Bentheimer Landschaf Sheep
The Bentheimer Landschaf Sheep is a breed that was developed in Germany. They are mainly bred for their fleece and meat. This breed of highly endangered and has primarily been used for landscape preservation.
| Also Known As | Landrace of Bentheim |
| Physical Characteristics | Legs are long with hard hooves; has a long, slender head, a Roman nose, small ears; the tail is long and woolly; breed standards permit dark pigmentation around the eyes, on the ears and legs |
| Personality Traits | Easily satisfied, docile, need to live in flocks (gregarious) |
| Wool/Fleece | White in color; weighs 3 to 4 kg (6.6 to 8.8 lb) with a fiber diameter of 34 to 40 micrometers (microns); high yield |
| Horn Status | No horns |
| Uses | Wool production; Mutton (meat) production |
| Weight (size) | Rams: 75-80 kg (adult); Ewes: 50-60 kg (adult) |
| Height | 67-70 cm at the withers |
| Kidding | Females can lamb easily and make good mothers |
| Diet | Stubble of cultivated crops, tree leaves, fodders and grains |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
History and Development
While the countryside of Germany was dotted with 25,000 individuals of the Bentheim breed, only 4 decades back, this breed almost became extinct. It is a cross between German and Dutch heath sheep, and a marshsheep.
Since 1934, they had been bred in the Emsland area in Northern Germany, primarily in the Bentheim County.
Later, in 1970, three breeding programs were conducted in the Emsland with 50 of these animals, and since then, things started to better. However, they are still enlisted in the ‘endangered’ category with about 2,300 animals left for breeding and 10,000 as working animals.
