The French breed standard is as follows (source: OSCAR, the recording body responsible for progeny testing the three main sheep breeds in Normandy):
Head: Hornless, short, alert, covered with a brown-red hair. The forehead is usually bare with a straight profile with slight depression in the eyes. The muzzle is slightly concave, covered with fine and short hairs, brown or salmon skin and sometimes pigmented with teardrop glands evident. Neck toggles are acceptable.
Ears: Implanted high and erect. Covered with fine and short hairs, salmon brown skin sometimes pigmented. Cheeks covered. Ears should be free of wool.
Trunk: Straight, wide and regular. Chest open and down. Kidneys (loin) thick and well attached.
Testes: They are well attached and large. Not too pendulous or hard.
Legs and feet: Covered with a hair identical to that of the head. Shoulders relatively well rounded and not broad (feminine). Legs well developed, well-muscled gigots. Wool is permissible down the rear of the back legs without an excess. Strong pasterns and slight sickle. Feet should be black.
Stance: Legs well apart, fine bone structure. Rump slightly broader than the shoulder.
Wool: Medium staple white fleece, stopping at the lower and hind limbs a few centimetres above the knee and hock. The wool should not cover the head. Lambs in their first year may have short wool on their belly, hind limbs and possibly a forelock on their head, which disappears with age. Tight fleece is preferred.
Teats: The udder attachment is firm and does not allow it to be distended, despite a volume and significant weight in lactation. On a dried sheep, the reabsorbed udder must not be visible. ‘Bottle’ teats are a fault.
Males stand 70 – 80cm ~~~~ weigh 90 – 110kgs
Females stand 65 – 70cm ~~~ weigh 60 – 80kgs
N.B. In the UK, sheep can be coloured but must not be trimmed or carded for shows. Sheep should be shown in good commercial condition with overfat animals marked down. The breed society reserves the right to withdraw animals from shows or sales that do not sufficiently exemplify the breed or that fail a veterinary inspection.