Seasonal wool production and staple strength of Romney ewes

K.G. Geenty, D.F.G. Orwin, J.L. Woods, S.R. Young and M.C. Smith

Templeton Agricultural Research Station, Templeton and Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand, Lincoln

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1984, 44: 57-60

Seasonal wool growth and staple strength were measured in mature, non-pregnant Romney ewes individually penned indoors or confined as a group in a yard outdoors and offered a maintenance ration of lucerne chaff.

Clean wool growth was lowest during winter (4.6 and 5.0 g/d for indoor and outdoor ewes, respectively) and greatest during summer for indoor (11.3 g/d) or spring for outdoor (11.9 g/d) ewes. Efficiency of wool growth (g wool growth/d per kg dry matter intake/d) for indoor sheep was 5.6, 8.8, 11.8 and 7.8 during winter, spring, summer and autumn, respectively. There were positive relationships between mean wool growth, staple strength and efficiency.

Keywords: NZSAPAB; Wool growth; staple strength; efficiency.

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Last Updated 03-05-1997