"Farming in New Zealand" -Bulletin no 252, New Zealand Dept of Agriculture, 1946.agriculture sheep - new zealand farming, agriculture, sheep - new zealand, farming

Originating in New Zealand, the Drysdale, represented by Bilby Bill, was developed in the 1930s at Massey University (Canterbury) by crossing a coarse haired Romney and the hardy Cheviot breed. First imported to Australia in 1975, the Drysdale, due to a genetic abnormality, produces coarse, long staple fleece. This same gene also gives them their horns, something that generally does not occur in the parent breeds. Their fleece grows very fast, up to 25cm every six months; as such shearing is carried out twice a year. The coarse and hard wearing wool is mostly used for the manufacture of carpets. The Drysdale is a medium to large stocky sheep, weighing approximately 55kg and produces about 6 to 8kg of fleece per animal annually, which is 35 to 45 microns in diameter. The yarn used on the National Wool Museum’s Axminster Gripper Loom to make the Manor House Rug is spun from the wool of Drysdale sheep.Taxidermied male Drysdale sheep. Medium sized animal with white body coloration. Large horns protruding from the top of the skull. drysdale, sheep, new zealand

The success of any flock is through the strength of its females and Blossom, a Border Leicester/Merino Cross ewe is an excellent example. Border Leicester rams are mated with Merino ewes to produce fat lamb mothers. These first cross ewes are mated with meat sheep, such as Dorsets to produce hybrids that pass on quality wool characteristics to their offspring. The Border Leicester/Merino crosses produce good quantities of wool which, despite being of stronger micron than most Merino fleece wool (34 to 38 microns), is still in demand in the marketplace. The Border Leicester sheep takes its name from the border country between England and Scotland, the area in which the breed was first developed in the late 18th century.Border Leicester/Merino Cross ewe. Long body with white fleece. The nose is black and she has large ears, upright and alert. The head and legs are free of wool.drysdale, sheep, new zealand