Content
Dorper is a breed of sheep with a short and very clear history of origin. The breed was bred in the 30s of the last century in South Africa. To provide the population of the country with meat, a hardy sheep was needed, capable of subsisting and fattening in the arid regions of the country. The Dorper breed was bred under the leadership of the South African Department of Agriculture for breeding beef sheep. Dorper was bred by crossing a fat-tailed Persian black-headed sheep of a meat direction and a horned Dorset.
Persian sheep were bred in Arabia and gave Dorper their high adaptability to heat, cold, dry and humid air. In addition, the Persian black-headed sheep is fertile, often producing two lambs. She transferred all these qualities to the Persian black-headed and Dorper. Along with these characteristics, the Dorper sheep also inherited the color from the Persian black-headed. The coat turned out to be "medium": shorter than that of Dorset, but longer than that of Persian.
Dorset sheep are renowned for their ability to reproduce year round. Dorper inherited the same ability from them.
In addition to Dorset and the Persian Blackhead, Van Roy sheep were used in small quantities in the breeding of Dorper. This breed influenced the formation of the White Dorper.
The breed was officially recognized in South Africa in 1946 and quickly spread throughout the world. Today Dorper sheep are bred even in Canada. They began to appear in Russia as well.
Description
Dorper rams are animals of a pronounced meat type. The long, massive body with short legs allows for maximum yield with minimum waste. The head is small with medium-sized ears. The Dorper's muzzle is short and the heads are slightly cubic in shape.
The neck is short and thick. The transition between neck and head is poorly defined. Often there are folds on the neck. The rib cage is wide, with rounded ribs. The back is wide, maybe with a slight deflection. The loin is well muscled and flat. The "main" source of Dorper lamb is the thighs of this animal. In shape, they are similar to the thighs of the best meat breeds of cattle or pigs.
The majority of Dorper's are two-colored, with a white torso and limbs and a black head and neck. But there is a fairly large group of completely white Dorpers in the breed.
Completely black animals may also be encountered. Pictured is a black Dorper sheep from the UK.
Dorpers are short-haired breeds, as in the summer they usually shed on their own, growing a relatively short coat. But the length of the Dorper rune can be 5 cm. In the United States, usually at exhibitions, Dorpers are shown shorn so that one can appreciate the shape of a sheep. Because of this, the misconception has arisen that the Dorpers have no long hair at all.
They have wool. Fleece is often mixed and contains long and short hairs. The Dorper coat is thick enough to allow these animals to live in cold climates. Pictured is a Dorper ram on a Canadian farm in winter.
During summer moulting, South African Dorpers often have patches of fur on their backs, protecting them from insects and sunlight. Although as a protection, such shreds look ridiculous. But the Dorpers know better.
Dorper sheep are early maturing and can start breeding from 10 months.
Dorset sheep can be horned or hornless. Persian only hornless. Dorpers, for the most part, have also inherited rumpiness. But sometimes horned animals appear.
American nuances
According to the rules of the American Association, the livestock of this breed is divided into two groups:
- purebred;
- purebred.
Purebred animals are animals that have at least 15/16 Dorper blood. Thoroughbreds are 100% Dorper South African sheep.
According to South African regulations, all American livestock can be categorized into 5 types according to quality:
- type 5 (blue tag): very high quality breeding animal;
- type 4 (red tag): breeding animal, quality is above average;
- type 3 (white tag): first grade beef animal;
- type 2: productive animal of the second grade;
- type 1: satisfactory.
Evaluation and division into types is carried out after examining the animals by article. On examination, the following is assessed:
- head;
- neck;
- the belt of the forelimbs;
- chest;
- hind limb belt;
- genitals;
- height / size;
- distribution of body fat;
- color;
- the quality of the coat.
The tail of this breed is not judged due to its docking shortly after birth.
The Dorper population in the United States continues to grow and the number of appraisal shows will continue to grow.
Productivity
The weight of an adult ram is at least 90 kg. In the best specimens, it can reach 140 kg. Sheep usually weigh 60-70 kg, in rare cases they get up to 95 kg. According to Western data, the modern weight of rams is 102-124 kg, ewes are 72-100 kg. Three-month-old lambs gain from 25 to 50 kg of weight. By 6 months, they can already weigh 70 kg.
If you put on more weight, the lamb will contain too much fat.
The productive characteristics of Dorper sheep are superior to many other breeds. But it is quite possible that only on western farms. The American breeding owner claims that just two Dorper ewes brought him 10 lambs in 18 months.
In addition to lamb, with a lethal yield of 59% per carcass, the Dorpers provide high-quality skins that are highly valued in the leather industry.
Raising lambs
This breed has its own nuances in raising young animals for meat. Due to the adaptability of the Dorpers to dry hot climates and feeding on sparse vegetation, the characteristics of Dorper lambs are such that the young need little grain for fattening. On the other hand, when there is a shortage of hay, lambs can switch to grain feed. But this is undesirable if there is a need to obtain high-quality mutton.
Advantages of the breed
Sheep have a very docile nature and do not require much effort to manage flocks. Unpretentious content makes this breed more and more popular in America and Europe. Fears that the southern breed is not able to endure frosty winters are not very well founded in this case. It is not necessary to leave them to spend the night in the snow, but Dorpers may well be on the walk all day in winter, having at their disposal enough hay and shelter from the wind. The photo shows a Dorper sheep walking in Canada.
They feel good in the Czech Republic as well.
At the same time, in hot regions, these animals are able to do without water for 2 days.
Breeding Dorpers is also not difficult. Ewes rarely have complications during lambing. Lambs can gain 700 g daily, eating only pasture.
The meat of the Dorper breed of sheep, according to the reviews of chefs in the restaurant and visitors, has a much more delicate taste than regular lamb.
The absence or small amount of wool with a decrease in demand for sheep fleece today can also be attributed to the advantages of the breed.Thicker leather goes into Cape Gloves and is highly prized.
disadvantages
The disadvantages can confidently be attributed to the need to cut off the tails. Not every sheep breeder can handle this.
Testimonials
Conclusion
The breed is able to adapt well not only in hot steppes and semi-deserts, but also in a rather cold climate, since in fact South Africa has not such a hot climate as we used to think about Africa. The continental climate is characterized by cold nights and high daytime temperatures. Dorpers feel great in such conditions, excellently increasing body weight.
In Russian conditions, with an increase in the livestock of this breed, the meat of these sheep can be an excellent substitute for pork. Considering that in many regions of Russia it is forbidden to keep pigs due to ASF, then Dorpers have every chance to win their niche in the Russian market.
This is not a black sheep of the Dorper breed in the photo, for a cross with white breeds, with it lambs 3/4 of the Dorper we have the same color of wool