THE SOLOGNOT SHEEP

ORIGIN

The Solognot sheep is a very old race from Sologne . This region is located in the middle of France and covers almost the entire D é partement du Loir-et-Cher.

In the 15 th century, the sheep farming in Sologne was quite important. Sheep represented then, a large part of a farmer's livestock. The flocks grazed in the field, and were fed, in addition, fodder in the winter.

By 1850, there were about 300.000 sheep in Sologne. They represented nearly the only source of income for the farmers. Only the Solognot sheep was strong enough for the harshness of the area (high humidity, poor grass).

The sheep farming was very extensive and the animals travelled around in impressive flocks.

Later, use of fertilizers (mud from the canal Saudre) expanded in Sologne, new roads were built, irrigation was developed and new forests were planted. Sheep farming started then a very difficult battle. Available extended areas, which are necessary for sheep to graze, decreased together with the sheep farming (50.000 sheep only left by 1919).

After world war one and the decrease in French population, followed in the thirties, by the rise in hunting as the most important activity in Sologne, sheep almost disappeared from the area. This tendency was finally returned after 1940. At that same time, more intensive sheep farming methods were developed: sheep were let grazing in the summertime only, and gathered in stables during winter.

LOCALISATION

Today, there is Solognot sheep not only in Sologne and the nearest areas, but also in Gascogne, Bretagne, Bourgogne and Dauphiné. Solognot sheep is also exported to the Netherlands, Germany and North Africa.

RACE DESCRIPTION

The Solognot sheep is between 70 and 80 cm high. Its head does not have any wool. It is chestnut brown, long and narrow. The race is hornless, the face and nose are slightly curved, the ears are average in size and stand horizontally, the neck joints nicely with the shoulders, the back is straight and long, the hind legs are quite strong. The legs do not have any wool and are also chestnut brown. The throat and the abdomen are not entirely covered with wool. The fleece starts under the ears and goes through to halfway the legs. The wool has an average fine structure and is cream/grey. The fleece of a ewe weighs 1.5 kilos and the fleece a ram 2,5 kilos.

The weight of an adult ewe is approximately 55 to 65 kilo and 80 to 90 kilo for an adult ram.

Solognot sheep is intelligent, curious, independent and is closer in behaviour to a goat than to other races of sheep.

Solognot sheep is a tough race, because of its high resistance to deceases and also because of its ability to feed on very poor vegetation. Two treatments a year against internal parasites are usually enough with the Solognots owing again to his high resistance (flocks can nevertheless be contaminated). Solognot sheep is about the only French sheep which can graze with its legs in the water. This sheep is also a good runner. At last, this race can easily adapt to sudden changes in diet.

The race is early pubescent, females are fertile as early as eight-months old. The ram is particularly enthusiastic, his sexual impulses going on through the entire year.

Birthing is usually very easy which makes the race even more attractive. On average, 1.5 to 1.6 lambs are born to a ewe each year. It can even increase to 1.8 in the more intensive sheep farms. Solognots are good mothers and produce enough milk. They take good care of there lambs against potential dangers.

The Solognot meat has always been praised for its refined taste that is closer to deer meat than to other sheep races.

Lambs are very different from the other races bred in the area. Their skeleton is about the same weight, but Solognot lambs are longer and thinner and they produce a very lean meat.