White Polled Heath
Encyclopedia
The White Polled Heath is a small breed and landrace
of North German sheep and belongs to the Heidschnucke
family, part of the Northern European short-tailed sheep
group. However, unlike the other Heidschnucke
types, it is entirely white and polled
(hornless).
in North Germany. It is suspected that it was bred by crossing a hornless, plain-wool (schlichtwolligen) landrace
with a population of grey, horned Heidschnucke, the German Grey Heath. They were kept for centuries on the moorlands of North Germany. In 1922 the white hornless Heidschnucke was separated from the horned variety and was then called the Moorschnucke or White Polled Heath.
moor depression. Its original range was the districts of Diepholz, Nienburg
and Rotenburg
. The Diepholz Moorschnucke is protected as a regional breed and was registered in European Union
's list of products with a Protected Designation of Origin
(PDO).
, sedge
, sorrel
, fungi, mosses, lichen
s and herbaceous plant
s such as common heather, bell heather, cross-leaved heath, crowberry
, cranberry
, bog bilberry, bilberry
, pine
and birch
.
Through the combined efforts of nature conservationists, the BUND
and breeders since 1974 the numbers of White Polled Heath sheep have risen to about 5,000 animals.
Landrace
A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
of North German sheep and belongs to the Heidschnucke
Heidschnucke
The Heidschnucke is a group of three types of moorland sheep from northern Germany. Like a number of other types from Scandinavia and Great Britain, they are Northern European short-tailed sheep...
family, part of the Northern European short-tailed sheep
Northern European short-tailed sheep
Northern European short-tailed sheep are a group of sheep breeds and landraces from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and the area around the Baltic. They are thought to be derived from the first sheep brought to Europe by early farmers...
group. However, unlike the other Heidschnucke
Heidschnucke
The Heidschnucke is a group of three types of moorland sheep from northern Germany. Like a number of other types from Scandinavia and Great Britain, they are Northern European short-tailed sheep...
types, it is entirely white and polled
Polled livestock
Polled livestock are livestock without horns, of species that normally have them. The term refers both to breeds or strains which are naturally polled through selective breeding and also to naturally horned animals which have been dehorned...
(hornless).
Origin
The White Polled Heath originated from the moorlands or bogs of Lower SaxonyLower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in North Germany. It is suspected that it was bred by crossing a hornless, plain-wool (schlichtwolligen) landrace
Landrace
A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
with a population of grey, horned Heidschnucke, the German Grey Heath. They were kept for centuries on the moorlands of North Germany. In 1922 the white hornless Heidschnucke was separated from the horned variety and was then called the Moorschnucke or White Polled Heath.
Range
The White Polled Heath is mainly reared on the raised bog (Hochmoor or "high moor") regions and dry grasslands in North and Central Germany. Today the White Polled Heath is bred chiefly in the DiepholzDiepholz
Diepholz is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hunte, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest of Bremen....
moor depression. Its original range was the districts of Diepholz, Nienburg
Nienburg
There are two towns named Nienburg in Germany.*Nienburg, Lower Saxony*Nienburg, Saxony-AnhaltThe Name Nienburg means "Neue Burg" ....
and Rotenburg
Rotenburg
Rotenburg is the name of the following three towns in Germany:*Rotenburg an der Wümme, near Verden in Lower Saxony*Rotenburg an der Fulda, near Kassel in Hesse*Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in the Franconia region of Bavaria...
. The Diepholz Moorschnucke is protected as a regional breed and was registered in European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's list of products with a Protected Designation of Origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PDO).
Diet
The White Polled Heath eats wild plants such as purple moor grassMolinia
Molinia is a genus of two species of grasses. The genus is named after Juan Ignacio Molina, a 19th century naturalist and scientist from Chile.Species*Molinia caerulea . Northern Europe and Asia....
, sedge
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
, sorrel
Sorrel
Common sorrel or garden sorrel , often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herb that is cultivated as a garden herb or leaf vegetable...
, fungi, mosses, lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s and herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
s such as common heather, bell heather, cross-leaved heath, crowberry
Crowberry
Crowberry is a small genus of dwarf evergreen shrubs that bear edible fruit. They are commonly found in the northern hemisphere, from temperate to subarctic climates, and also in the Southern Andes of South America and on the South Atlantic islands of South Georgia, the Falklands and Tristan da...
, cranberry
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
, bog bilberry, bilberry
Bilberry
Bilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
, pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
.
Characteristics
The White Polled Heath is well-suited to life on the moors and is even able, for example, to get itself out of bog holes. It is very hardy and can even walk through knee-high water. It is best suited to nature reserves, conservation areas and grazing of bogs and wet areas. Its meat is considered a delicacy, and is leaner and darker than that of other breeds of sheep. As a result of extensive rearing and feeding the meat retains a spicy, gamey flavour.Description
The White Polled Heath is a white, dual-coated, graceful landrace with a small frame. Both sexes are hornless with an elongated head and ears that lie at an angle. The bone structure is light and delicate, the hoofs are light-coloured and very hard. The tail is naturally short.| Shoulder height | Ram: 55–60 cm (21.7–23.6 ), Ewe: 45–50 cm (17.7–19.7 ) |
|---|---|
| Weight | Ram: 60–70 kg (132.3–154.3 ), Ewe: 40–50 kg (88.2–110.2 ) |
| Horns | Polled |
| Colour | White |
| Coat | Mixed wool, wool range DE to E (38-40 micrometres). The outer fleece consists of coarse upper wool, the inner fleece of soft, fine under-wool. |
Endangered status
The White Polled Heath is on the list of endangered domestic breeds - and is a "breed under observation" (BEO) according to the red list of the Animal Genetic Resource Consultancy (Fachbeirat Tiergenetische Ressourcen) and is category III on the red list of the Organisation for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Domestic Animal Species (Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen). The rearing of meat sheep breeds and reduced grazing of the moors have contributed to the White Polled Heath dying out almost entirely.Through the combined efforts of nature conservationists, the BUND
Bund
- Organizations :* German American Bund, a pro-Nazi pre-World War II organisation* General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia, a political party founded in the Russian Empire* General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland, a political party founded in Poland...
and breeders since 1974 the numbers of White Polled Heath sheep have risen to about 5,000 animals.