Sheep
Our Sheep
Parkdale has developed a remarkable flock of Poll Merino Sheep bred on SRS® (soft rolling skin™) selection principles.
The sheep are not mulesed, highly blow fly resistant, plain-bodied and produce deceptively high fleece weights of very soft wool.
The sires have exceptional length of body, solid bone and fit the desired "triple wedge" shape. Necks are long and the faces very open.
Parkdale carry 10,000 breeding ewes.
Parkdale SRS® Merinos ceased mulesing in 2004.
Fertility is rising rapidly with some mobs reaching weaning percentages of 165%. We focus on having high genetic fat cover and eye muscle for better fertility and lamb survival.
Parkdale sheep are renowned for their fast-growing, well aligned staple, high fertility and fecundity. The Stud ewes are shorn every 8 months (this is due to the quick growing long staple of the Parkdale sheep).
• No sheep mulesed since 2004, both at Parkdale and Enngonia.
• Demand for Parkdale mules free genetics
• Highly blow fly resistant, resulting in far less preventative chemicals required.
• Average weaning 137%
• High genetic fat cover for better lamb survival and animal health.
• Large eye muscle producing high yielding carcases and fertility.
• Parkdale lambs averaged dressed 48% yield after curfew (44% full) at Thomas Foods Tamworth.
• Adult flock average 19.6 micron
• Shear every 8 months at 90mm (test result)
• Not mulesed attracting $1/kg greasy premium on average
• Annual Parkdale sale of 3,500 ewes, 25% above previous weeks AuctionPlus sales of 100,000 sheep.
• Parkdale has a short tail Merino family of 800 breeding ewes. 165% of lambs weaned. There is no mulesing and no tail docking in this family, with 20 micron wool.
Robert and Scott Mudford are both available for sheep classing to assist in developing mules-free Merino flocks.
If you are after any sheep purchases or information regarding our semen sires please contact us.
SRS® Genetics
SRS® (soft rolling skin™) is a unique breeding system for developing new genetic types of sheep, goats and alpacas with fleeces of unparalleled quality. It was invented and implemented by Dr. Jim Watts (MVSc, PhD) a specialist in fleece and skin biology and animal breeding.
This new breeding technology allows meat and milk breeds of sheep and goats that previously produced no wool, or inferior wool, to be transformed into valuable wool-producing animals without any loss of meat or milk production.
Using the SRS® breeding system, remarkable genetic improvements have been achieved in the quantity and quality of fleeces produced by merino sheep, angora goats and alpacas; animals that normally grow long and fine fleeces. In many flocks and herds, the wool or mohair is almost twice as long, is finer and softer, and there is a lot more of it.
The SRS® genetics Merino sheep have great wool, do not need to be mulesed, are easy to shear and rear more lambs.
(Image - The late Dr Jim Watts, who we will be forever grateful for his wisdom.)
