Elliottdale are a dual-purpose (meat and wool) sheep
developed at the Elliott Research Station in Tasmania during the 1970s. They
were commercialized in 1986, which helped established the Australian Carpet
Wool Industry. The effect of the EI gene (Elliottdale) is similar to the
Drysdale, Tukidale, and Carpetmaster genes in the Romney breed, and are at a
different locus on the chromozone. Today, the Elliottdale sheep breed is rare
and is at serious risk of extinction with very little breeding animals left.
They are medium-sized uni-colored white sheep. They produce
good quality fleece, and their wool has a fiber diameter of 38-40 microns. The
ewes are always polled, but the rams can be either horned or polled. The average
live body weight of the mature Elliottdale ewes is around 58 kg. And the fully
grown ram’s live body weight is around 70 kg.
About Elliottdale Sheep
