Sheep, Merino breed
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About this section
The Merino is a fine-wool breed whose value sits in the fleece: the clip is uniform, the fibre is fine, and the weight of wool per head is far above what coarse-wool breeds give. Meat output is average and there is no fat tail. Merinos pay their way where there is a buyer for wool and where the flock can be shorn on time, because an overgrown fleece loses value and the animal loses comfort. Even feeding matters more than in most breeds, since a hungry spell leaves a weak point along the staple and the whole lot is downgraded. Listings state the age, the clip of the previous season and the origin, and together they show whether the animal is a wool type or a cross bred towards meat. Flocks are usually shorn once a year in spring, and fibre diameter is measured in microns, which is what sets the price of a lot.
How much wool does a Merino give?
The clip depends heavily on the line, the feeding and the timing of shearing, so ask the seller for the figure from last season, which is recorded on the farm. That beats any average from a handbook.
Is the Merino kept for meat?
Meat output is average and there is no fat tail, so buyers in this region who want meat take fat-tailed breeds instead. A Merino earns from wool, and meat is a secondary return.
What ruins fleece quality?
Hunger periods and illness. Fibre diameter shifts, a weak break appears along the staple, and the buyer pays less for the lot. Steady feeding here is a money question, not a comfort one.
What happens to the lambs?
They are seldom finished for meat, because growing them to the first shearing usually pays better. Young stock is therefore offered for breeding or for wool flocks rather than for slaughter.