- Sound conformation and constitution
- High fertility
- Loose, pliable, productive skins
- Elite spinning quality silky soft wool
- Reducing adult sheep micron to 18 microns
- Adult Clean fleece weight of 4.25kg/hd (6.8 kg/hd greasy)
- Meat production - early maturity to give 42kgs live weight at 6 months with low fat
- Elite defined crimp
- Raise worm resilience
Further Information:
The breeding objective of Edale's medium fine stud sheep, formerly known as "Kardella", involves having achieved previous objectives as can be seen in the Historical Performance and Statistics section.
The current objective raises the "bar" higher and is to breed sheep of sound conformation, fertility and constitution, growing silky soft, long, highly aligned fibres to produce wool of choice spinning quality 18 micron on adult medium fine sheep cutting 4.0 - 4.25kgs/hd clean (around 6.8Kgs/hd greasy). Complementary to this wool focus is the objective of improving the early maturity performance traits and increasing the resilience to worms.
These sheep have a skin architecture typified by cohesively arranged follicle groups with a primary/secondary ratio of 40+, a low standard deviation of micron of less than 4 micron, and primary fibres of finer diameter than the secondary fibres. The fibres will have a low curvature for the micron and a high percentage cylindricity to ensure high performance processing at both topmaking and spinning. Meat objectives, of early maturity to achieve a growth rate of 275gms/hd/day live weight over the first 5 months, and an eyemuscle depth of 22mm and 1.6mm fat, are to be achieved but are complementary to the wool focus.
Visually, these sheep are typified by having loose, pliable skins growing silky soft handling wool which will increasingly have deep crimps; long, highly aligned fibres; and staples tending to reflect the bundles in follicle groups rather than the traditional fibre entangled staples.
Much of the premium of these wools will diminish if the basic housekeeping quality is not achieved, i.e. tensile strength, vegetable matter content has to be within processing tolerances to attract the bidders. We are appealing to a market where soft, luxurious, sensual garments are demanded, and a market which will grow if the right raw material is offered. To capture the best of this market the input to good "housekeeping" is essential.
