The White Horned Heath sheep is a breed of domestic sheep from Germany. It is an economical breed particularly suitable for grazing the rough heathland and moors of northern Germany.
And it’s area of production is the Weser-Ems region in Lower Saxony. The decline of heath and moorland in favor of conventional agriculture is associated with the almost complete disappearance of old economical sheep breeds like the White Horned Heath.
Today, meat of these animals is considered a delicacy by the gourmets.
The White Horned Heath sheep actually originated from the Grey Horned Heath sheep, and it was first developed as a separate breed at the beginning of the twentieth century.
It is also known as Weiße Gehörnte Heidschnucke. Today the breed is raised for meat, vegetation management and wool management. Read some more information about this breed below.
White Horned Heath Sheep Characteristics
White Horned Heath sheep are medium sized animals, and are always pure white in coloration. Both rams and ewes are usually horned.
Average body height of the mature ewes is around 50 cm, and around 55-60 cm for the rams. Average live body weight of the mature White Horned Heath rams vary from 65 to 75 kg.
And the mature ewes on average weight between 45 and 50 kg. Photo and info from ansi.okstate.edu and Wikipedia.
Uses
The White Horned Heath sheep is a very good meat sheep breed. It is also good for vegetation management and wool production.
Special Notes
The White Horned Heath sheep are very active and hardy animals. They are economical breed and particularly suitable for grazing the rough heathland and moors of northern Germany.
The ewes are excellent mothers and they can take care of their lambs properly. These animals are nearly all year out to pasture.
The lambs grow relatively slowly, and they drink their mother’s milk for at least a hundred days. The meat of the White Horned Heath is very delicate and due to extensive conditions the meat has a gamey flavor.
And the breed is also good for vegetation management and also for wool production. Review full breed profile of this sheep breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | White Horned Heath |
| Other Name | Also known as Weiße Gehörnte Heidschnucke |
| Breed Purpose | Meat, wool, vegetation management |
| Special Notes | Very hardy and active animals, economical breed, particularly suitable for grazing the rough heathland and moors of northern Germany, ewes are excellent mothers, lambs grow relatively slowly, meat is of very good quality, good for vegetation management, good for wool production |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Weight | Mature rams weight between 65 and 75, and ewe’s body weight vary from 45 to 50 kg. |
| Horns | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates |
| Color | White |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Country/Place of Origin | Germany |
