Claim to Fame

César- Adult Ouessant Ram

There is an oft quoted phrase associated with the breed. The mouton d'Ouessant - the worlds smallest breed of sheep. Whilst the Ouessant sheep is certainly small  and could be considered one of the smallest, there are other contenders for the title such as the Garole sheep. The Ouessants claim is not without merit however.

What about Frances only native short tailed breed of sheep - I think that deserves a mention. European short tailed breeds of sheep belong to an exclusive group, most of which are to be found in northern Europe notably nordic  and baltic countries - the Ouessant sheep  geographically is out on a limb, it is also one of the least developed, its small size has meant it has been considered largely redundant in terms of commercial agriculture for many generations. 

How about Frances most primitive and therefore oldest breed of sheep.  For such a small breed of sheep it has some impressive claims to fame.

For information on the breed and some of its vital statistics visit the Ecomusée du pays de Rennes  LINK   It is refreshing to see the breed in context with the other breton breeds and also the acknowledgement that far from being an insular variety of a mainland breed it is considered the archaeic form.


Le Mouton d'Ouessant parfois nommé le plus petit mouton du monde - une vérité même s'il y a d'autres candidats pour le titre. Le mouton de Garole par exemple. 

On peut dire aussi la seule race de mouton à queue courte d'origine française. Les races de moutons à queue courte sont pour le plupart trouvés aux pays nordiques et baltes,  le Ouessant est considéré  à faire partie du  même groupe. La race ovine  française le plus primitif  donc la race le plus archaique,  une liste impressionnant pour un mouton si petit.

Pour plus d'infos sur la race surtout en contexte avec les autres races de moutons bretonnes cliquez Ecomusée du pays de Rennes  LIEN