Common dual-purpose breeds used in Australia include: Border Leicester, Corriedale, Coopworth, Texel and South African Meat Merino (SAMM). Breeds that tend to be used mostly for meat production include: Poll Dorset, Suffolk, White Suffolk and Dorper.
The Shetland sheep breed are historically known for producing delicious mutton of a high quality and outstanding flavor. They meat has a fine texture and far leaner than other breeds as the sheep tends to not store their fat solely around their muscle but rather more around their organs.
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.
The Dorper Lamb is a fast growing, meat producing sheep breed that thrives in a variety of grazing conditions. Dorpers sheep are highly regarded as a prime lamb producing breed as they are fast maturing with the ability to produce a high-quality carcass with excellent conformation and fat distribution.
Fast maturing breed: White Dorpers are an excellent choice as they are a fast growing sheep breed, from one day old to six months. It adds an advantage to the breed when producing quality red meat for an increasing demand of protein across Australia and globally. With lambs ready for slaughter at 6 months of age.
Dorper sheep are bred for meat, not wool, so they do not produce lanolin which gives wool lamb it's gamey flavor. Experience THE DORPER DIFFERENCE and learn for yourself what makes this meat so mild, delicate and delicious!
A Texel lamb has set a new world record price after being sold at auction for almost 368,000 pounds ($666,042) in Scotland.
5. Minimal Shearing Needs. Because Dorper sheep have a combination of hair and wool, it is not difficult to care for this breed. You can shear them if you'd like, but if you would prefer not to, the hair and wool will merely shed themselves at the end of each spring.
Merino: Merino sheep are renowned for their ability to produce lots of high-quality wool. Different breeds of sheep are used for different purposes, such as wool, meat or milk production. More than 70% of the sheep in Australia are Merinos — bred specifically for their high-quality wool fibre.
Margra Lamb is the culmination of years' work and craft – a lamb with a micro-marbled finish and low fat melting point of 28-35°C (82.4-95°F), for an unprecedented delicate meat that is incredibly succulent.
Merinos are the most common Sheep breed in Australia and are renowned for their quality wool, but they are also raised for meat production. Australia is recognized as being free of major livestock diseases.
Male sheep get testosterone at a certain age, same as people, and this makes the males stronger. Their muscle fibres become a little leaner and thicker, so the meat is a little tougher. Females have a more mellow and balanced flavour due to their oestrogen levels.
Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, Ovis aries. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton.
Although mutton is a more popular dish than lamb because of its preferred strong flavour, lamb is a healthier choice, although both should be consumed in moderation for optimum health.
Are sheep more profitable than cattle? Per animal unit or acre: yes. Compared to (beef) cattle, sheep have greater reproductive efficiency: earlier puberty, shorter gestation period, and higher prolificacy (multiple births). Sheep are efficient foragers that can produce (USDA) choice quality carcasses on pasture alone.
An Australian white ram broke records after selling for a whopping $240,000. Breeder Tattykeel sold the stud, smashing the meat sheep record set by the same sheep last year by $75,000.
The American Sheep Industry Association lists the Suffolk as the largest sheep breed in the world. They report that mature rams reach weights of 400 pounds and mature ewes weigh up to 300 pounds.
"The Australian White was designed to take place of the Dorper sheep in wetter areas because the Dorper can never keep up the growth rate in a second-cross lamb," Mr Bell said. "The Australian White simply grows faster than a Dorper. "Lamb weights at a young age are competitive with other Australian meat breeds.
The meat from Dorper Sheep is more mild tasting than traditional wool breeds. Our flock is moved daily to fresh pasture, and fed hay during the winter months. This breed does particularly well on grass and does not require any supplemental grain.
Dorpers and White Dorpers are Australia's pre-eminent low maintenance meat sheep, adapted to vast range of conditions across the country.
The average litter size is 1.19 to 1.5. A lambing percentage of 150% can be reached under good conditions while, in exceptional cases, 180% can be attained. Thus on average a Dorper ewe can produce 2.25 lambs on an annual basis (DAD-IS 2005).
Slaughter: Lambs
The majority of sheep killed in Australia are lambs, slaughtered around 6 – 8 months of age. Sheep can naturally live up to 20 years, with a typical lifespan of 10-12 years. Every year an average of 22.72 million lambs are slaughtered.
Choose the best
Organic lamb, and lamb from rare breeds, is the most expensive, as the highest farming standards should have been adhered to at all stages of the animal's life. The length of time that a lamb has been hung for will also determine how flavoursome and tender it is, about 8 days is best.