Crimp in wool – the incidence of abnormal staple crimp within individual flocks

Abstract

Fleeces of Polwarth and Corriedale, and of fine-wool, medium-wool, and strong-wool Merino sheep in 13 commercial flocks and 3 experimental flocks in five Australian States were graded for abnormality of staple crimp. The incidence of abnormally crimped fleeces in individual flocks ranged from 26 to 96 per cent, and within each flock the frequency varied considerably with age. This survey suggests that as much as 10 per cent of the Australian wool clip may have some crimp abnormality. Evidence of an effect of flock husbandry was a higher incidence of abnormally crimped fleeces amongst spring-mated than amongst autumn-mated ewes in a flock at Trangie, N.S.W. Differences in the availability of feed at times of increased requirement may have been responsible. In several flocks fleeces that exhibited superimposed secondary waves (over-crimping) generally had higher crimp frequencies than normally crimped fleeces, but not always correspondingly smaller fibre thickness. In all flocks doggy fleeces had substantially lower crimp frequencies and frequently greater fibre thicknesses than normally crimped fleeces.