Comeback (sheep)
Encyclopedia
The Comeback is a type of domestic sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...

 originating in Australia
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...

. This type of sheep results from crossbreds produced by British Longwool sheep
Border Leicester
The Border Leicester is a breed of sheep originating in England and raised primarily for meat. Border Leicesters are polled, long-wooled sheep. Though large in size and robust, they are also docile...

 and a Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...

s being mated back to Merinos. This cross is made in order to achieve a finer, better style of wool. Comeback style wool is also produced by Bond
Bond (sheep)
Bond sheep are an Australian sheep breed that was developed around 1909 near Lockhart, New South Wales by Thomas Bond when he mated Saxon-Peppin Merino ewes to stud Lincoln rams for primarily wool production. The resulting progeny was selected on the basis that they would be more suited to the...

, Cormo
Cormo (sheep)
The Cormo is an Australian breed of sheep developed in Tasmania by crossing Corriedale rams with superfine Saxon Merino ewes in the early 1960s. The name Cormo is derived from the names of two of the parent breeds, Corriedale and Merino. The breed was fixed through intense selection criteria,...

 and Polwarth
Polwarth
Polwarth may refer to:*Polwarth , a breed of sheep*Polwarth, Edinburgh*Polwarth, Scottish Borders*Patrick Hume of Polwarth, makar in the court of James VI of Scotland*Electoral district of Polwarth in the Parliament of Victoria, Australia...

 sheep. The Comeback sheep are raised for meat and wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

.

Characteristics

The staple length of the bulky wool is 11 cm (4.3 in) with an average diameter of 21 to 25 microns.

The Comeback is well adapted to high rainfall districts in Australia. Though they are similar to Merino, this breed does not have neck folds. Both sexes are either horned or polled (hornless). The average weight of mature rams is 90 kg (198.4 lb) and of ewes is 60 kg (132.3 lb). At birth, ewes and rams both weigh 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) on average.
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