Rouge du Roussillon
Rouge du Roussillon is a red-faced sheep from the Roussillon area of southern France, near the Mediterranean side of the Pyrenees. It is a local meat breed shaped by dry hills, seasonal grazing, and small farm flocks rather than by heavy lowland finishing. The sheep are generally white fleeced with reddish brown head and legs, medium framed, and kept for hardiness in warm, scrubby country where forage quality changes sharply through the year.
Management is usually extensive: ewes graze rough pasture, scrub, or hill ground when available, then receive hay or concentrate when lambing or drought reduces feed. The breed's conservation value is important for keepers, because numbers have been limited compared with major French meat breeds. Flocks should be selected for sound udders, feet, lamb vigor, and the clear red-headed type, while avoiding the assumption that a hardy Mediterranean sheep can perform without planned nutrition.
Colors: Badgerface, Black, Blackbelly, Broken, Brown, Gray, Grey, Gulmoget, Katmoget, Moorit, Piebald, Red, Roan, Silver, Solid, Spotted, Tan, White, White with Black Points, White with Brown Points
