American Sheep Industry Association Chisholm Trail Dorper Association Until the age of three months, feeding with mothers milk is mandatory for them, after which the young can be taken away from the uterus and transferred to a separate pen. The breed is extremely adaptable with a high ability to flourish, grow, produce and reproduce in irregular and low rainfall environments. The Dorper is now well adapted in South Africa to a variety of climatic and conditions. The Dorper will shed around the more difficult-to-reach areas like its legs and groin but if it has any difficulty shedding, it will be on its main body section, which makes it very easy for shearing. They should be allowed to graze during the spring, summer, and fall months on the green, growing pasture. 8 Potential Methods, How Many Horses Are There? The meat produced from a Dorper flock seems very popular. Easy to grass-finish on low-moderate pasture quality. Hello. Dorper or White Dorper White Dorpers are being used for the commercial prime lamb and low maintenance commercial ewe flock. [citation needed] Dorpers can be run as a replacement or with suitable management as a complementary flock to Merinos, particularly as shearing costs continue to rise. Subscribe to our email newsletter for regular tips and tricks on homesteading wherever you are. Dorper is a breed of sheep with a short and very clear history of origin. They can even be combined with Merinos in one herd. Purchase a well-muscled ram to produce great meat that produces as quickly as possible. Trials and producer experience in Australia indicate that it should be possible to breed Dorper-Merino F1 lambs with a bodyweight of 36kg at 105-120 days, to produce a carcass of about 16kg. A fulltime farmer and blogger who love to share all his farming experiences. KJH Dorper Sheep is located in North Texas 26 miles northwest of Fort Worth, in Azle, TX. 2022 Winter; 2022 Autumn; . It is a medium-sized animal that is thick and well-muscled. Dorpers easily gain weight, and a few bites of corn with each meal adds the extra weight necessary for heavy market sheep. This means that they will usually get along with people and other animals, although it also means that they have sensible respect for some animals. The Dorper is well adapted to a variety of climatic and grazing conditions. The Dorper sheep breed is a result of cross-breeding the Dorset Horn sheep with the Blackhead Persian Sheep. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Dorper ewes can be bred any time of year. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. This is especially important for pregnant females, as they are always deficient in nutrients and vitamins. From an American point of view (the point is located precisely in the state of Texas). Thanks for visiting our site, lets make this world a better place to live. So replace with few bits of corn or oats. As well as being hardy and able to survive in almost any climate, the Dorper is fast-growing, reaches sexual maturity at a reasonably young age, and it has minimum requirements. The Dorper also utilize a larger number of different plant species. A Dorper lamb will reach a high weaning weight quite easily. Sheep For Sale; Merchandise. Located East Kurrajong . It also contains conjugated linoleic acid which has been shown in some studies to reduce inflammation and body fat. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The ewe is a good mother that is protective of her lambs and multiple births are fairly common in this breed. The Dorper sheep breed will grow into large, muscular, broad sheep. The usual economies of scale apply, so you might be able to enjoy lower prices if buying a full flock or a large number of Dorpers. Originally this breed was developed for the more arid areas of the Republic but today they are widely spread throughout all the provinces. Some factors will affect the price, like genetics and quantity. Australian Dorper and White Dorper Association Inc, Dorper Sheep Association of Czech Republic, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dorper&oldid=1130165072, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2013, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 December 2022, at 22:27. It is becoming more and more popular not just in . When buying your sheep, you will have to decide whether you want a purebred or a fullblood. Essentially, this means that they will eat whatever grass, hay, plants, and shrubs are in their field. The modern day Dorper is numerically the second largest breed in South Africa with over 10 million head (over 1/3 of the total number of sheep). It was clear that Dorper sheep are less-selective grazers, compared to other type breeds. It is considered easy to care for with a short coat that sheds in late spring and summer. Dorpers prefer fiber to grains and they respond well to good quality hay. Because the Dorper is largely a grass-fed animal, its meat is full of Omega-3s. In females, horns are completely absent, in rams they rarely grow and usually are two or three centimeter tubercles. Dorper sheep for sale. The Dorper skin is the most sought-after sheepskin in the world[citation