Corriedale wool ranging from 25 to 30 microns diameter. Fleece from a mature ewe will weigh with a staple length of . After cleaning, a yield of 50 to 60% of the raw fleece weight is common. Mature rams will weigh ; ewes can weigh from . This breed was developed in Australia and New Zealand by extensive breeding and culling as a cross between Merino and Lincoln sheep The goal was to develop a breed that would thrive in lower rainfall areas and supply long-staple wool. James Little was the original breeder. The name comes from a property in the
Breed registry conformation shows. For the breed to move to the Miscellaneous class and then to fully recognized status, the breed's stud book must be closed. A closed stud book allows the breed to stay very pure to its type, but limits its ability to be improved. This may put a breed at a disadvantage, especially in performance disciplines, where an animal is worth more if it is successful in competition even if it is not pure. It also limits the gene pool, which may make certain undesirable characteristics become accentuated in the breed, such as a poor conformational fault or a