Category:Xaxi Ardia Sheep

Sheep from the Basque Country.

A Basque sheep farmer called Ferme Conservatoire de Leyssart to say that he had a type of sheep apparently never mentioned in any books about sheep. After making further inquiries, the 'Conservatoire des Races d'Aquitaine' decided to buy a small group of these animals and place them on the 'Ferme Conservatoire' so that they could be studied and an evaluation made of the differences between them and other breeds close to them (such as the 'Manech' and 'Landes' types).

This breed has just been officially recognized by the "Commission Nationale d'Agrément Génétique" ('National Commission for Genetic Approval'). Their main interest is in the way they are reared, spending a good part of the year in total liberty in mountainous areas where the vegetation is poor (in the Basque language, the name 'Xaxi Ardia' means 'ewes of the undergrowth').