The Merino Stud Breeding Direction
We have always aimed to breed functional sheep that require low labour costs, are water proof,structurally sound and are resilient to disease. I focus on visual assessment for most of my ram and ewe selection. This selection is coupled with over five generations of ram breeding experience and is a rare skill found in very few sheep men and women today.
The number one focus in the Merino flock has always been on increasing fleece weight, but in a balanced way so that I am not losing growth rates or fertility. To do this, we must breed this increased fleece weight on a plainer bodied animal than before that has more genetic fat and muscle.
