German Gray Heath sheep are 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.
About German Gray Heath Sheep
