Dorpers are known as a low maintenance, easy care breed which can adapt easily to a variety of conditions, are non-selective graziers and are one of the only breeds that thrive in harsh conditions.
Dorpers and White Dorpers are Australia's pre-eminent low maintenance meat sheep, adapted to vast range of conditions across the country.
Katahdin Sheep
They are low-maintenance and are a cheaper breed to own. This will be a great choice for anyone who has never raised sheep and wants to start a small flock.
For the small farmer, Polypays are an excellent choice of sheep. They can breed year-round, throw two lamb crops per year, their wool is good enough to sell, and yearling ewes are able to breed and successfully produce twins or more. They're easy to obtain, easy to keep healthy, easy to breed, and easy to sell.
The Dorper are preferred for their excellent feed utilisation and conversion: they don't need shearing, crutching and mulesing, and they are disease resistant. Purebred Dorper rams can reach a live-weight of 90-120 kg and ewes 50-80kg.
While there is some disagreement as to what hair sheep are, generally speaking, hair sheep are sheep that have more hair fibers than wooly fibers. They do not require shearing, because they naturally shed their coats.
"Hair sheep" have a coat that's more like other animal's hair, so there's no shearing required. They're better suited for brush control and meat. "Hair sheep," as they're called, have a coat that's more like other animal's hair, so it doesn't require shearing. They're better suited for brush control and meat.
Dorper sheep are also natural shedders and they are attractive to local producers because shearing and mulesing requirements are minimal. They are non-selective grazers and adapt well to a range of Texas conditions. Since the Dorper does not produce wool, it does not need to be sheared.
Cotswold Sheep
Cotswold sheep are usually calm and friendly. It is also a dual-purpose breed producing both meat and wool.
Widely known as 'the cutest sheep breed in existence', Valais Blacknose sheep are famous for their fluffy, almost teddy-bear like appearance. They are also known for their friendly, affectionate natures and are often kept as pets, even in their home country of Switzerland.
Rams of different breeds have different levels of aggression. White Dorper sheep tend to lack aggression and because of it I always leave one of my many rams in with my ewes, just in case there is a ewe that had an abortion and comes back into season or a ewe lamb is finally ready to get bred.
The wool itself can cause major mobility issues
Without shearing, the wool coat would become uncontrollably matted and tangled, and this too can impact the sheep's health.
Specifically, the Delaine Merino is the breed primarily used in more arid climates since they can thrive under harsh conditions and with little feed. They are moderate- to small-sized and have few health or lambing problems.
Hair sheep tend to be more resistant to heat and humidity, so breeds from a tropical climate like Katahdins, St. Croix and Barbados would be most heat tolerant. Dorpers are from a hot, dry climate, but still would be more resistant to heat than wool breeds.
Problems – Overgrazing is the major problem associated with Sheep farming. Overgrazing mainly causes desertification and loss of biodiversity through the loss of native plants that do not grow back at a rate sustainable to a pastoral industry.
More than 70% of the sheep in Australia are pure-bred Merinos, the rest are other pure breeds and crossbred. Wool produced from Merino sheep is finer than wool produced from other breeds.
Dorper sheep are bred for meat, not wool, so they do not produce lanolin which gives wool lamb it's gamey flavor. Mild, prime tasting, delicate and delicious meat! Often called the Angus of Sheep, Dorper Lamb is a high-quality lean meat that's loaded with more good for you nutrients than any other meat.
While most sheep are seasonal breeders lambing in late winter/spring, the Dorset breed is unique. Capable of breeding all year round, the Dorset has the competitive advantage for the discerning shepherd of lambing in any month of choice. Having this ability brings an array of benefits.
Croix Hair Sheep as a breed of choice: Highest Parasite Resistance – Several university and agricultural researchers have done comparison studies through fecal parasite egg counts and found that St. Croix Sheep seem to have the ability to resist parasite life cycles.
My existing 8 strand plain wire fences were not Dorper-proof - Dorpers are renowned for being hard on fences. They would hardly break stride to get through the plain wire fences previously. These droppers have 100% sheep proofed my existing fences at a fraction of the price of ring lock.
Not the Best for Wool or Milk
Although there are some hair sheep breeds that are prized for their fiber, this is not a trait that you'll enjoy with the Dorper sheep. It can't be spun, in most cases, although breeding Dorper sheep with woolier breeds can help you acquire this characteristic if you'd prefer.
You can reasonably expect to keep 6-10 sheep on an acre of grass and as many as 100 sheep on 30 acres of pasture. If you want to keep more than an acre can sustain, you'll have to look into purchasing additional land as you'll likely need to rotate your flock to keep them fed.
The reality of increased shearing costs and a continued poor return for crossbred wool has led to more interest in self-shedding breeds such as the Wiltshires and Aussie Whites. The introduction of self-shedding stock decreases the labour requirements around shearing, crutching, dagging and the associated yarding.
“Babydolls” require the same care as other sheep breeds such as hoof trimming, worming, vaccinations, and yearly shearing.
Hair sheep are probably the best good choice because they do not require shearing or docking. Their coats contain a mixture of hair and wool that sheds annually. They are also more tolerant of heat and more resistant to worm parasites.