Aussiedown (sheep)
Encyclopedia
Aussiedown sheep are an Australia
n breed
of sheep that was developed in the early 1990s using Southdown
and Texel
genetics. The resulting progeny have a maximum of 75% Southdown and Texel ancestry. They are mainly used as prime lamb sires, by crossing them over purebred or crossbred ewes.
Aussiedown sheep are easy care, clean faced, plain bodied sheep that produce a white, downs type wool with a fibre diameter of 28 to 33 microns, with a staple length of 60 to 90 mm and a fleece weight of about 3–5 kg (6.6–11 lb). Stud rams may weigh up to 140 kg (308.6 lb) under good conditions and ewes about 87 kg (191.8 lb). High lambing percentages are common.
This breed is mostly found in the south-east areas of Australia, in New South Wales and Victoria.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n breed
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of sheep that was developed in the early 1990s using Southdown
Southdown (sheep)
The Southdown is a small, dual purpose British sheep but is raised primarily for meat. The Southdown breed was originally bred by John Ellman of Glynde, near Lewes, East Sussex about 200 years ago. His work was continued by Jonas Webb of Babraham in Cambridgeshire who developed the larger animal...
and Texel
Texel (sheep)
The Texel is a breed of domestic sheep originally from the island of Texel in the Netherlands. It is now a popular lean meat sheep in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and Europe. The Texel is a heavily muscled sheep. It produces a lean meat carcass and will pass on this quality to crossbred...
genetics. The resulting progeny have a maximum of 75% Southdown and Texel ancestry. They are mainly used as prime lamb sires, by crossing them over purebred or crossbred ewes.
Aussiedown sheep are easy care, clean faced, plain bodied sheep that produce a white, downs type wool with a fibre diameter of 28 to 33 microns, with a staple length of 60 to 90 mm and a fleece weight of about 3–5 kg (6.6–11 lb). Stud rams may weigh up to 140 kg (308.6 lb) under good conditions and ewes about 87 kg (191.8 lb). High lambing percentages are common.
This breed is mostly found in the south-east areas of Australia, in New South Wales and Victoria.