The Rouge de l'Ouest is breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of domestic sheep

Domestic sheep

Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...

 originating in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. The breed's name, which literally translates from French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 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

Landrace

A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...

 sheep with Wensleydales

Wensleydale (sheep)

The Wensleydale is a breed of domestic sheep that originated in the Wensleydale region of North Yorkshire Possessing a blue–grey face, the breed was developed in the 19th century by crossing English Leicester and Teeswater sheep. One of the largest and heaviest of all sheep breeds, the...

 and Bluefaced Leicesters. The French registry was established in 1968, and the U.K. registry was in 1986.

The Rouge was originally a dairy sheep

Sheep milk

Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...

 breed used to produce Camembert

Camembert

Camembert is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.It is most famous as the place where camembert cheese originated.Camembert has been called "The largest small village in France." This is because the area of the commune itself is out of proportion to the center of the village...

 cheese, but is now primarily raised for meat. Particularly, Rouge rams are used as sires for market lambs. It has medium length wool, a polled head, and a well-muscled body. Despite its quite different appearance, it is related to the Bleu du Maine. 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.