Charollais

The Charollais is a French terminal sire sheep breed from the Charolles region, developed to produce well-shaped meat lambs. It is a white or pale-headed breed with fine bone, strong muscling, and a reputation for lambs that finish efficiently without becoming overly coarse. Wool is secondary, but the fleece still needs routine flock management, especially where rams are kept through wet winters.

Charollais rams are usually chosen for structure, testicle size, feet, growth figures, and how their lambs are born and finish in a particular feeding system. They can work well over maternal ewes, but ram choice should account for ewe size, forage, and lambing conditions. Replacement females are less often the goal than market lambs, so producers should be clear whether they are buying terminal genetics or building a pedigree Charollais flock. Records on lambing ease and carcass results are more useful than show shape alone.