Delaine Merino Origin, Characteristics, Wool Type, Usage

Delaine Merino is a type C of Merino breed that is primarily used for wool production. It is a domestic sheep breed that was bred almost 1000 years ago. The Delaine Merino is a renowned domestic sheep breed that has won a prize for its outstanding quality wool production. These sheep are medium and are commonly found in flocks. Farmers in North America keep these sheep under their supervision to harvest quality wool and distribute it all over the world. Unlike other types of merino sheep, Delaine Merino has great adaptability. It thrives in extreme climatic conditions and all types of weather conditions. 

Origin

The Delaine Merino sheep originated from Spain but nowadays, they are predominantly found in North America. The main purpose of raising this breed on an international scale is excellent quality wool production. They thrive in the Southwest United States. The Farmers of Western and south-western States of America keep these sheep because of their high adaptability. These sheep are found all over the United States at almost all altitudes. These sheep are commonly available in New Zealand and Australia. The wool of Delaine Merino sheep is harvested at some specific farms in the United States and distributed all over the world. 

Characteristics

The Delaine Merino is a medium-sized sheep. They have short necks and smooth wrinkle-free bodies. Under their chin, there could be one or two dewlaps. Talking about their wool, they have a dense, fine, short, and soft coat on their body that covers their legs as well. As they grow in size, their legs become long and yield inferior quality wool. The heavy folds of wool are present around the neck, rear flanks, thighs, and behind the shoulders. With these folds, the overall surface area of the wool is increased and ultimately more wool is produced. 

Wool Type

The Delaine Merino sheep produces outstanding wool quality and has won a prize globally. The exceptionally fine wool produced by these sheep is ideal for hand spinners. The USDA wool quality for Merino Type C wool is grade 64s to 80s. The EWE and RAMs start producing wool at the same age i.e. 6 to 8 months. The approximate length of their wool is 6.35 cm to 10 cm. Their wool is 22 to 17 microns. The EVE produces around 5.4 to 9 kgs of wool a year but a RAM produces 11 kgs of wool per year. 

Usage

The Delaine Merino sheep are bred for wool production. They are raised and harvested by the farmers for this sole purpose. Special farms have been designed in the south-western states of America to raise these sheep on a bigger scale. The fleece produced by Delaine Merino sheep is the softest of all. It contains 50,000,000 fibres per fleece. The texture of their wool is a little crimp but uniform and well-defined. The wool of Delaine Merino is used on an industrial scale to produce warm clothes, jackets, coats, carpets, blankets, curtains, and comforters. These products are suitable for survival in extreme climatic conditions.