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| The
Dorper Sheep Breed Profile |
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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.
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