The Poll Merino is a subtype of the Australian

Merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

breed of

domestic sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

, without

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

, that was developed in Australia.

Characteristics

These sheep are early maturing, large framed and relatively plain bodied, producing a fleece which is soft handling and of good colour thus retaining the attributes of the Merino. Polled Merinos are now found in the various strains of Merinos.Stephens, M (''et al.''), ''Handbook of Australian Livestock'', Australian Meat & Livestock Export Corporation, 2000 (4th ed.), A single

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

with three possible

allele An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...

s controls horn inheritance in Australian Merinos. Poll Merino rams are not susceptible to poll strike (maggots behind the horns) which results from fighting and which can cause temporary infertility. They are also easier to

crutch A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. History Crutc ...

and shear, are less likely to become caught in fences or bushes and they are generally easier to handle.Cottle, David J., Australian Sheep and Wool Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne, 1991, The wethers do not develop the ''stag'' horns that regular Merino wethers grow if they are not castrated early.Massy, Charles, The Australian Merino, Viking O'Neil, 1990,

History

In 1825 Alexander Riley was the first Australian breeder to obtain a poll ram with a view to establishing a poll Merino flock. The ram was imported by him from Germany, along with Saxon ewes. Boonoke, Bungaree, Uardry and Wanganella studs made specific mention of ''poley'' or poll rams for sale from the early 1880s. During the 1880s the first conscious attempt was made to breed the modern-type Poll Merinos by the Munros at ''Webollabolla'',

Moree, New South Wales Moree is a town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River, in the centre of the rich black-soil plains. The town is located at the junction of the Newell Highway and Gwydir Highwa ...

. This stud is the oldest Poll Merino stud in Australia. The Kirkby Poll Merino studs (''Success'' and ''Reno'') were started in Moree during 1932, Boonoke Poll in 1934 and Merryville Poll in 1938. The early Western Australian studs (Cranmore Park 1947, Belmore Park 1957) purchased Boonoke poll rams. Otway Falkiner started the Boonoke Poll Stud using 13 'sports', which had no horns, from the Boonoke 1934 drop of nearly 9,000 rams. From this group of thirteen rams, eight were put over 400 Boonoke ewes the following year. The first offering of Poll Boonoke rams to the public was in 1937. Otway Falkiner’s contribution was acknowledged by registering Boonoke as Poll Flock No. 1, in the first separate section for Poll Merinos in the Australian Stud Merino Flock Register.FSF studs
Retrieved on 2009-8-30 Many studs are now breeding Poll Merinos to cater for the increased demand for these easier-to-care-for sheep.

References

External links

Merino world

Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders
{{Sheep breeds of Australia and New Zealand Sheep breeds originating in Australia Sheep breeds

Characteristics

History

See also

References

External links