Berrichon du Cher

A lively, single-purpose white meat breed that grazes well. It has good maternal traits, good milk and a prolificacy of 1.4–1.7, and tends to breed out of season. In its homeland 60 per cent of ewes lamb between September and November.

Ewe lambs can be bred at 10–12 months, and the breed also has a long productive life. Excellent conformation, high lamb growth and an ideal meat-to-bone ratio give a high carcass yield; ewes weigh 70–90 kg and rams 90–130 kg.

A large breed with medium-fine bone. The head is medium-sized, polled and ideally free of wool, with a straight or slightly convex nose. The chest is wide and deep, the body well muscled and cylindrical, the rump wide and the thighs full inside and out. The wool is white.