The SOLOGNOT breed originates from the very old population of coloured and hardy sheep of the region. From 1800 farmers preferred a reddish coloured sheep who believed this colour was the best guarantee against an infusion of blood from the merinos or less hardy English breeds. Towards 1850 SOLOGNOT sheep numbers were at their height at an estimated 300,000 head and  were to be found beyond the Sologne area and into the Val de Loire, the Beauce and the Gâtinais.

Conformation:  Lambs of average carcass without excess fat.

Savoury quality: The meat  tastes exceptionally good

Early maturing: Ewe lambs are fertile at 8 months. The ewe has good milk value and even in difficult conditions can rear its lambs well.

Natural year round fertility: The ram is keen and the ewes are fertile throughout the year.  

Resistance: It is resistant to internal parasites. In extensive situations and where the sheep graze along stretches of a riverbank for example, the risks are practically nonexistent. The breed is naturally resistant to foot rot.

The breed has small numbers today and is divided into 10 families. This breeding programme operates so that a group of males of one family is attributed to a group of females of a different family. The progeny remain in the mother’s family group. The ram evaluation centre aims to improve the genetics of these different families

The SOLOGNOT ewe is used to make the most of poor grazing, for example along the banks of the rivers Loire and Cher, and in the forest undergrowth of the Sologne from whence it originates. It can be found in other parts of France in similar challenging areas.
The SOLOGNOT is undeniably the breed to clear up and maintain rough ground. 

No other breed does this as well and its reputation is assured.

It is the immediate choice for eco-friendly pastoral management across France.

For this reason the national flock numbers are rising and the demand for ewe lambs is strong. GEODE manages the supply and demand, by reservation contracts.

Registered rams straight from the ram evaluation centre can only be bought at the annual ram sale which takes place in the heart of the Sologne from where the breed originates.