The Bündner Oberländerschaf (also known as Grisons (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

), Graubünden (German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

)) is a domesticated breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of sheep in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. As of 2007, there were less than 1,100 but the population is increasing and used primarily for vegetation management

Targeted grazing

Targeted grazing is the use of domestic livestock to change the composition and structure of vegetation to meet management goals. This technique is often used in combination with other vegetation management treatments such as prescribed fire, seeding, chemical application, or mechanical means...

.

Characteristics

The Bündner Oberländerschaf displays white, brown or silver-grey. The head is slender and is bare. Rams have substantial horns while ewes have small horns or are polled (hornless). Both sexes display rather primitive behavior. Multiple births are common.

When mature, rams weigh on average 72 kg (158.7 lb) and ewes 50 kg (110.2 lb). After reaching maturity, rams grow to 72 cm (28.3 in) and ewes 68 cm (26.8 in) at the withers.