Heidschnucke

The Heidschnucke is a group of three types of moorland sheep from northern Germany. Like a number of other types from Scandinavia and Great Britain, they are Northern European short-tailed sheep. The three breeds of Heidschnucke (in order of population size) are:

The main breeding areas are the north German heathland and moors of the Lüneburg Heath. That said, this sheep, which is easy to look after, may nowadays be found in all parts of Europe, mainly because of its meat which has a gamey flavour. Some breeds are classed as domestic species threatened with extinction so their preservation is subsidised within the European Union.

The hair of the German Grey Heath is greyish and very long. Its legs, tail and head are black, the lambs are born black and take on adult markings in their second year. There are also white variants. Both sexes have horns.