Glossary of Terms

Compactness or density of fibre growth over the skin area.

A fungal condition that produces wool that is matted or clumped together.

Shortening of the tail of a lamb.

Dividing animals into separate groups.

Animal remedies administered by mouth (i.e. orally) by the grower. Usually refers to worm remedies (syn. anthelmintics), but could also mean nutritional supplements or other medicines.

The driving of a mob/flock of sheep along a road or stock route.

Ewe without a lamb at foot.

Sheep suited to both wool and meat production.

The process of compressing two bales (double dump) or three bales (tri-pack) of greasy wool into the approximate size of one bale and restraining them with steel bands for shipping/transport.

Distinguishing mark of an owner clipped out of a sheep?s ear; identification disc placed in the sheep's ear.

Valuable property found in wool - being able to return to its original length after stretching or compression.

Relates to the uniformity of the fleece principally in terms of quality number and length.

A female sheep.

Not occurring in Australia.

The term applied to breeds of sheep introduced to Australia, including Awassi, Damara, Dorper and Karakul. They are characterised by a fleece that seasonally sheds dark and/or medullated fibres, and as such have been given a high AWEX Breed Risk Rating of 5. Contact between exotic breeds and the Merino sheep increases the risk of dark and/or medullated fibre contamination of Merino wool.