Sheep care

Orremåla Bruk has chosen to take an environmentally conscious responsibility for sheep farming. The cultivation plants and animal farming are both completely ecological.

During the summer months, the sheep graze on natural pastures and help us maintain an open and bright landscape.

The grazing of the sheep prevents the bushes from taking over in the pastures and gives the typical old types of herbs of the meadow a natural living space. Birds, butterflies and valuable insects, belonging to the old meadow, also get a welcome chance at sustainable survival.

In this way, we contribute to the preservation of biodiversity for the future in the open landscape.

We also interact with the neighbor's cows and horses to get a better grazing pressure and also a naturally minimized parasite occurrence.

We have an ecological cycle on the farm.

All forage (dry hey) for winter needs come from its own field – see the old expression and utilitymodel “Meadow is the mother of field”,i.e. meadow hey and leaves were a necessity for the animals to get feed, survive the winter and in turn give manure, which then in the springtime would return to the field again. The more manure (animals!) there was, the better harvest.

We follow a special regulatory system with strict requirements to obtain our ecological certificate. Each year, the farm animals, area and paperwork are checked through a special certification authority.

Important hallmarks of sheep care at Orremåla Bruk

Harmonious, non-stressed and healthy animals are a prerequisite for producing beautiful sheepskins.

The sheep stay out on well-fenced natural pastures from May until the frost comes in the autumn months. They also have the opportunity to stay outdoors during the winter months.

No antibiotics or parasitic treatment are used without faeces samples and under veterinary supervision.

The winter food, which consists of dry hay, is grown on the farm without fertilizers.

All other complementary minerals etc. are also organic.

In order to follow kinship and keep track of how different characteristics develop in the herd, all our sheep are connected to a breeding program.

Here all events are recorded for the individual animal. Among other things, we can produce a family tree for each animal going back at least four generations.

About our sheepskins

Our sheep are of the breed Gotland sheep. This breed is the only breed that gives these curly skins in different gray tones.

What a sheepskin will look like is determined by the breed, its breeding, and the skin preparation.

Orremåla Bruk strives to produce as beautiful, varied sheepskins as possible and with a good and sustainable sheepskin quality.

To determine if a sheepskin is of good quality, the sheepskins are examined and given points. The examiner (judge) comes to the farm and examines and gives his/her assessment of the entire herd of lambs. The judge gives points for body structure, color, curl, and fur hair quality. Gloss and shine along with silkiness are important quality criteria for high points.

The higher the score a lamb gets, the greater the chance that the skin will be a beautiful quality skin and have a good durability with a long service life.

Skin insulates against both heat and cold! It maintains the user's own temperature - heats in winter and cools in summer! A good skin should feel cool when you put it on!

Orremåla Bruk's skins are sent directly from the slaughterhouse to the small Swedish town of Tranås. This town has a long-standing tradition of skins industry. Here they are prepared based on their individual characteristics- short-haired, long-haired.

All Orremåla Bruk skins are machine washable – except for a few really long-haired – care instructions included with the skin.

We are very proud to have been awarded prizes at the Swedish Masters of Sheepskin in Tranås for several years in a row.

A good skin from Orremåla Bruk- a quality skin- smooth, curly, silky and glossy!

Color, curl, texture, shape

- makes each skin unique - similar skins exist, but never two that are exactly the same.

The color

- varies in different shades of gray from light gray to gray to dark gray. Natural black may exist, but it is very unusual.

All lambs are black at birth, but transition into different shades of gray as they grow older.

Lambskins often have more even color spread, while sheepskins from adult animals have characteristic color changes all over the skin, often with a darker ridge along the middle.

Colored skins can be ordered in different colors- with or without color on the suede and fur side respectively.

The curls

- vary in size- from large to medium to small.

The small curl is the preference of fur makers and they are also popular in arts and crafts. Upholsterers are also happy to choose this curl size.

The bigger curl shape is currently more in demand for interior design, etc., which is why the breeding has also adapted in that direction.

Structure

The cutting is done in different lengths and gives the skin slightly different structure.

Three different lengths occur:

- short cut 18mm

- medium cut 35mm

- full length-uncut, natural wool length about 10-15cm.

These long-haired sheepskins must have special quality characteristics because the preparation is demanding.

Form

Sheepskins vary in size and weight.

Lambskins - often light skins, become soft and easy to mold – i.e., for baby strollers, mittens, hats, jackets, vests and...frozen shoulders!

Adult sheepskin-larger, heavier skins, are sturdier, including excellent skins to have lying on the floor...frozen feet!

The shape is also affected by how slaughter and preparation take place on the individual skin

Products

A range of possible uses

Orremåla Bruk's quality sheepskins can be used for, among other things:

Décor skins in home décor

Furniture upholstery

Hats and scarves

Pillows

Plaids, unmodified and lined

Stroller Skins/Sledding Skins

Floor skins - bed mats

Bonfire pallets

Bed warmer

Slippers

Mittens, wrist warmers

Scarves and other clothing details

Vests

Handicrafts – stuffed animals, etc.