needed] and is marketed under the name of Cape Glovers. Dorper Hardiness. Want to learn more about farming? Upon reaching one month, young animals already weigh about 12 kg, and especially well-fed 25 kg. It is also not as prone to flystrike or parasitic infestation. There are many reasons to love Dorper sheep, and I share many in this video. One of the most fertile of sheep breeds that is hornless with good body length and a short light covering of hair and wool. A breeding project was finalized in 1946 and the Dorper earned a prominent place in the history of South African agriculture. The Dorset has white wool and the Persian has a black head. Brown hair around the eyes, white teats, white under the tail and white hoofs are undesirable. They are a good breed for beginners as well as experienced handlers, but they are a stocky breed and can be challenging to set up. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Home; Editions. The breed was created through the efforts of the South African Department of Agriculture to breed a meat sheep suitable to the more arid regions of the country. Females are always very caring, and they usually have enough milk for the normal feeding of all born cubs. . Black-headed breeders constitute about 85% of the members of the Dorper Sheep Breeders' Society of South Africa. Other breeds, including the Van Rooy, also played a part in developing the current breed. Dorset Horn Uses. In addition, the Persians have very valuable skins used in the production of fine leather products. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It even does well in the wet areas of New Zealand and Tasmania. Since that time the DSSA has managed and maintained a registry of pedigree and breeding information for both sires and dams, maintaining high genetic integrity. --> Lameness and foot lesions in Dorper sheep | Posted June 2011 Written by: Jillian Lawrence, University of Sydney Intern and Libby Read, District Veterinarian . From an American point of view (the point is located precisely in the state of Texas). Another beneficial feature of the breed is that its breeding is not seasonally limited. I, with your permission, will name two more breeds. By Darlene Polachic Issue #75 May/June, 2002 If Henry Soderberg's predictions are right, Dorper sheep could revolutionize the meat sheep industry. Manage Settings As many of you know, I am a fan of the Dorper sheep. Problems with the amount of milk are more often observed in older individuals, after the age of eight. All representatives of dorpers are large, harmoniously built animals with a massive and slightly elongated body. You can also follow us on Instagram (@jrpiercefamilyfarm) and Pinterest (J&R Pierce Family Farm) for frequent updates. If conditions allow, forage oats are grown for grazing by the lactating ewes and their lambs. Despite originating in the warmer temperatures of South Africa, they will grow a thicker coat in colder temperatures. Dorper sheep were first bred in South Africa and were bred to cope with the semi-arid climate of the region. Its skin covering which is a mixture of hair and wool, will drop off if not shorn to keep it tidy. They can find food in a variety of climates that other sheep cannot. Search our database of over 11517 posts with up-to-date information from our experts and veterinarians. White Dorper genetics have also contributed to the development of the Australian White sheep breed.[4]. April 28, 2022 . Mid-American Dorper Breeders Association Dorpers. Their skin is of such high quality that it is sought after in the leather-making industry. The Dorper does well in various range and feeding conditions and reacts very favorably under intensive feeding conditions. If it is assumed that the lambing percentage is 150% and that management is at such a level that ewes can lamb about three times in two years, a Dorper ewe will produce 2.25 lambs on an annual basis. The South African Department of Agriculture bred this sheep because they wanted a meat sheep that was better able to stand up to the areas arid climate. 2022 Editions. Fiber from the outer coats of wild sheep, technically known as hair, is not suitable for spinning into wool . The Dorper breed was developed through the crossing of the Blackhead Persian ewe with the Dorset Horn and this resulted in the birth of some white Dorper lambs. In 1950, the South African Dorper Breeders Association was formed. Australian History of Dorpers. The Dorper is hardy and can thrive under range conditions where other breeds can barely exist and the ewe can raise a lamb of reasonable quality under fairly severe conditions. Lambs are fast growing early maturing with an excellent carcass and can reach 45 kgs (100 lbs) in 100 days. Despite the good immunity of dorpers, one should not exclude the possibility of developing one of the common diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, brucellosis, infectious mastitis, and smallpox. The breed also features an extended breeding period. The meat is considered milder than other breeds. The breeders did not think about the name of the specified breed of sheep for a long time and simply combined