The Dorper sheep breed was developed in South Africa in the 1930's by the Department of Agriculture. The need to produce a quality sheep meat product that would meet the demands of international buyers and for a meat sheep breed that was able to perform well under extreme conditions was paramount. The Department developed such a sheep by crossing the Dorset Horn with the Black Headed Persian.
The perfect meat sheep breed slowly evolved, the body being white, the head black. Over several generations a pure White Dorper was developed.
This breed has proved to be the best suited to produce a top quility slaughter lamb on natural grazing - a well muscled carcass with low bodyfat as favoured by the consumer. The Dorper is also an excellent mutton ram to use in a cross breeding programme with traditional border leicester x Merino or downs type ewes and will provide a quick growing lamb with a high quality carcass and skin. The Dorper breed has a high feed efficiency and can effectively utilize even low quality grazing. In addition to a 12 month breeding season with a high conception rate, ewes lamb at regular intervals and have a high twinning percentage.The Dorper is a hardy mutton breed which is resistant to severe condidtions but also reacts favourable to good conditions and requires the absolute minimum labour:
No shearing
Easy lambing
Excellent mothers
Good temperament
High yielding carcass (over 52%)
ability for 3 lambings in 2 years
