Elliottdale sheep raised mainly for wool. The wool is used to make a carpet with the fleece weighs about 6 kg. The Elliott Research Station in Tasmania developed the Elliottdale sheep from 1967 to 1976.
Elliottdale sheep breed information
The breed is medium size, uni-colored and white.
The fleece weighs about 6 kg which has a staple length of 120 to 200 mm.
The fleece diameter is around 40 microns which is suitable for making a carpet.
The adult Elliottdale sheep requires shearing twice a year.
Rams can be horned and ewes are polled.
The weight of mature Elliottdale ram is 70 kg(155 lb) and the ewe is 55 kg(120 lb)
Dual-purpose breed, raised for both wool and meat
Things to know
Elliottdale sheep is developed from New Zealand Drysdale ram and a Merino/Border Leicester cross ewe. As this breed did not include the carpet wool characteristic gene, they went along with Tasmanian Romney flock.
Development of the Elliottdale breed continued using a base flock of Romney ewes, many showing some carpet-wool characteristics.
By 1972 the top selected rams were bred true and that the breed had become fixed in type.
Elliottdale breed is at serious risk of extinction.
The breed of sheep that are used to extract the carpet wool are carpet master, Drysdale, Elliottdale, and Tukidale.
Brief characteristics of Elliottdale sheep
Breed Name | Elliottdale sheep |
Other Name | |
Country/Place of Origin | Tasmania |
Breed Purpose | wool |
Breed Size | medium |
Weight Ram(Male) | 70 kg(155 lb) |
Ewe(Female) | 55 kg(120 lb) |
Kidding | one |
Good for Stall Fed | open grazing and Stall-fed |
Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
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