Sires are mated to an equal allocation of ewes to ensure the difference between the progeny can be attributed to the sire and not the ewes. Approximately 50 ewes representative of the strain of rams on test are mated to each sire to obtain 25 or more progeny. 15-20 progeny can be expected to provide a satisfactory estimate of a sire's breeding value. Link sires act as the genetic connections between years and sites that allow the direct comparison of all the sires listed within the two groups - Medium and Fine Wool. This is because the analysis separates the environment and genetic differences between rams.
Visual assessment is carried out by two recognised and independent sheep classers.
Processing of the results is carried out independently and reported publicly. All CTSE sites provide their data free of charge to allow the across site measured and visual analysis to be performed and presented on this website. Site reports provide additional information on traits that are not presented on this website. Additional traits included in some site reports are fleece rot resistance, internal parasite resistance and the individual conformation and wool quality traits. These reports may be obtained by contacting the individual sites .