Study to unlock secrets of feral merino

Wild merino sheep from Pitt Island may hold the secret to boosting the immune system of the national flock.

Researchers at Lincoln University are studying the genetic make-up of merino originally taken to Pitt Island in the Chathams group in the 1840s as food for shipwrecked sailors.

Research leader Jo Abbott said survival of the fittest would have applied different genetic pressures to the wild sheep compared to their selectively bred cousins. "We think that natural selection through living in the harsh environment for decades may have resulted in them developing resistance to certain parasites," Abbott said.

The research is expected to show whether selective breeding by farmers has affected the immune system of the commercial flock.

"It would be really exciting if this research meant that farmers were able to breed sheep that were more resistant to parasites and had appropriate immune response that limited parasite egg production without compromising lamb growth," Abbott said.

"In the long term it could mean that fewer drenches and treatments would need to be used by farmers."

Abbott said wild sheep also displayed other traits that could prove useful to farmers, including the speed at which lambs find their feet after birth and their protective, feeding and grouping behaviour.

A flock of Pitt Island merino established in Canterbury 12 years ago by rare breed enthusiast Roger Beattie will be used for the project, which is expected to last about a year.