- Sound conformation and constitution
- High fertility
- Loose, pliable, productive skins
- Elite Superfine spinning quality silky soft wool
- Reducing adult sheep micron to 16 microns
- Adult Clean fleece weight of 3.0kg/hd (4.5 kg/hd greasy)
- Meat production - improve early maturity and achieve 50kgs at 18 months
- Elite, superfine crimp
- Improve worm resistance
Further Information:
The breeding objective of Edale's superfine stud sheep has evolved, having achieved previous objectives as can be seen in the Historical Performance and Benchmarking graphs. 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 16 micron on adult medium fine sheep cutting 3.0 kgs/hd clean (around 4.5Kgs/hd greasy), supported by increasing worm resistance and early maturity.
These sheep, similar to the medium fines, 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 3 micron, and primary fibres of finer diameter than the secondary fibres. Because processors do not currently have the critical mass of low curvature superfine wool available and therefore continue to rely on high curvature superfine wool Edale's breeding objective is split in this regard to accommodate current market requirements.
Consequently, there are two streams. One to meet a low curvature objective; and a second to achieve a high curvature objective. These fibres will have a high percentage cylindricity to enhance high performance processing at both topmaking and spinning building on the Saxon genetic foundation on which the Edale Superfine Stud was founded. The meat production objective, as a result of wool being the specialist product of superfine sheep, is to breed sheep with frames that allow sale to either live sheep or domestic markets at an age exceeding 18 months.
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 both with highly defined crimp.
The premium of these superfine wools diminish if the basic housekeeping quality is not achieved, in particular tensile strength, vegetable matter content and % mid-break. 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.
