Dorper sheep are large and muscular with mature rams averaging around 230 pounds and mature ewes ranging between 180-210 lbs. Both sexes are polled and usually do not have horns, but many rams may have scurs. They grow light, protective body fleeces during the winter months and shed them during the summer. Their tails are smaller on average than most breeds and consist mostly of hair instead of wool, which allows Dorper breeders the option to leave their tails long instead of docking them as lambs.

Some of the traits that make Dorper sheep an excellent, easy-care meat sheep include:

• The ability to tolerate both heat and cold equally well
• Can thrive in extremely dry climates making them drought tolerant
• Have a high resistance to parasites
• Non selective grazers that eat brush and weeds as well as grass
• Protective mothers that don’t require crutching prior to lambing.
• The ability to have three lamb crops every two years, as a common practice
• Usually deliver twins and sometimes triplets
• Lambs are born big and vigorous, weighing 7 to 11 pounds
• Heavy milkers with high lamb survival rates and rapid lamb growth
• Rapid growth producing a muscular, lean carcass of around 80 lbs in 12-14 weeks
• Intelligent and docile leading to easily worked sheep

History of the Dorper Sheep

The Dorper breed was developed during the 1940′s in South Africa to fulfill the commercial needs of South African farmers. In the decade preceding, the South African farmers of the 1930′s were having a terrible time trying to export their surplus mutton and lamb. The sheep raised in South Africa were comprised of fat tailed indigenous breeds, and were rejected by places like London’s prestigious Smithfield Market due to quality concerns in comparison to the preferred higher quality New Zealand lamb that its customers demanded.

As a result, the South African Meat board decided to create a meat sheep breed that would produce higher quality meat, while still being able to endure the hot dry conditions that indigenous breeds were able to thrive in. Their research led them to crossing the Arabian Blackhead Persian ewes with Dorset Horn rams. The resulting Dorper sheep inherited hardiness, adaptability, pigmentation, high fertility and the ability to breed every eight months while still producing high numbers of twins from the Blackhead Persian. Another benefit from the Blackhead Persian was a higher quality, valuable skin that was used in the production of fine leather products. From the Dorset Horn, the Dorper inherited the ability to produce fast growing and heavily muscled lambs which enabled great economic returns even under extreme environmental conditions. The Dorper ewes that resulted from this cross were found to be excellent mothers that could breed in any season.

By 1946, a breeding project was finalized and the Dorper sheep became a prized symbol of South African Agriculture. Four years later, in 1950, the South African Dorper Breeders’ Association was created by twenty-eight farmers and 11 officials. The first National Dorper Show was held in Hopetown, South Africa, in 1955. It’s since grown to be one of the biggest small-stock shows in the world, with more than 1,000 sheep vying for annual prizes.

Dorper sheep that were created from this breeding project came in two varieties. One was a pure white sheep, while others were black headed with white bodies. The pure white Dorper, also known as the Dorsian, were preferred by some, while other breeders chose to concentrate purely on confirmation instead of color. Black headed Dorpers and the white Dorsians were beginning to cause a rift in 1950′s South Africa, and were considered to be separate breeds that were derived from the same source. Fortunately in 1964, the owners of both types of Dorpers decided to unite into one association and agreed upon called the black headed sheep Dorpers, and the unmarked pure white sheep White Dorpers. Dorper sheep and White Dorper sheep are registered in separate flock books, but scored on the same set of characteristics.

In the early 1990′s, American and Canadian sheep ranchers were beginning to become very interested in the Dorper Sheep. They soon realized they would have to overcome a minor hurdle since the USDA did not have an import protocol with South Africa. To work around this problem, Dorpers first came to North America as embryos that were processed through the Canadian import system. The first purebred Dorper lambs were born in the United States in 1995. Producing Dorper lambs in this method was an expensive proposition as the live lamb/embryo ratio is normally in the 30-40% range prior to any selection for soundness.

Today, the Dorper sheep is accounts for 1/3 of all sheep in South Africa, comprised of over 10 million head. In recent years, the Dorper has become popular in the Middle East, China, Canada, Australia, South America, Mexico and the United States, where it is among the fastest growing breeds.

The Dorper is a Hair Sheep

The great part about owning Dorper sheep is that you never need to shear them. Dorpers shed their covering each summer, allowing you to forego the back breaking ritual of shearing your sheep. Many owners of wool sheep hire professional shearers to shear their sheep, and realize that maintaining wool producing sheep can be an expensive proposition.

In the past, one of the benefits of raising sheep was the production of wool. Today, however, wool is no longer viable as a commercial product due to the widespread use of synthetic fibers, and the resulting dramatic decline in the price of wool. The cost and time it takes to shear sheep can no longer be offset by the price of selling the wool that has been produced, which makes owning wool producing sheep a detriment instead of a benefit.

Because Dorpers naturally shed in the summer, they are able to better tolerate the warmer weather, like we have here during our long Texas summers. Once the weather turns cooler, the Dorpers get their new coat back, ready to endure colder termperatures.

The Dorper is a Meat Sheep

Dorper lamb does not have the “mutton taste” that causes so many Americans to avoid eating lamb. It is succulent and fine textured. The purpose of the Dorper breed is to produce prime lamb.

Profitability can return to an operation that concentrates its efforts where the money is… maximum pounds of lamb in a minimum amount of time. Both ewes and lambs are good browsers as well as grazers and an underweight ewe is an uncommon sight. With decent conditions, these Dorper lambs grow quickly, producing a muscular, lean carcass in 12-14 weeks. There is a nice 1/8-inch layer of fat below the skin that keeps the carcass moist in the shipping process, but very little of the intramuscular fat that discourages consumers. Dorpers usually top out in any carcass contest.

Have you ever noticed how high lamb prices are in March, and then slowly slide when you are ready to hit the market? Dorpers breed year round, giving you the flexibility to time your lambs to meet your needs and market needs.

Easy Breeding, Easy Lambing

Dorpers have a continuous breeding season, and the ewes are known for their high reproductive rates. Being non-seasonal breeders, Lambing intervals of 8 months, three lamb crops every two years, is a common practice. Dorper ewes have calm dispositions, good maternal instincts, and are heavy milkers which adds up to high lamb survival rates and rapid lamb growth.

Yearling ewes usually produce single births, with twins and even triplets common in subsequent years. Under good range conditions, a 150 percent lamb crop is typical and rates more like 180 percent with improved nutrition can be achieved.

Ram lambs can frequently cover 20-25 ewes in a 51-day exposure. Yearling rams can usually cover 50 ewes.

Easy Keeping

The Dorper sheep breeds were developed out of necessity to have an animal that could thrive in the harsh South African climate that only receives 4-6 inches of rain per year. Dorper Sheep thrive in low rainfall areas due to their adaptability and hardiness. Dorper sheep are superb browsers and utilize the available material in a pasture much better than other breeds. The light hair coat sheds spontaneously, and is ideal for our hot southwestern summers.

Whether you are looking for a profitable way to raise sheep, a small hobby herd to keep your ag exemption, or just want to raise your own delicious lamb, there is no better choice than Dorper Sheep from Texas Deluxe. Our sheep are easy lambing, easy breeding, easy keeping, and just plain fun to work with!