image description

Glossary of Terms

Search for glossary terms (regular expression allowed)
Term Definition
Ear mark / tag

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

Synonyms - Ear Tag
Elasticity
Valuable property found in wool - being able to return to its original length after stretching or compression.
Evenness
Relates to the uniformity of the fleece principally in terms of quality number and length.
Ewe
A female sheep.
Exotic
Not occurring in Australia.
Exotic Breeds
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.
Expert
The person in large shearing contracting teams responsible for the maintenance of the shearing equipment.
External

On the outside (skin) of the animal's body. Usually refers to parasites, such as ticks, lice and blowfly. Related term: Ectoparasite - external parasite

Go to top