The Poll Dorset, a short-wool, meat-producing

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 ...

, was developed in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

between 1937 and 1954 with the aim of breeding a true

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

type sheep without horns. The poll gene was introduced into

Dorset Horn The Dorset Horn is an endangered British breed of domestic sheep. It is documented from the seventeenth century, and is highly prolific, sometimes producing two lambing seasons per year. Among British sheep, it is the only breed capable of bre ...

flocks from two other polled breeds and following a strict back-mating programme achieved close to 100% of Dorset Horn blood. Its main distinguishing features are its hornless appearance, long, lean square body set on short legs, pink skin and 'spongy' short-stapled wool. The Poll Dorset produces a fleece of white, dense downs type wool of 30

micron 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 ...

s fibre diameter and it has a white wool-free face.Stephens, M (''et al.''), ''Handbook of Australian Livestock'', Australian Meat & Livestock Export Corporation, 2000 (4th ed), The breed was first developed by WJ Dawkins at his property, Newbold, Gawler River ,SA. commencing in 1937 using Corriedales to introduce the poll gene. In 1941, Lyall Stuart from ''Valmore'' in

Whitemore, Tasmania Whitemore is a rural locality and small town in the local government area of Meander Valley Council, Meander Valley in the Launceston LGA Region, Launceston region of Tasmania. The locality is about south-east of the town of Westbury, Tasmania, ...

and in1943, Rex Wilson from Kismet in Howlong, NSW both used Ryelands to introduce the poll gene. into the Dorset Horn. In 1954 these three men and Jack Reddin form Newbold, founded the Australian Poll Dorset Association. Poll Dorset rams are the most commonly used sire for the production of prime lambs in Australia. Ewes are noted for their high fertility, mothering and milking ability. The characteristics of the breed such as rapid growth rate, superior fleshing and muscular development make them ideally suited for the meat trade. Lambs sired by Poll Dorsets can satisfy the lightweight

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

ern market, the local market or the export market to the US at 20 to 25 kg or heavier. Poll Dorset carcases have excelled in Australian carcase competitions having very good eye muscle and a good lean meat to fat ratio. Poll Dorset genes have also been a major contributor to the developing White Suffolk breed and almost all other prime lamb composite breeds in Australia. Export sales have been made to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and North and

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. In 1992 a group of Poll Dorset breeders established Meat Elite Australia to share

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

and to progeny-test elite young sires to identify animals that will benefit the Australian sheep-meat industry. The Poll Dorset breed, though less elite in terms of thermotolerance and in high-altitude sustainability when compared to other breeds, has been consistently researched for improvement in hopes of mass breeding to aid in the sheep-meat and farming industry. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0531.2009.01551.x The Australian Poll Dorset is not to be confused with the Polled Dorset that was developed at North Carolina State University in the early 1950s.

Citations

References

* ''The Land Stock Types''. North Richmond, NSW: Rural Press.

External links

* http://www.polldorset.org.au/ * http://www.meatelite.com.au/Main.asp?_=Meat%20Elite%20Australia%20-%20Poll%20Dorsets%20Leading%20the%20Way {{Sheep breeds of Australia and New Zealand Sheep breeds originating in Australia Sheep breeds