Corriedale Sheep Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Corriedale Sheep breed is one of the oldest of the crossbred sheep breeds and originated from New Zealand. It is one of the most popular sheep breeds in quite a few countries around the world including America.

It is a hardy, adaptive, good lamber, the ewes are great mothers and they have a premium grade meat and top-quality wool.

CORRIEDALE SHEEP QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Corriedale sheep is one of the oldest of crossbred sheep breeds and produces a high quality of wool
Country of Origin:	New Zealand
Other Names:	None
Breed Size:	Large
Main Purpose:	Meat and wool
Can be used for	Breed, Meat, Wool **LSC (Landscape Management)
Temperament:	They have a docile temperament and are easy to handle
Ideal Climate:	Most climates
Conservation Status:	No Listed by the *ALC Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Sheep?	Novice to intermediate level sheep farmer/keeper
Sheep Associations:	American Corriedale Association
Sheep Clubs:	Please refer to the American Corriedale Association members/breeders directory for up to date lists of breeders and or clubs in your area.
Note: ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy * LSC stands for Landscape Management – the animal is used for controlling various vegetation growth

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They are a large bodied sheep with stubbed tails, their faces are usually clean of fleece up to their foreheads. Their noses and hooves are black, and their legs are usually fleece covered.

Color(s):

White

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Breed Weight:	59 to 82 kgs	79 to 125 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear – large sized breed	Unclear – large sized breed
Hair:	Good staple lengthy, heavy, even with an even pronounced crimp. It is usually bright and soft to the touch	Good staple lengthy, heavy, even with an even pronounced crimp. It is usually bright and soft to the touch
Ears:	Medium size may have small black or blues spots on them. They do not droop but stand erect to the side of their heads.	Medium size may have small black or blues spots on them. They do not droop but stand erect to the side of their heads.
Horns:	Polled	Polled
Matures at age:	10 weeks/15 months or 15 years	10 weeks to 15 months
Puberty Age:	5 to 12 months	5 to 7 months
Breeding Age:	18 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Ewe Breeding & Milking Info.	Cover 5 to 10 Ewes in 1 season

EWE BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION

The ewes breed once a year and mostly produce enough milk to wean their lambs. They are seasonal breeders but can be bred in 8 to 9 months intervals on a breeding program.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 16 to 59 hours
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days/15 to 20 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 149 to 155 days but most gestation is 152 days
No. Lambs/Litter:	1 and 2 (twins)
Lactation Period:	Usually, around 150 to 240 day but most are milked for 180 days
Milking From:	4 to 6 weeks after lambing
Milk Quality:	Good, Quantity: Enough to wean lambs , Per: Lactation period
Milk Ideal for:	Lambs
You may Also Like:	10 Best Sheep Breeds for Milk

SHEEP MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Corriedale Sheep breed is a meat producing sheep bred specifically developed and selectively bred to produce a high-quality meat. The lambs are fast growers with high quality, large carcasses and reach their ideal slaughter weight at around 10 months.

Meat Production:

Yes, Quality: Good Premium quality

SHEEP ⇒	LAMB	HOGGET/MUTTON
Approx. Maturity Weight:	58 kgs	79 kgs
Approx. Maturity Age:

SHEEP WOOL PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Corriedale is crossed with the Merino sheep breed which helps give it its good quality wool that is a mix of medium to long wool. It has a high yield, good length and softness.

Wool Production?

Yes, Quality: Medium-fine quality

Wool is used to Produce:

Hand spinners, garments, etc.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months	6 to 8 months
Approx. Length:	8 to 13 cm	8 to 13 cm
Microns:	22 to 34	22 to 34
Approx. Quantity:	From 5 kg up to 6.5 kgs a year	From 5 kg up to 6.5 kgs a year

SHEEP SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Corriedale lambs have a very good quality carcass and produce a high pelt value.

Skin Production?

Yes, Quality: Excellent / high pelt value

Skin is used to Produce:

Kid skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, etc.
Chamois cloths, leather goods such as seats, shoes and other garments and leather materials such as furniture, etc.

SHEEP ⇒	EWE	RAM
Age they Produce from:	3 to 10 months for Kid skin 1 to 2 years old for Normal leather	3 to 10 months for Kid skin 1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT THE CORRIEDALE SHEEP

A few more interesting facts to know about the breed
Child-Friendly?	The are a large breed of sheep and children should never be left unsupervised around them.
Landscape Management?	Sheep love to roam various landscapes and grazing on the greenery. They are excellent at controlling noxious weeds and various long invasive grasses and bush.
Where to buy them?	Please refer to the American Corriedale Association members directory for more information on sellers around your area.

GENERAL INFORMATOIN

The Corriedale sheep breed was developed in both New Zealand and Australia as a dual-purpose breed.

They produce lambs with a heavy carcass with makes them have high valued pelts and premium quality meat.

The Corriedale sheep breed can tolerate many different climates and environments. They are on of the most popular sheep breeds second only to the Merino sheep.

They can easily adapt to various production systems and they make great youth projects due to their calm docile temperament.

They are found throughout Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Asia, South and North America.

The Corriedale sheep breed are a true dual-purpose breed. The sheep are very prolific, and they can potentially produce fall lambs and often have multiple births (twins).

HISTORY

In the 1860’s a farm manager of the Corriedale Estates at Otaga on the South Island of New Zealand named James Little is given the credit for developing the Corriedale sheep breed.

The Corriedale sheep was developed by the in-breeding of the off-spring of a cross between an English Lincoln sire and a Merino dam.

The Corriedale sheep was developed in order to produce a true dual-purpose breed of sheep that had the best qualities of both the top meat and wool producing sheep around at the time.

The Corriedale sheep is a sheep that is prized for both its meat and wool as it produces a high yield of both. With the lambs having an outstanding carcass and high pelt values.

In 1902 the breed was officially named the Corriedale Sheep breed. In 1911 the New Zealand Sheep Breeders Association started publishing the pedigree for the Corriedale sheep breed. But it was not until 1924 that the Corriedale Sheep breed had a flock book published by the Corriedale Sheep Society of New Zealand.

Professor F.R. Marshall, who was at the time the head sheepman of the Bureau of Animal Husbandary and Frank S. King who was a resident of Wyoming and the representative for the National Wool growers association were appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to find a new dual-purpose sheep breed.

The two men went to New Zealand in search of a dual-purpose sheep breed where they selected ten rams and sixty-five ewes for importation to America. They were set for the government experiment station in Wyoming.

In 1916 F.S. King founded both the Wyoming Corriedale Society and the American Corriadale Association.
The Corriedale sheep breed have gained incredible popularity throughout the United States and the world ranking as the second most numerous breed around the globe.