Polled Rambouillet

Polled Rambouillet sheep are hornless or largely hornless Rambouillets, a Merino-family breed developed from French and Spanish fine-wool ancestry and later shaped strongly in North American range flocks. They are usually white, medium to large framed, and covered in a dense fine fleece. The polled condition is most visible in rams, where traditional horned Rambouillets can grow heavy spiral horns; some polled lines still produce small scurs. Apart from the head, breeders expect the same practical Rambouillet traits: flocking instinct, maternal ability, longevity, and wool suited to fine apparel markets.

Range operations use Polled Rambouillets as fine-wool ewes, replacement females, and sires for maintaining wool quality in crossbred bands. Hornless rams are easier to transport and less likely to injure one another, but they still require careful breeding-season management. Fleece testing, shearing, foot soundness, teeth, and lamb survival are central selection points. In dry western grazing systems, nutrition swings with rainfall, so mature ewes need enough body condition before lambing. Seedstock programs may track polled genetics along with fiber diameter and staple measurements.