Meat
Rambouillet
B tier
Rambouillet is the French development of Spanish Merino, established at the royal farm at Rambouillet and later foundational to American fine-wool range flocks. Animals are larger and hardier than many Merino strains, with strong flocking instinct for extensive western rangeland. Meat from Rambouillet and Rambouillet-cross lambs is typically light and mild—valued in the western United States for feeder lambs that finish to neat carcasses. Pure fine-wool lambs can be lighter muscled than meat breeds; crossing with terminal sires is common when retail conformation is the priority.
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Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Louis XVI established a Merino flock at Rambouillet that became the foundation of the French fine-wool type.
Imports built American Rambouillet flocks that dominated western range sheep husbandry.
Breed associations and registers formalised Rambouillet pedigree breeding in North America.
Dual-purpose selection improved lamb weights while retaining fine wool for range producers.