It wants to investigate what proteins or cellular structure may be special to their wool, and whether it’s the same as in the lustre breeds.
“If you think you have a lamb with an unusual coat please take another look,” says David Scobie, who is leading the lamb quest.
In composites and breeds such as Romney, Perendale, Texel, and in particular Merino, the lambs are easy to spot. But in normally lustrous breeds such as the English and Border Leicesters, and Lincolns, it’s much harder to tell a mutant and a normal lamb apart.
It is the second year such lambs have been sought, but last year the only animal found with the mutation was a wether.
“Since he is missing rather important pieces of reproductive equipment it’s not the best news for us.”
If a lamb turns out to be of the type sought, they’ll buy it at normal commercial rates.
In practice that’s probably a good deal because the lambs are unlikely to make good commercial animals: the silky fleece does not insulate as well as other wool and they have a habit of not surviving cold weather.
“The mutation also affects tooth development; their lambs’ teeth may not be replaced as they get older, which means that they have difficulty competing with other sheep for food.
“If anyone does decide to keep them I say ‘good luck with breeding them’ because they’re pretty hard to keep alive.”
To report a possible lustrous lamb, call AgResearch on 07 834 6627 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
