Tiny Ouessant Sheep
Meet the Flock, tiny sheep with huge personalities
Hello : )
Welcome to this new website, launched with love on Valentine's Day 2025. Here at Fair Green Ouessant, we want to celebrate the charm of Ouessant sheep.
Known for their small stature and resilient nature, these huge characters are perfect for hobby farmers and heritage breed enthusiasts alike.
We're happy to share the insider view of being new keepers and breeders, so immerse yourself in the delightful world of Ouessant sheep here. If your Norfolk Horns are too heavy, your Soay too spooky, or you can't afford another 3 Alpacas, then consider Ouessant as your next lawnmower!
Known for their small stature and resilient nature, these huge characters are perfect for hobby farmers and heritage breed enthusiasts alike.
We're happy to share the insider view of being new keepers and breeders, so immerse yourself in the delightful world of Ouessant sheep here. If your Norfolk Horns are too heavy, your Soay too spooky, or you can't afford another 3 Alpacas, then consider Ouessant as your next lawnmower!
Photoshoot
About
Ouessant sheep -
are a primitive Northern European short-tailed breed, with a gene pool of fleece colours including soft and faded tones that look simply magical in the landscape. Rescued from the wild Isle d'Ouessant in Brittany, they are the SMALLEST sheep in the world, just 50cm at the withers, 15-20 kilos in weight.
It's our ambition to develop a Ouessant fibre flock that celebrates all their colours including the rarer genes, with a breeding program aiming for high quality fleeces in the full range of colour phenotype - white, stone, tan, caramel, moorit, brown, black and grey, in faded and solid colours. This is the inspiring palette of the North Sea coast, the tones of rock and cloud and seaspray.
Huge personalities -
the beauty of this heritage breed lies in their fair looks and pocket-rocket personalities, meaning each individual is distinctive. Dive into our ram & ewe thumbnails to learn more about each, below.
The pedigree registered Fair Green Flock is being developed from original French bloodlines, featuring the champion Merinos des Lutins du Montana, with genetic diversity from top British and European pedigree lines.
are a primitive Northern European short-tailed breed, with a gene pool of fleece colours including soft and faded tones that look simply magical in the landscape. Rescued from the wild Isle d'Ouessant in Brittany, they are the SMALLEST sheep in the world, just 50cm at the withers, 15-20 kilos in weight.
It's our ambition to develop a Ouessant fibre flock that celebrates all their colours including the rarer genes, with a breeding program aiming for high quality fleeces in the full range of colour phenotype - white, stone, tan, caramel, moorit, brown, black and grey, in faded and solid colours. This is the inspiring palette of the North Sea coast, the tones of rock and cloud and seaspray.
Huge personalities -
the beauty of this heritage breed lies in their fair looks and pocket-rocket personalities, meaning each individual is distinctive. Dive into our ram & ewe thumbnails to learn more about each, below.
The pedigree registered Fair Green Flock is being developed from original French bloodlines, featuring the champion Merinos des Lutins du Montana, with genetic diversity from top British and European pedigree lines.
Colours
The visual 'phenotype' (or 'appearance') of Ouessant fleece covers a vast range of tints, shades & tones within the 3 approved "breed standard" colours which are black, brown & white:
Black
Black palette variation occurs with sun-bleaching and fading produced by BB and BB Ag genes. Colours range through raisin, dim grey, silver, night black, with timberwolf at the tips and hints of purple.
Brown
Brown palette featuring coppers, cafe noir and dark brown derived from Bb genes, with pale khaki brown highlights fading to off-white. Brown is a far rarer gene than black, being recessive.
White
White is determined by the Agouti white and tan gene, Awt, with the phenotype incorporating greys, silvers, smoke and blue. Technically, white is a genetic pattern that hides brown or black.
Tiny
With small hooves and lighter mass, Ouessant don't poach the ground - less mess, less damage, less soil compaction. They're also easy to handle, lift and move. And super-cute!
Hardy
Happy outdoors, they demand little in the way of shelter or feed. Primitive immunity includes disease resistance, a key driver for saving ancient breeds.
Soulful
Adding heart and soul to any landscape, they graze and nap and stretch unlike any lawnmower. Gazing at sheep has to be great for mindfulness!
Fibre
With high wool weight per head, fine wool and beautiful palettes, Ouessant fibre is highly desirable for hand spinners, and wool enthusiasts.
Heritage
Rare, unusual, and unique - by helping this breed, we preserve vital primitive sheep genetics, maybe for another millennium.
Rams
Ewes
contact us
We are located in Fair Green in the county of Norfolk, UK. Flock visits are by appointment only, and subject to bio-security precautions.
Contact Suzy Edward via email at fairouessant@gmail.com
Contact Suzy Edward via email at fairouessant@gmail.com
countdown to lambs
coming soon
see more on social media
launching during 2025, head over to our YouTube channel @OuessantSheep featuring plenty of quirky, characterful videos, or search for regular updates on our Tiny Ouessant Sheep page on Facebook.
Stories of sheep and shepherds
Check back here for the list of the perfect stories of shepherds and their sheep, hills and fields, weather and the cycle of the seasons.
Further reading and research
Now underway, a compilation of the best articles, scholarly reviews, studies and insights into sheep - their origins, husbandry, wool, and genetics.
Pigment meets photography
Later in the year, we'll be using photographic and colour theory to explain why both white sheep and black sheep can look blue, and how pigment and light affects the perception of colour.