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.Template:R It is a specialised carpet wool breed, but also a useful meat breed.Template:R
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 Template:Convert with a 40 microns[1] fibre diameter[2] and a staple of Template:Convert. 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 Template:Convert in length. Live weight is 60–70 kg.
Characteristics
Use
References
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Further reading
- Stephens, M (et al.), Handbook of Australian Livestock, Australian Meat & Livestock Export Corporation, 2000 (4th ed), Template:ISBN