Delaine Merino

The Delaine Merino is the American smooth-bodied Merino, selected away from the heavy skin folds that older Merino types carry. The name comes from the French for wool cloth.

The wool is the point. Delaine fleeces are fine, dense, long-stapled and even, among the finest produced in the United States, and they command a price accordingly.

Removing the folds also removed several problems. Smooth-bodied sheep are faster to shear, less prone to fly strike, and more tolerant of heat than a wrinkled Merino.

They are hardy, long-lived, and flock strongly, which suits range conditions.

The trade is the carcass and the calendar. A Delaine lamb finishes light and slow next to a meat breed, so income leans on the clip, and the value of that clip depends entirely on shearing and handling being done properly.