Rouge de l'Ouest

[1] The breed's name, which literally translates from French as "Red of the West", refers to its region of origin and its unique pinkish face and legs.

It was developed in the Maine et Loire department of France, through crossing local landrace sheep with Wensleydales and Bluefaced Leicesters.

[3] The Rouge was originally a dairy sheep breed used to produce Camembert cheese, but is now primarily raised for meat.

It has medium length wool, a polled head, and a well-muscled body.

The average fleece weight for the Rouge is 1.5 kg (0.68 lbs) to 2.0 kg (0.9 lbs) with a staple length of 4 cm (1.8 inches) to 5 cm (2.3 inches) and a spinning count of 58's to 60's.