Welcome to the
IRISH ROUGE SHEEP SOCIETY
About the Rouge de l'Ouest
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The Rouge de L’Ouest was first introduced to Ireland in the second half of the 1980s. Their country of origin is France, where they are known as "Rouge de l'Ouest" which translates as "Red of the West", describing both the skin colour and origin of the sheep. The breed originates mainly from the Loire Valley in France.
The breed was developed by crossing local landrace sheep with Wensleydales and Bluefaced Leicesters. The French registry was established in 1968.
When the breed originated in France, they were noted for their large volume of high-quality milk which was used to produce Camembert Cheese. Along with their excellent milk trait, the breed is known for its well-muscled body, medium-length wool and a polled head.
From the time of origin, breeders have concentrated on breeding their animals for superior conformation, whilst retaining prolificacy and milkiness and these attributes are rarely seen together in one animal.
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Breed Characteristics
Head/ Face
The head has a broad muzzle, a wide polled forehead with straight and alert ears, and prominent eye sockets with a bold eye.
The face and ears are reddish pink in colour, bare of wool but may have a covering of fine brown or whitish hair.
Body
The Body is largely framed, well-muscled, symmetrical and block shaped. Shoulders are flat on top and no wider than the rib cage. The chest is broad and deep. The adult male weighs from 100-140kg. the adult female weighs from 70-100kg.
Wool
The average fleece weight is 1.5kg to 2kg with a staple length of 4cm to 5cm and a spinning count of 58's to 60's.
