This study was carried out on 2 309 households in 60 villages with the objective of documenting the performance of Mecheri sheep in their native environment. The study revealed that Mecheri sheep were distributed in Salem, Erode, Karur, Namakkal and parts of Dharmapuri districts of Tamil Nadu. This tract lies in the north-western agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu and the climate is generally hot, semi-arid and tropical in nature.

The average flock size of Mecheri sheep was 24, of which, there were 1 ram, 17 ewes and 6 lambs. Mecheri sheep of medium size with a compact body and covered with short hairs, which are not shorn. They are light brown in colour. Their profile reveals a slightly Roman nose. Both males and females are polled. The pooled means for height at withers, chest girth and body length at above 24 months of age were 67±0.4, 74±0.4 and 66±0.4 cm, respectively. The body weight of the animals at birth 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age was 2.82±0.01, 10.9±0.1, 15.6±0.1, 17.6±0.2 and 21.1±0.1, kg respectively. The dressing percentage of males and females was 54.4±0.4 and 51.8±0.5, respectively. Average ages at first oestrus, mating and lambing were 12.1±0.1, 12.4±0.1 and 17.4±0.1 months, respectively. The average lambing interval was 226±0.7 days and the average litter size was one.