Steinschaf

The Steinschaf, often called the Alpine Steinschaf in English sources, is an old mountain breed of domestic sheep from the eastern Alps of Austria, Bavaria, and neighboring regions. The name is commonly glossed as stone sheep, a nod to the steep, rocky pastures where these small to medium sheep were kept. Steinschaf are rustic, sure-footed animals with a mixed, often colored fleece; flocks may include white, black, brown, gray, spotted, and badger-faced patterns depending on the local line. Rams are commonly horned, while ewes may be horned or polled.

Today the breed is most often encountered in conservation flocks, small farms, and alpine grazing projects rather than intensive meat systems. It suits low-input hill pasture, brushy ground, and seasonal transhumance, but it still needs ordinary flock work: annual shearing, foot care, parasite monitoring, and shelter from prolonged wet weather. Buyers should look for animals from active rare-breed programs because the name can be applied loosely across related alpine strains.