black. My fleece customers love the range of colors.

High Hill Gotland lambs are usually born in April and weaned by the end of June. Lambs are generally ready to head to their new homes in July. Any lambs not kept or sold as breeding stock are sold as freezer lambs or market lambs from September through the first week of October. They are marketed between 5 and 6 months of age and generally weigh 100 to 115 pounds. Hanging carcass weights at this time have been averaging 55 to 57 pounds. All freezer lambs or market lambs are shorn before selling.

I believe that Gotland sheep can and should be profitable and can be a true dual or even triple purpose breed with the ability to produce meat, fiber and/or pelts in a timely and efficient manner. In order to be profitable Gotlands need to not only grow those beautiful soft, shiny, curly fleeces but they also need to have a good structured body with some muscling underneath their fleece. They should reach marketable weights in a reasonable amount of time. That is the kind of Gotlands I am working towards developing. I am happy with the improvements I have made in my flock in the last 8 years and am excited about future improvements and the future of the Gotland breed!

Tage as a young lamb.

Sires

Sires of 2025 Lambs

HHH Son of Tait

Son of Tait is a High Hill Gotlands bred and raised twin ram lamb 92.92%. As his name implies, his sire is HHH Tait 2320 who was named the Supreme Champion Ram over all breeds at the 2024 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Like his sire, Son of Tait is super thick and muscular with a tremendous top and very muscular lower leg. He was a super fast growing lamb and has very correct feet and leg structure. Son of Tait’s lamb fleece was super shiny and silky with excellent individual lock structure, very consistent curls with good even and clear color. He should add lots of muscle, fast growth rate and nice fleeces to his lambs. I’m looking forward to seeing the results in the spring. He is bred to 5 ewes this year.

HHH Son of Tait

ERVALLA GRAY SHAUN

Gray Shaun is a purebred Gotland (95.99%) ram lamb born in February 2024, bred by Anette Karlsson. He is a Sindarve Shaun grandson. I purchased Shaun this summer to add some new genetics to my flock. He is growing into a good sized, long bodied fellow with good thickness, very correct feet and leg structure and a nice long stapled fleece. He should cross well with my High Hill Gotland ewes. Shaun bred 7 ewes this year.

Ervalla Gray Shaun

ATF Marcel

ATF Marcel was bred and raised by Stephanie Schiffgens at Apple Tree Farm in Oregon and purchased this summer from Lisa Simons in Virginia. He was born in January 2022 and is 97+%. Marcel is sired by Lindholmen. He was purchased to add some new genetics into the High Hill Gotland flock. Marcel has good length, a very smooth front end, is very correct on his feet and legs and has a great disposition. In addition to adding new genetics he should continue to improve fleeces. I had several lambs sired by Marcel in 2024. Marcel crossed well on my High Hill Gotland ewes. His lambs were long bodied with very correct feet and legs and shiny, curly fleeces with very consistent and clear color. Marcel bred 7 ewes this year.

ATF Marcel

HHH Finnegan 2436

Finnegan is a High Hill Gotlands bred and raised purebred (95.99%) triplet ram lamb born 5/22/24. He is sired by Marcel and his dam HHH Beckha was one of my show ewes in 2023. Finnegan was born late May and he was not on my list of keepers until he was shorn out in October. I knew he had an exceptional fleece, but when I saw the body style and conformation of this young ram after he was shorn, I decided to keep him and try him on a couple of my ewes. He is super smooth and long bodied with an exceptional topline, beautiful front ended with tons of style. He is just a pretty cool designed fellow. His fleece is super, super soft with great silkiness and shine, good lock formation and a long staple length. On his dam side he comes from one of my best productive maternal lines so I am hoping for some ewe lambs from him. Finnegan is very young so I only put him with 2 of my ewes this year.

HHH Finnegan