The Moorschnucke
The White Hornless Heidschnucke, also called Moorschnucke, is a small, mixed-woolly sheep. It originated from the gray-horned Heidschnuck, which is one of the oldest sheep breeds in Central Europe. The weight of the ewes is about 40 kg and their withers is 50-55 cm. All animals are hornless and have sloping ears and a small elongated head. They are characterized above all by their robustness and frugality and their hard claws enable them to stay healthy and vital even on moist soil. They have very good mother characteristics, mostly with a lamb.
The Moorschnucke is mainly kept in the raised bog areas and rough meadows in northern and central Germany. Its main distribution areas are the districts of Diepholz, Nienburg and Rotenburg. Their main diet consists of wild plants such as pipe grass, sedges, sorrel, mushrooms, moss, lichens and herbaceous plants such as common heather, Mary's heather and bell heather. Berries such as crowberry, cranberry, bogberry, bilberry, blueberry as well as pine needles and birch leaves do not leave the bog snouts standing either.
I find keeping these great sheep extremely pleasant. They are no breakout artists, they get along well even in the harshest conditions, they are easy to handle, for example when hoofing or clipping, and they are almost never sick. With me they live outside on different pastures all year round. In winter you have an open stable at your disposal and various shady spots on the other pastures. I keep this breed in paddocks with me, that is, I put it on a new piece of meadow every few days. I graze with them on both wet meadows and rough meadows, including from Nabu.
The Moorschnucke is an endangered breed of sheep, which is why I decided to breed this breed in the herdbook and thus do a small part in ensuring that it is preserved.
