German Gray Heath

The German Gray Heath is the symbol of the Lueneburger Heide in Germany. Their ancestors, the Mouflon were at home in Corsica. Single lambs are born in spring with a curly, black fleece. After the sheep’s first yearly shearing, its wool turns silver gray with a black bib. Head and legs are black and free of wool. Rams weigh up to 80 kg (176 lbs) and have imposing horns that curl close to the face. Ewes weigh about 45 kg (100 lbs) and have short horns.

Their meat tastes like venison. The dual-coated fleece of a ewe weighs 2.2 kg (4.4 lbs.), of a ram 4 kg (8.8 lbs).. The coarse, straight outer coat is 25 cm (11.4 in.) long. The downy underwool grows 6 cm (2.7 in) long and has a fiber diameter of 25-30 microns. The wool used to be sent to Belgium and Turkey to be worked into carpets.

Breed category: landrace, rare, double-coated / Distribution: Germany