Drysdale sheep originally come from New Zealand and were developed in the 1930's when Dr Francis Dry used a Romney ram with coarse wool against Cheviots. The coarse hair gene was actually a mutation that occurred in the Romney breed. The product was a sheep that possessed an abundance of coarse, long staple wool.
The wool from Drysdale sheep has been especially popular in carpet manufacturing and has been particularly useful in locations where static electricity is problematic.
Drysdale sheep have medium sized frames. Their uncramped fleece typically weighs around 6 kilograms with a 40 micron diameter. The gene that is responsible for the coarse wool outcome also causes the existence of horns.
Drysdale are dual-purpose sheep and lambs that are not needed for the production of wool will generally serve as prime lambs for the local market. In Australia, Drysdales are mostly distributed throughout higher rainfall areas.
