They are average in size and their faces are solid in color. The hooves of Romney prevent foot rot and fleeces in the harsh weather. The Australian Romney is a large, dual purpose sheep producing strong, heavy wool and very good lambs, with a large proportion of twins. In 1904 Romney sheep were first introduced to the United States. Romney meat is known for its delicate taste even in older lambs. The Romney is a "long-wool" breed recognized in England by 1800. Romney sheep can be either white or colored with slightly different breed standards applied to each breed. Wool fleeces for handspinning and Romney sheep for breeding. The Romney sheep fleece weight is around 3.5 to 5.5 kg with a spinning count of 40 to 48. Romneys are a dual purpose sheep because they can be used for many different farming environments. The Romney, formerly called the Romney Marsh sheep but generally referred to by the local farmers as the Kent, is a breed of sheep originating in England. SHEEP BREEDS IN NEW ZEALAND Dorset ... Easy care lambing and high growth weight Excellent mothering ability Good fleece weights Wool type—strong High fertility Wool type—strong Strong mothering ability Easy care lambing Breeding selection based on meat and wool production High fertility Crossed with romney/corriedale/merino for crossbred commercial ewes Prime lamb production Wool … Tintern's Elmo enjoying a day in the paddock. The Romney (originally called Romney Marsh) is one of the oldest known sheep breeds, with its origins having been traced back more than 700 years to the 13th Century and possibly earlier. The rams weigh from 200 to 300 pounds. Romney sheep are a hardy and adaptable English lowland breed, being a familiar site on their indigenous areas of the Romney Marsh and lowlands of the south east coast of Kent and Sussex, England. Exported to other continents, the Romney is an economically important sheep breed, especially to the sheep-meat and wool export trades of New Zealand. The Romney sheep of today have been somewhat improved upon from the original sheep of the Romney Marsh. Romneys have become a popular breed in the U.S. A Dual Purpose Breed. History. Romney’s also possessed a calm temperament. The ewes weigh from 150 to 200 pounds. This means that present Romney wool has an even longer staple than their earlier ancestors, with a fiber width ranging between 29-36 microns, which makes it a comfortable wool that is ideal for outerwear. Romney’s have long, lustrous fleece which is white in color. This makes the breed on to the oldest known sheep breeds that were possibly around in the 13th century where the 1346 plague (black death) had a major affect on the sheep farming industry in Romney. They are average in size and their faces are solid in color can be traced back to than! 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