| I've had crossbred sheep in the past and finding someone to shear a few sheep (10-15 head) was next to impossible. What to do with the wool was the next problem. I chose the Dorper breed because I didn't want to have to shear and wanted a good meat breed. I never personally liked lamb until now. I am hooked on the wonderfully mild flavor of the dorper meat. Color wise, there are two dorper breeds. The Dorper (black-head) and White dorper. Color is a matter of preferance. My personal choice is the Dorper. I really like the contrast of the white body and black head. The ewes are very docile, great mothers with a lot of milk. Dorper ewes can be bred most of the year, with the idea in mind of getting three lamb crops every two years. I have done this and personally prefer to breed every ten months. Another great breed feature is the high percentage of twins. The lambs are fast growing. Many reach 80-90 pounds by 90 days of age. Many of the lambs not kept for breeding stock go directly to the sale barn at weaning. While it is important to alway be aware of where the ram is, I have been real happy with the temperament of the Dorper rams I have had. Mine have been docile and easy to handle. I like using a breeding harness on the rams and maybe that handling them two or three times a year has helped make them easier to work with People always want to know the difference between Fullblood and Purebred. Fullbloods can trace all of their ancestory back to South Africa. You can only get a fullblood by breeding fullblood to fullblood. You can breed a fullblood or purebred to any breed and get a percentage lamb. You can breed up to a purebed, but not a fullblood. Purebreds and fullbloods are both purebred. |
About Dorpers
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Schmitz
Dorpers
Dorpers