Abstract

Seasonal wool growth pattern and fleece characteristics of Doreset x Romney ewes lambing in either autumn or spring and rearing 0, 1 or 2 lambs were measured over 2 years. The ewes were shorn twice- yearly in March and October. Season of lambing influenced the seasonal pattern of wool growth. Autumn lambing ewes did not show as marked a seasonal decline in wool growth during the winter. March shorn fleeces were coarser (2.5 um), stronger (20 N/ktex), and yellower (1.1 Y-Z units) than October shorn fleeces of October shorn spring lambing ewes. On the basis of price trends over the last 5 years, net wool returns from autumn lambing ewes would exceed those from spring lambing ewes by approximately 80c/ewe/year.

DC, Maddever, GA Carnaby, and DA Ross

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 51, , 333-338, 1991