Sheep: Aussiedown

Country of Origin

Australia 

Australian Status

Uses

Meat and wool

Breed traits

Aussiedowns are clean faced, plain bodied, white sheep. Both the rams and ewes are polled. The sheep were developed as a specialised meat oriented sheep suited to prime lamb production, with lambs reaching 20-25kg in 4-6 months.

Ram weight: 140kg
Ewe weight: 87kg

They are known for high fertility, good lambing percentage, and good maternal abilities with a strong adaptability to various Australian climates.  

They produce a white down-type wool 28-33 micron with a staple length of 60-90 mm. Fleeces usually weigh between 3-5 kg.  They exhibit even crimping, low grease, and are classified as a down wool.

History

Developed in Australia as a prime lamb producing breed in response to falling wool prices in the early 1990s, they are a crossing of Australian Southdown and European Texel with a minimum of 75% of either breed.  The crossing of these two types, Down-type wool with continental muscling, produced a sheep with an efficient carcass quality and high meat yields, while the down-type wool provides a valuable by-product as a dual purpose sheep.

Breed Organisation

Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association Ltd.

Australian Population

2022: Ewes 10; Flocks 1

2025: Ewes 9; Flocks 1

Page by C. Wormald, March 2026

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