Bog snails
The Moorschnucke , also White Hornless Heidschnucke , lat. Ovis aries (ammon) f. aries , is a very small country sheep breed and belongs to the Heidschnucken . Within this it is defined by its light wool and polledness.
origin
The Moorschnucken come from the moor areas of Lower Saxony . It is assumed that the breed originated from crossing a polled, plain-wooled country sheep breed into the population of the gray horned heather sheep. It has been kept in the moors of northern Germany for centuries. In 1922 the white hornless heather schnucke was separated from the white horned heather and henceforth called bog schnucke.
Distribution area
The Moorschnucke is mainly kept in the raised bog areas and rough meadows in northern and central Germany. Nowadays, the Moorschnucke is mainly bred in the Diepholzer Moorniederung. The original distribution area were the districts of Diepholz , Nienburg and Rotenburg . Diepholzer Moorschnucke is protected as a regional term and has been included in the list of protected designations of origin of the European Union .
nutrition
The Schnucken feed on wild plants such as purple moor grass , sedge , sorrel , fungi , mosses , lichens and herbaceous plants such as heather , Mary and bell heather . Berries such as crowberry , cranberry , bogberry , bilberry , blueberry as well as pine needles and birch leaves are also on the menu of bog snails.
properties
The Moorschnucke is well adapted to life in moorland and manages z. B. even independently to free yourself from bog holes. She is very frugal and also walks through knee-deep water. It is ideal for nature conservation, landscape maintenance and grazing of moorland and wetlands. The meat of the Moor Schnuck is a delicacy. The meat is lower in fat and darker than that of other breeds of sheep. Due to the extensive keeping and feeding, the meat has a particularly spicy game taste.
anatomy
Both sexes are hornless, the elongated head has slanted ears. The bone structure is light and delicate, the claws light and very hard.
| Shoulder height | Buck: 55-60 cm, mother: 45-50 cm |
|---|---|
| Weight | Bock: 60–70 kg, mother: 40–50 kg |
| Horned | hornless |
| colour | White |
| Coat | Mixed wool, wool range DE to E (38–40 microns). The outer fleece consists of coarse upper hair, the inner fleece of soft, fine lower hair. |
Danger
The Moorschnucke is one of the endangered domestic animal breeds (observation race (BEO) according to the Red List of the Advisory Board Animal Genetic Resources or Category III (endangered) of the Red List (as of 2019) of the Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Domestic Breeds (GEH) ) She has also appointed a caretaker for this breed.
Bred meat sheep races and the sinking bog grazing contributed to the fact that the bog snuck almost completely disappeared. By joining forces on the part of breeders, who received in particular near-natural and nature conservation areas for grazing, and nature conservationists (such as the BUND ), the population was able to increase again to a good 3100 ewes and 130 bucks (as of 2017).
Web links
- Moorschnucke.de
- Central documentation of animal genetic resources in Germany
- Moorschnucken in Wietingsmoor
Individual evidence
- ↑ GEH red list , accessed on November 13, 2019
- ↑ GEH website , accessed on November 18, 2019
- ↑ Description on the GEH website , accessed on November 18, 2019