Step into the Sheep's shoes

How can you talk about Le Petit Basque without talking about the sheep?

Our farmers and technicians take care of their health every day, providing them with care and good food.

Discover their lives throughout the seasons.

Our sheep's
identity card

Le Petit Basque has selected the Lacaune breed to produce its sheep’s milk. A good milk producer always adapts to their pasture.

Its name comes from Mont Lacaune in the Tarn, where it originated.

Its head is long and slender, its profile slightly arched and covered with very fine white hair. Its wool is sparse, covering only the upper parts of the body and leaving the head and neck uncovered. Both males and females have no horns.

Breeding

A season with our sheep

In our “Step into the Sheep’s shoes” section, we invite you to discover the life of our sheep over the course of a season.

You’ll see why our farmers never get bored!

Cocooning and nursery

January to mid-February

This is the birth period, with 1 to 2 lambs per sheep. The lambs will stay with their mothers for 4 to 6 weeks, allowing lactation to begin.

At this time of year, the flock stays in the sheepfold because of the cold external temperatures.

The sheep are fed a mixture rich in hay, barley, flax, and field peas, mostly produced on the farm.

Delicious milk !

March to April

This is the peak of lactation, the period of greatest milk production.

Each sheep produces an average of 1 to 4 litres of milk a day for 180 to 240 days of the year.

Milking takes place twice a day.

Cruising speed !

April to September

The farm settles into a routine. As soon as the morning milking is finished, the animals go out to pasture (from 6:30am to 7pm).

The sheep graze in large pens that are changed throughout the day before returning for evening milking.

At this time of year, grass provides all that the sheep consume.

Mating season

September

This is the breeding season. Rams are introduced into the herd for the mating season.

Natural breeding is not the only method, but it is the one we prefer.

A well-earned rest

Mid-September to mid-October

This is a rest period until the lambing season, to allow the sheep to replenish their reserves and prepare calmly for the coming season.

They continue to go out to pasture but are fed hay in the evening.

Cosy at home !

November to december

The sheep are now in the sheepfold because they are fragile and don’t like the cold and damp.

Our sheep are fed an all-you-can-eat buffet with good mountain hay and a mixture of grains that will evolve according to their gestation and calving needs.