Bleu du Maine
French breed of sheep
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bleu du Maine is a French breed of domestic sheep. It originated in the historic region of Maine, and is distributed mainly in the départements of Maine-et-Loire, the Mayenne and the Sarthe in the Pays de la Loire in western France.
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- Bazougers
- Blauköpfiges Fleischschaf
- Bluefaced Maine
- Blue-headed Maine
- Maine-Anjou
- Maine à tête bleue
- Mayenne Blue
In the Écomusée du pays de Rennes | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Country of origin | France |
| Standard | Organisme de Sélection |
| Use | meat, wool |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Height | |
| Wool colour | white |
| Face colour | blue |
| Horn status | polled |
| |
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It is a large and prolific sheep, characterised by the distinctive blue face from which its name derives.[3]: 765 It is raised primarily for meat.[2]
History
The Bleu du Maine shares some ancestry with the Rouge de l'Ouest.[3]: 764 It derives from cross-breeding in the early nineteenth century of the now-extinct Choletais – named for the town of Cholet in southern Maine-et-Loire – with imported British Leicester Longwool or Dishley Leicester stock. Towards the end of the century there was some influence from the Wensleydale, from which the characteristic blue face derives.[3]: 764 As the name suggests, the breed originated in the historic region of Maine, principally in the areas surrounding the towns of Bazougers in the département of Mayenne and Sablé-sur-Sarthe and Souvigné-sur-Sarthe in the Sarthe.[4] It is reared mainly in the Mayenne, the Sarthe, and in Maine-et-Loire; its range extends into the Orne in southern Normandy.[4]
A flock-book was started in 1927;[5] the breed received the official recognition of the Ministère de l'Agriculture in 1948.[3]: 765 In 2015 the total population was estimated at just under 11 000, of which 1703 were recorded in the flock-book.[5] In 2007 the conservation status of the breed world-wide was listed by the FAO as "not at risk";[1]: 146 in 2021 the status for France only was reported to DAD-IS as "endangered".[2]
Some have been exported to European countries, and to Ethiopia;[3]: 765 in 2021 the breed was reported from Belgium, France, Holland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[6] Some were exported to the United Kingdom in 1980 for use as mule sires; the resulting ewes were found to be considerably less productive than daughters of British breeds such as the Blue-faced Leicester, the Border Leicester and the British Milksheep.[3]: 765
Characteristics
The Bleu du Maine is a large heavy sheep: rams weigh some 110–120 kg, ewes about 80–90 kg.[3]: 765 It is characterised by a distinctive blue face, varying in colour from almost black to a reddish tinge. The fleece is white. The face is broad, with a slightly convex profile; it and the legs are free of wool.[3]: 765
