Bonds evolved in Australia in 1909 as a dual-purpose breed, using Peppin Merinos and imported Lincoln rams. Bonds are tall, long-bodied sheep, heavy in the bone and with open faces and a robust constitution. They produce bulky, long-stapled, bright 22-28 micron wool. Lambs are long, lean, and fast growing. Bond rams weigh up to 150 kg (330 lbs.).
Bond sheep are mainly found in the south east portion of Australia. They have the ability to produce economic results in a wide range of climatic conditions of rainfall from 350-1140 mm (14 to 45 inches).
Breed categories: dual-purpose
Distribution: Australia, New Zealand, China, Russia
The big Bond sheep is an Australian breed, developed in the early 1900’s to provide both good wool and meat qualities in a self-replacing flock. Bonds are tall, long-bodied sheep, heavy in the bone and with open faces and a robust constitution.
They produce bulky, long-stapled, bright 22-28 micron wool. Bond rams weigh up to 150kg. They have the ability to produce economic results in a wide range of climatic conditions of rainfall from 350-1140mm (14 to 45 inches).
The breed has significant advantages over many others with its high fertility – commercial Bond operations have reported lambing percentages up to 130 per cent. The self-replacing Bond flock saves the producer the expense, time, and potential of disease introduction of buying in replacement stock.
Bond lambs have a higher skin value that other more traditional prime lamb breeds.
Bonds provide excellent opportunities for high economic returns from the heavy fleecy weights, premium wool quality, high fertility resulting in high lambing percentages, and fast lamb growth rates enabling the marketing of lambs at trade weights. Elite lamb in the 22-24 kg range, or as wethers suitable for export at a very young age, but ideally grown out to heavy chart weights.
Check out our current stock of Bond fleece.