Corriedale
The Corriedale is a fixed Lincoln Merino cross. The initial crossbreeding and upgrading program using these breeds began in Australia around 1874. The breed has gained worldwide popularity, now being the most populous breed in South America and thrives throughout Asia, North America and South Africa. It is claimed to be the second most popular sheep breed in the world after the Merino.
The Corriedale is a large framed, plain bodied, polled, dual-purpose sheep. It produces premium prime lambs when mated to terminal sires of a meat breed. In addition, it produces excellent prime lamb mothers when mated to Merino ewes. Purebred Corriedale lambs are also achieving solid recognition as prime lambs. It thus produces good quality carcases of lamb, hogget or mutton. A bonus is its high value skin.
The Corriedale produces bulky, high yielding wool of around 27 micron diameter (range 25 to 30). Staple length is long at around 150mm. The breed is found in most sheep areas of Australia, but mainly in the temperate, higher rainfall zones supporting improved pastures. Further information is available from:
Further information is available from:
The Australian Corriedale Association Inc
GPO Box 75B
Melbourne VIC 3001
www.corriedale.org.au
