Effects of breed and level of feeding on leather production from 18-month-old wethers

Abstract

Skins were compared from 2 groups of 18-month-old Cheviot, Drysdale, and Romney wethers reared under hill country conditions, and offered initial pasture allowances per animal after weaning of either 1.5 or 3.0 kg DM/day increasing progressively to 2.0 or 4.0 kg DM/day at slaughter. Cheviot skins were more suited to wool-on leather production, whereas Drysdale and Romney pelts were more suited to garment leather production. Cheviot leathers were more resistant to tearing, with a stronger more extensible grain layer, more pinhole, more mottle, and less double-hiding than the other breeds. Drysdale leathers had most cockle, and Romney leathers least pinhole. Improved feeding increased weight, area, and thickness of the leather, occurrence of mottle and neck, resistance to tearing, and the strength and extensibility of the grain layer. © 1983 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.