ROMNEY MARSH BREED
Romney Marsh breed
The Romney is a long wooled breed originally from England but has been exported to many parts of the world and is especially important in New Zealand. The breed is a dual-purpose breed, used for its wool and meat.
The breed has a wide head, large eyes, a black nose, and lock horns. Their body has a wide and deep chest, straight and long back, and a wide, long rump. The skin is pink and the coat can either be white or colored. The Romney fleece is unique among other breeds of sheep. It hangs in separated long locks (15-20 cm), with minimal cross fibers in between. It is easily spun and has a high yield of more than 65% or 4-5 kg for ewes and 6-7 kg for rams. It has, for a long wooled breed, a fine fiber diameter of 31 to 38 microns.
THE BREED IS A DUAL-PURPOSE BREED, USED FOR ITS WOOL AND MEAT
SHEEP AND LAMB
Their hooves are foot rot-resistant and this can be a big advantage in wet areas and outside grazing systems, like in New Zealand or England.
Ewes weigh 60-70 kg and rams weigh 100-120 kg on average. Even though the lambs are not as fast-growing as some typical meat breeds, Romney Marsh meat has a very mild taste and excellent quality.
