Weisskoepfiges Fleischschaf, or Whiteheaded Mutton sheep, is a large dual-purpose meat and wool sheep developed in the Wilstermarsch area of northern Germany. Originally, the local Wilstermarsch sheep were dairy sheep that were adapted to the cold, wet, windy conditions of the marshland. There had been many different breeds of sheep raised on the land and different types of shepherding methods used over hundreds of years, depending on the needs of the time. As the local population grew, the need for more meat and wool grew, so in the 1860's the local sheep were cross-bred with a number of British breeds with the aim of improving the sheep's mutton, improving the quality and yield of the wool so it could be spun into something useful whilst also keeping the sheep hardy enough for the weather and the terrain.
English Leicester Longwool were used to increase the length of the locks. Cotswold, another English Longwool breed that would keep the locks long, was used for their mothering abilities, grazing methods and the quality of the mutton. Oxford Down and Hampshire Down were also used for the quality of the mutton and these would also improve the crimp of the wool.
Further improvement was made many years later in 1966 with the addition of Texel sheep from The Netherlands which would further increase the mutton and in the 1970's Berrichon du Cher from France were used again for the muton and no doubt their Merino ancestry would improve the wool. Even with all of the improvement breeding they have managed to maintain the desired qualities of the Marsh sheep such as high fertility, rapid development and large size.
These sheep are used to manage vegetation and allow native plant species to return, which in turn brings back wildlife. They graze on the greenery of German dikes and the stubs of harvested fields on Wilstermarch marsh land and are moved from field to field by the shepherds using sheep dogs along the roads. As they graze, they flatten the grass and pound down the earth, and this encourages new grass growth and growth of native plants that have already adapted to being grazed upon. All this activity helps to stabilise the dikes and make them sturdy enough to withstand the wind and rain during storms.
They are large white sheep. The rams weigh 110-130kg and the ewes about 70-80kg. Both sexes are polled. The average ram fleece is 7.4kg and the ewe fleece are 5.5kg. Fleece is long and coarse but has excellent crimp within a range of 37-41 microns. The wool is fluffy and easy to spin and nothing like other wools in the same micron range which have poor crimp in comparison. The wool is durable and perfect for outerwear, blankets and handwoven rugs. Because they are adapted to specific conditions, there are only around 182 rams and 1734 ewes.
The breed is known by many names in Germany, especially, and for some very mysterious reason, the wool is marketed as "Eider wool" despite having no correlation to the Eider duck, other than perhaps the fluffy white wool reminding someone of the fluffy, luxurious feathers of the Eider duck.
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