The Dorper Sheep Breed Profile

The White Dorper shares its many outstanding attributes with the Dorper. The one exception of course being... the colour. Separating themselves from the Dorper breeders during the 1940s, the White Dorper breeders took another course and crossed the Dorset Horn/Blackhead Persian with the Dorset Horn/Van Rooy. In addition, they used the "Ronderib Afrikaaner" in the breeding program. They founded a separate Breeders' society but decided to affiliate with the Dorper Sheep Breeders' Society in 1964, since their aim was the same... with the exception of the colour.

Since then, the White Dorper has continued to flourish in South Africa and can now, together with the Dorper, be found in 57 countries around the world. The obvious advantage using the White Dorper versus the Dorper would of course be the uninterrupted colour pattern when crossing onto a white faced sheep. Although many breeders out there love the look of "little Holsteins" running around in the pasture, I prefer a uniform look when casting an eye in my fields.

For simplicity, I will refer to the White Dorper and the Dorper as the "Dorper" in this write-up. This is in no way to suggest they are to be maintained as one breed, as they are considered segregated within the breed due to background and colour. At present, the issue is under discussion in Canada, and I will not comment on that.

There is a lot of information out there about the Dorper, but I have found that due to the breed being relatively "new" to our country (1996), the information is sometimes misinterpreted and the Dorper not given the credit that it is due.

So let's run through the many reasons Dorper breeders love what they do.

The Dorper was designed to produce a high quality carcass under harsh conditions, thus being a low maintenance sheep. Recent Lamb Meat quality Progress Reports conducted in the U.S., using 5 rams each of Finn, Romanov, Dorper (included White Dorper), Katahdin, Rambouillet, Texel, Suffolk, Dorset and Composite (a breed group developed by the USDA) were used, have shown that the meat production of a Dorper is most comparable to the Suffolk, with the Dorper X yielding a higher leg score than any other group. The Dorper X also presented the highest dressing percentage. Add to that the fact that the Dorper has a lower feed requirement compared to most other breeds... and we have a winning combination. It should be noted that in the above mentioned project, the lambs were raised in total confinement, no grazing. The Broadbent Crossbreeding Experiment in Wyoming, conducted in 1998, presented the following information: Dorper, Suffolk, Arcott, Finn/Targhee and Rambouillet were all crossed with Rambouillet. The lambs were weaned off range conditions and then pasture fed to an average weight of about 140 lbs. The results were as follows: the Dorper X had the heaviest carcass weight, highest carcass price and more Prime leg scores than any other group. We are anxiously awaiting the results of the multi year USDA crossbred ewe project, where Dorper/White Dorper, Kathadin, Dorset and Rambouillet rams X Romanov ewes were used, to be published.

The Dorper's pasture utilization deserves extra attention; they were bred to adapt and flourish under severe conditions. You would think that being from South Africa, they would be running for shelter here in freezing Canada, but NOT! I have also seen (in pictures) what they eat in South Africa and (in person) what they eat in Arizona and Texas, US. Let me tell you, no alfalfa in that! They eat branches thick as pencils from bushes dry as bone. And flourish they do...

Dorpers are great mothers, the lambs vigorous. They are fast growing and mature early. I know several Dorper breeders that breed their ewe lambs at 7 months with a 80-90% success rate. They are parasite resistant and in their native country considered to be the most protective breed against predators. And let me tell you, South Africa hosts some big, scary-looking predators.

I will briefly mention the importance of the Dorper skin in South Africa and around the world, as it is regarded among the best. It is used in the manufacturing of high quality leather clothes and gloves. As of yet, no market has been established in North America but it is being investigated as this is written.

Now this brings us to the most controversial attribute of the Dorper, the "HAIR"!!! The Dorper is considered a natural shedding breed... not a hair sheep; its covering consists of a wool/hair blend with a clean kemp underline. Ideally, this wool/hair blend will shed in the spring/summer and leave a "strip" on their top line. This is very important, as it is their protection against the elements. They should NOT shed out completely as this is considered a fault. Also, keep in mind that the lambs do not display their true shedding pattern until after their first matured shedding, which occurs at around 12 months of age. Something else to keep in mind is that the Dorper will shed according to the climate, so we cannot expect our Canadian Dorper to shed like the Texan's.

Now to the facts: losing the price of the wool, the Dorper is not for the sheep breeder who values that source of income. It can, however, be used as a Terminal sire in their breeding program, as the Dorper is successfully used in various crossbreeding programs throughout the world. Many Dorper X breeders swear that the higher price they receive for the carcass makes up for the loss of wool. I am convinced that with the addition of a Dorper ram to your existing flock and the consequent return on your money, this will make you a believer, too.

If you are not fond of the cost and labour involved with crutching and/or shearing your sheep and would like a hardy, low maintenance flock with outstanding meat qualities... the Dorper is definitely for you.

I know that with the results from the White Dorper or Dorper, you will have no regrets.


"The White Dorper" was written by Ina Campbell and was published in the September 2005 issue of the Shepherd's Journal.

10th anniversary of the Dorper in Canada show

 The sheep show at Calgary was a great success with the Dorper the most  numerous breed in attendance. The show results Dorper.pdf and results White dorper.pdf  

          The  2 1/2 day clinic with South Africa judge/inspector Raymond Read went very well with attendants from Western Canada, France and Ecuador. The typing of the Dorper was the main topic. Dorpers are type on 5 categories the best type being a 5 the poorest a 1. The animals that typed high ( 5 & 4) are the ones that are used to breed and keep the high standard in the Dorper breed.