Seasonal wool production and staple strength of Romney ewes

Abstract

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.