the names of the parental forms: the first syllable from dorsethorn, and the second from Persian black-headed. **. As they shed their wool, they are a favorite breed in pastoral areas as they do not require shearing and are less susceptible to flystrike, eliminating the need for mulesing or flu treatments. For this reason, biomaterial or sheep embryos are more often imported into the country, which is important not only for the Russian Federation, but also for Canada, Australia and the USA, where the described breed is quite popular. Few dietary requirements. This protection can take the natural form of trees and canopies or a more stable shed. The Dorper breed was developed out of necessity. This is one of the ways that this breed requires minimal work. OJD in Sheep: What Is It, Symptoms, Prevention, and Treatment. It is generally accepted that sheep require up to 20 square feet of shed per adult sheep. The Dorper is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian sheep. Dorper, Damara, Merino and X-Breed Lambs/Sheep 8x Ewes, 11x Wethers & 1x Young Dorper Ram. The Dorper was first created in the 1930s. The nomenclature is fun and unique - it is simply a combination of the . The Dorper sheep put on wool in cold climates and shed in warm weather. It was created by crossing the Dorset Horn with the Blackhead Persian. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Rare Breeds livestock of New Zealand. 9 DIY Reptile Enclosures You Can Build Today (With Pictures), What Smells Deter Cats from Peeing? The Dorper sheep was bred in South Africa in the 1930s. Among the shortcomings of the breed, the most noticeable are: the impossibility of keeping on elevated places (because of their love for heights, they often fall from the upper tiers, haylofts, etc. Grass-fed lamb is also an amazing source of zinc and selenium which protect against oxidative stress. The wool simply falls off the skin and onto the ground where it breaks down into the soil over time. The reason for the emergence of a new breed of sheep in the Republic of South Africa in the 30s of the last century was the high demand for dietary meat, and given the small amount of greenery for grazing existing animals, farmers needed a new meat and unpretentious breed in growing, which would be enough local meager fodder. The rams have a weight range from 230 to 275 pounds while the ewes range from 155 to 210 pounds. The sheep are at their natural breeding peak at this time so this correlates with most lambing occurring in July and August. The Dorper is considered a non-selective grazer. The South African farmers began developing a new breed and were . This diet should be supplemented with clean grass hay. A good manager can organize his program so that lambs can be dropped at any time of the year. E-mail: office@dorpersheep.org, Copyright 2023 American Dorper Sheep Breeders' Society, Application for Registering Ewes & Rams fillable, National Dorper and White Dorper Show & Sale, Mid-South Regional Dorper Breeders Association, Dorper Sheep Breeders' Society of South Africa, National Sheep Industry Improvement Program, Nutritional Effects on Parasites American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control, Tools for Managing Internal Parasites in Small Ruminants: Copper Wire Particles. The Dorper adapts well to a variety of grazing conditions. You will need to provide shade during the summer and protection from the rain or snow during the winter. It does not, for example, need shearing. Rambouillet Sheep Breed Information: Will This Dual-Purpose Breed Suit Your Farm? Overview: The Dorper is a South African mutton breed developed in the 1930's from the Dorset Horn and Blackheaded Persian. Last seen: 01/07/2017 - 16:28 Joined: 01/07/2017 - 15:01 Please Help! They have also spread to wet and lush areas of New Zealand, where they have also flourished. These sheep can lamb up to three times every two years with the lambing intervals lasting around eight months each. Other breeds, including the Van Rooy, also played a part in developing the current breed. It reputably does well in various range and feeding conditions and is also suited to intensive feeding. A Dorper is a fast-growing meat-producing sheep. The first is Bleu du Maine. It was developed in South Africa and is now the second most popular breed in that country. The Dorper is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead . Starter flocks are available and are an affordable way to get started with the Dorper sheep breed. The excessive milk production of the ewe helps ensure early growth for your lambs. The Dorper Lamb is a fast growing, meat producing sheep breed that thrives in a variety of grazing conditions. It may also have some additional white coloring on the body. The Dorper is more tolerant of parasites than other breeds, and is not as prone to flystrike, either. Over time this adds to their hardiness. The Dorper has a thick skin which is highly prized and protects the sheep under harsh climatic conditions. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Dorper sheeps great taste comes from its grass-fed diet and the fact that its not grain-fed grain.