The Perendale is a breed of
sheep
Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
developed in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
by Massey Agricultural College (now
Massey University
Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...
) for use in steep hill situations.
[
] The breed is named after Sir
Geoffrey Peren
Brigadier Sir Geoffrey Sylvester Peren (30 November 1892 – 19 July 1980) was an agricultural scientist, university professor, and agricultural college principal, as well as a soldier in the two world wars, serving in the Canadian, British, and ...
, and it achieves its aims by being the offspring of
Romney ewes and
Cheviot rams with sturdy legs. It is raised primarily for
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
.
[
]
History
Since the early 1980s, the flock numbers of this sheep has increased, mainly because hill-country farming has increased and they are more adaptable to the terrain.
Developed from the Cheviot and Romney, the Perendale is a dual-purpose sheep producing wool fibres of diameter with a staple length. The Perendale is characteristically a high fertility animal, and has great potential to produce a prime ewe lamb when crossed with the Merino. As a purebred, its hardiness makes it ideally suited to colder, high-rainfall areas. The Perendale is easy to care for; the ewes have little trouble lambing and are good mothers.
Characteristics
The mature body weight of a ram is and a ewe is . The average fiber diameter is 29 to 35
microns
The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...
.
[''Preparation of Australian Wool Clips'', Code of Practice 2010-2012, Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), 2010] The USDA wool grade is 44's to 54's.
[
]
References
External links
Perendale Sheep Society of New Zealand
Sheep breeds
Sheep breeds originating in New Zealand
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