The Grey Ghosts of Ouessant

Aa/Aa BB/BB Mm/Mm

Aa/Aa BB/Bb Mm/Mm

When I started keeping ouessant sheep I realised pretty quickly that I was buying into an almost mystical resurrection of a race of sheep whose origins were ancient and lost in the mists of time and such has been the ever perpetuated legend. It took some time and alot of searching but I began to realise that these sheep are not only from a tiny little island off the Finistere coast living in splendid isolation they are infact part of a much larger gene pool of sheep whose value lies not only in their unique size and rusticity but also in their very real isolation not just on a tiny island but in the main on the far west corner of Brittany a breed of sheep who has been there for as long as anyone can remember and who are so much a part of the landscape no-one paid them any attention. The sheep of the island were remarkable for their incredible numbers, five thousand sheep on an island no more than a couple of miles across. It is true that the factors that have made them popular today, their size and hardiness has been the very thing that has for many many years allowed them to continue unimproved and truly a relic of a type of sheep that is rarely found in modern northern europe untouched.

As a part of the landscape and having gone unoticed, except for a reassuring fondness the Bretons seem to have for keeping these guys around, being that they do have their uses. It has only been in recent years that any documentation or understanding of the real diversity that exists in the breed is begining to become clear. Very few records exist of the sheep before the end of the nineteenth century and by then they were no longer kept in remarkable numbers on the island, so they drifted back into obscurity save for a few dedicated enthusiasts of the breed. Some placed a significant importance in seeking to identify the breed uniquely with the island of Ouessant and there is no doubt the two are intrinsically linked but there is so much more to this breed. Those fortunate enough to be involved in the early days have heavily influenced the recording and documenting of the breed.

It seems however that there has been quite a lot of information that for various reasons has been dismissed, discarded or even disputed. We are told that the breed was saved and several small groups of sheep were found at various locations whose provenance could be guaranteed. Today however there are no records of the original foundation sheep, they have been allowed to slip away. It is fortunate then that the breed has never gone away and has always been right under the noses of anyone who cares to look , but look harder still and you will see how much more there is to find.

So why the title Grey Ghost? Because contrary to popular opinion that ouessant sheep are just dull little black sheep, they do come in a variety of colours although the genetics are rare and the mechanisms for inheritance is only just begining to be understood. Their inheritance, as a relic or lasting imprint of a population far more ancient is in the genes that they carry from times gone by. Every now and then these genes come to the surface. The most recent to be identified is a gene responsible for colour modification. I would call it a dilution gene but geneticists say it doesn't exist in sheep but it helps a little to think of it this way to understand its action.

So, take a black sheep with a colour modifying gene and the normal black lightens, the degree of lightening varies according to whether the lamb has inherited one or two copies from its parents and possibly another less clearly identified factor.The effect of the colour modifying gene is to lighten the black to grey


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The intial work done on this colour modifying gene was done in shetlands LINK to the site that explains a little more about its effects. The gene was originally identified in Shetlands because of its influence on mainly the brown( Moorit) shetland .

Here I will attempt to document its effects in relation to ouessants but you may need to read the shetland article a couple of times to get the fuller picture.

I will try to document using where possible photos as this gene is relatively rare and still under examination its interpretation and my posts may not be 100% certain at this time but I have no doubt that over time things will be tidied up a little.

If you refer to my original post on colours in ouessant sheep you will see the colours listed as acceptable today by GEMO the breed society.

It is true that the population of ouessant sheep in Holland has been extensively manipulated to provide a whole range of colours but for now the colours existing in France remain very much from the original genetics of the breed. It is important to remember this, we are not talking about an introduced gene, this gene was in the original populations of ouessant sheep but it is rare and changes can be subtle so its effects weren't obvious. Also as dark sheep do age grey it takes a knowledgeable eye to recognise the difference between the two.

In addition, the dutch ouessants contain a number of introduced traits notably the introduction of agouti grey this is a gene which does give a form of grey sheep but its inheritance is dominant to solid colour sheep and not documented in the original ouessant populations. There are still things, many things to be determined with regards to what exactly is in the original ouessant sheep population so it remains to be seen if an original agouti grey is there, albeit rarely.

As stated above, the gene was first documented in shetlands due to its influence on brown colour sheep, it is evident in dutch brown populations but so far has been dismissed as an undesireable colour and thought to be as a result of feeding or mineral content in certain areas.


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Light brown ouessant lamb in terms of colour reference for a shetland this would be equivalent to mioget as yet its french term is to be decided. There is a great deal more research to be done to determine quite a number of things.

This post could not have been written without the assistance of a great number of people I thank every one of you for your assistance. Linda, Yann, Dominique, Maryvonne, Holly, and to all those who have patiently answered my questions, listened to my ramblings and provided me with the information, records, photos and the insight to even contemplate this post. To those who hold the future of this breed in their hands tread lightly, your guardianship will ensure the future of this breed.

For more information on how to understand better the basics of the genetics written here there is no better site than this one For the most detailed explanation that I can find for the moment on the theory of modified colours this is the site

There will be plenty more to come on this topic and I am hoping merely to open the debate agree or disagree its time to start talking. I want to get people asking questions and looking at their ouessants in a new light. If you feel your ouessants may have some unusual colour characteristics then I would love to know more.