Poll Merino
Encyclopedia
The Poll Merino is a subtype of the Australia
n Merino
breed of domestic sheep
, without horns
, that was developed in Australia.
A single gene
with three possible allele
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
and shear, are less likely to become caught in fences or bushes and they are generally easier to handle. The wethers do not develop the stag horns that regular Merino wethers grow if they are not castrated early.
. 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 where 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.
Many studs are now breeding Poll Merinos to cater for the increased demand for these easier to care for sheep.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
breed of domestic sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, without horns
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
, 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.A single gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
with three possible allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...
s controls horn inheritance in Australian Merinos.
| allele | Result | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| P | Poll | Dominant to p and P1 |
| P1 | Horns | Recessive to P, Dominant to p |
| p | Horns in rams, scurs in ewes | Recessive to P1 and P |
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
Crutching
Crutching refers to the removal of wool from around the tail and between the rear legs of a sheep. It can also refer to removing wool from the heads of sheep or from the bellies of male sheep .-Motivation:...
and shear, are less likely to become caught in fences or bushes and they are generally easier to handle. The wethers do not develop the stag horns that regular Merino wethers grow if they are not castrated early.
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 WalesMoree, New South Wales
Moree is a large 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....
. 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
Peppin Merino
The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino Sheep raised for its wool, mostly in Australia. So important is the Peppin Merino that sheep men throughout Australia often classify their sheep simply as being either Peppin, or non-Peppin.....
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 where 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.
Many studs are now breeding Poll Merinos to cater for the increased demand for these easier to care for sheep.