They are mainly white in coloration with black face, but some animals can also be of black color. A sheep skin with a lot of hair closely resembles a goatskin. Dorpers are excellent converters of a wide range of forage types and they excel in grazing or weed control. In its native South Africa it has spread from the arid areas to all parts of the republic. Live weight gains that allow lambs to reach about 36 kg (79 lb) (17 kg (37 lb) - 18 kg (39 lb) carcase) in 100 days has been obtained from first cross animals grown in the Mallee region. It reputably does well in various range and feeding conditions and is also suited to intensive feeding. One of the most fertile of sheep breeds that is hornless with good body length and a short light covering of hair and wool. Australian Dorper and White Dorper Association Inc, Dorper Sheep Association of Czech Republic, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dorper&oldid=943438660, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2013, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 March 2020, at 22:07. The Dorpers require little grain (I do give some through the very harsh winters), and maintain condition on poorer pasture. The name 'Dorper' is a coupling of the first syllables of the parent breeds Dorset and Persian. The breed is aimed to get adjusted to arid regions of South Africa, with efforts from the South African Department of Agriculture. The Dorper is an easy-care animal that produces a short, light coat of wool and hair that is shed in late spring and summer. The Dorper is an easy-care breed which requires minimal input of labour. The Dorper skin is the most sought after sheepskin in the world and is marketed under the name of Cape Glovers. The purpose of the THCDA is to: 1) Promote the positive attributes of Dorper sheep in the Hill Country region of Texas, 2) Educate our members and potential new growers about the Dorper … As with many cross breeds, the Dorper White Dorper Sheep The white dorper sheep are a very fast growing, heavily muscled sheep that have a high feed conversion and are extremely easy keepers. The Dorper has a long breeding season which is not seasonally limited. The breed is regarded as having the ability to graze and browse which suggests it will consume plants seldom eaten by the Merino. 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. In Australia, Dorpers are now farmed throughout the arid and tropical areas as well as the high rainfall southern States, thriving even in the extreme cold and wetness of Tasmania. Its skin covering which is a mixture of hair and wool, will drop off if not shorn to keep it tidy. The breed was developed for the arid extensive regions of South Africa. The Dorper Sheep is a hardy resilient South African breed of sheep that can withstand various harsh climates, environments and intensive operations. Originally this breed was developed for the more arid areas of the Republic but today they are widely spread throughout all the provinces. A good manager can organize his program so that lambs can be dropped at any time of the year. Furthermore the breed shows exceptional adaptability, hardiness, reproduction rates and growth (reaching 36 kg [~80 lbs] at three and a half to four months) as well as good mothering abilities. --> The breed is fertile and the percentage of ewes that become pregnant in one mating season is relatively high. The skin comprises a high percentage of the income (20%) in South Africa. The Dorper Sheep Breeders Society of South Africa was founded in 1950. Copyright © 1995-2015 Oklahoma State University Board of Regents. animal-science-mail-form In a flock containing a large number of maiden ewes, the lambing percentage will be in the region of 120% as these ewes usually drop single lambs. The breed is … The Dorper is an easy-care animal that produces a short, light coat of wool and hair that is shed in late spring and summer. Great mothers, the katahdin is also very hardy and worm resistant. The breed has the characteristic black head. American Dorper Sheep Breeders’ Society – the official registry for Dorper Sheep in the United States. The breed is extremely adaptable with a high ability to flourish, grow, produce and reproduce in irregular and low rainfall environments. Information on adding new breeds or updating existing information. White Dorper genetics have also contributed to the development of the Australian White sheep breed.[3]. Box 246, Upington  8800, South Africa, [Sheep Breeds || Breeds of Livestock || Animal Science Home Page || Comment ]. A Dorper is a fast-growing meat-producing sheep. They are highly fertile and have no breeding “season” so they can produce up to three births in two years. Overview: The Dorper is a South African mutton breed developed in the 1930's from the Dorset Horn and Blackheaded Persian. Dorper sheep mainly raised for meat. Lambing percentages in South Africa of 150% are not uncommon, as well as an average fecundity of 160%. The breed was developed for the arid extensive regions of South Africa. The Dorper lamb grows rapidly and attains a high weaning weight which again is an economically important characteristic in the breeding of mutton sheep. Consequently under good forage conditions and with good management the Dorper ewe can lamb three times in two years. The Dorper sheep are medium sized animals. The breed is aimed to get adjusted to arid regions of South Africa, with efforts from the South African Department of Agriculture. The Dorper breed is now numerically the second largest breed in South Africa and has spread to many countries throughout the world. Furthermore the breed show… document.write('animal-science-mail-form'); Overview: The Dorper is a South African mutton breed developed in the 1930's from the Dorset Horn and Blackheaded Persian. It has high fertility and maternal instinct, combined with high growth rates and hardiness. This is for any fullblood or purebred white or black dorper sheep for rehoming. During a phase D2 growth test at Tweedie, the average daily gain was 160 g per day in the test while the average daily gain per day of age was 203 g per day. The Dorper is the second largest breed in South Africa and has spread to many other countries throughout the world. Dorset horn sheep have lambs all year long, especially in the fall, and we’ve seen ewes lamb twice in one year. A South Africa fast-growing meat breed developed around 1930 by crossing the Dorset Horn and Blackheaded Persian. The Society was organized in December of 1995. The Dorper is an easy-care animal that produces a fleece of little wool that is shed late spring-summer. Please provide a description of this breed as well 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. Dorper sheep are the ideal, easy-care meat sheep. 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