Breeding Objectives
Edale Stud Breeding Objectives
The Edale Merino Stud breeds to advance the productive capacity of it's sheep so that purchasers of Edale genetics enhance their profitability through the quality of their wool and bodies.
Edale’s main breeding sires rank among the top sires in the country. This has been achieved through innovative practices using both visual and objective measurement to judge the best breeding sheep.
Specific mating decisions are made for each ewe and there is a full pedigree history of progeny. With exception of 1990-97 when the stud sheep were classed by Dr Jim Watts, the sheep have been classed by, and under the direction of Principal Mr Philip Gardiner and Partner James Gardiner.
Edale has a primary stud, The Edale Merino Stud, with 600 breeding ewes, and a smaller Ultrafine Merino Stud with 125 breeding ewes.
- The Edale Merino Stud
The breeding objectives for the Edale Merino Stud is to breed:
--> Early maturing poll or horned rams with yearling body weight 10% heavier than the average by Merino Superior Sires Central Test Evaluations
--> Dense wool that can produce heavy above-average fleece weights
--> Adults having a fibre diameter of 17.0-18.5 microns, standard deviation of FD less than 3.0 microns, and cutting 6-7kgs greasy wool per head
--> Loose, supple and folding skins growing densely packed, high secondary/primary folicled cylindrical shaped wool fibres
--> Skin architecture producing defined crimping, lustrous dense match-stick staples
--> Resistance to worms (measured by % WEC being 30% less than the average by Merino Superior Sires Central Test Evaluations)
--> Bodies with sound back and feet
--> High fertility ewes which are expected to achieve +90% lambing
--> Adult ewe body weight to average 55-65kgs.
- The Edale Ultrafine Merino Stud
The Edale Ultrafine Merino Stud is a long-term project with a primary goal to produce a line of sub-15 micron wool.
The core breeding objectives for the Edale Ultrafine Merino Stud is to breed the key elements as per the above objectives for the primary Edale Merino Stud, as well as:
--> Adults having a fibre diameter of 14.5-15.5 microns, standard deviation of FD less than 2.8 microns, and cutting 4.0-4.5 kgs greasy wool per head
--> Adult ewe body weight to average 55-60kgs