Coopworth (sheep) - Breed Characteristics

Breed Characteristics

Coopworth sheep are a medium sized, dual purpose, longwool breed, with an alert but quiet disposition. The long face is usually clean with a small topknot or bare head and a slightly Roman nose. They stand a bit taller than the NZ Romney and exhibit heavier muscling than the Border Leicester. The body is long with a good loin and hindquarter, light forequarter and a wide pelvis. The fleece, with pointed locks, has a well-defined crimp with bright luster and spinning count of 44-48 (35-39 micrometres) and a staple length of 6-8 inches. While only white Coopworths may be registered in New Zealand and Australia, both white and natural colored Coopworths are accepted for registration in the United States and Canada.

The ewes lamb easily and very few indeed have to be assisted as there is little or no bearing trouble. It is these characteristics that derive from the better shape of the pelvis of the ewe and the narrower head and shoulders of the lamb. While easy lambing is the main feature of easy-care, two other features are significant. Coopworths are open faced and require no eyewigging. At shearing the points are clear but this makes for extra weight of the ewes.

In addition, the Coopworth are excellent mothers. The Coopworth ewe has a highly developed mothering instinct and does not run off when disturbed. Its milk production is very good, all of makes for easier lambing management, less labour, and a higher lamb survival rate spite of a higher proportion of twins. It is the considered and conservative opinion of those who have Coopworths that the shepherding required at lambing is less than half of that required for Romneys and Corriedales. As an alternative to using less labour, hill county farmers are finding that they can shift Coopworth ewes and lambs at an early age without mis-mothering and so move into an intensive shepherding and shedding-off system on hill country.

Another feature is their ease of mustering especially on broken or scrubby country. This may well result from their clear face and longer leg. A third feature is that as young sheep they grow rapidly, and present fewer difficulties in hogget rearing.

It is important to note that it is not unusual to see differences in appearance between individual animals because selection based on measured performance, rather than phenotype, has traditionally been the basis for registration. For this reason, several wool styles are considered acceptable. These would be similar to Border Leicester and NZ Romney wool types.