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Drysdale sheep

New Zealand breed of sheep From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Drysdale sheep
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The Drysdale is a New Zealand breed of sheep. It was developed from 1931 by Francis Dry, and derives from sheep of the New Zealand Romney breed in which a mutation caused the coat to be particularly hairy, and thus suitable for carpet-making.[5]:xl It is a specialised carpet wool breed, but also a useful meat breed.[4]:31

Quick Facts Conservation status, Country of origin ...
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History

Francis Dry in 1931 noticed a genetic freak, a Romney ram with a high percentage of very coarse wool. Crossing two Romneys and Cheviots resulted in a sheep with a lot of coarse fleece which is about 6 kg (13 lb) with a 40 microns[6] fibre diameter[7] and a staple of 200 to 300 mm (7.9 to 11.8 in). The coarse wool gene causes both male and female Drysdales to be horned. The male's horn resembles a Wiltshire ram's horn whereas the ewe's horns are very small - usually only 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) in length. Live weight is 60–70 kg.

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Characteristics

Use

References

Further reading

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