The Dorper breed was originally developed in South Africa in the 1930s by crossing the Blackhead Persian ewe with the Dorset Horn ram. They were bred to produce a high-quality carcass in the drier areas of South Africa.

The Blackhead Persian was selected for its non-selective grazing, coat shedding, hardiness and good mothering abilities, while the Dorset Horn was selected for its growth rates and carcass attributes. By strict selection for the desired type, the new Dorper breed was established in 1942. White Dorpers are the same type of sheep as the Dorper with the exception of colour.

The Dorper breed is now numerically the second largest sheep breed in South Africa. It was first introduced into Western Australia in 1996, and has since developed strong and ever-growing domestic and export meat markets.

Dorpers and White Dorpers are characteristically barrel-shaped with short, dullish black or white hair on the head. A short, loose and light covering of hair and wool with a natural clean kemp underline, is the typical breed standard. Enough of the fleece is shed to avoid the need for shearing, crutching and fly control.

An even distribution of a thin layer of fat complements the heavy weighing muscular body.

There is no difference between Dorpers and White Dorpers – the choice is really a matter of personal colour preference.

Economical
Dorpers and White Dorpers are extremely economical because of their excellent feed utilisation and conversion. They do not need shearing, crutching, mulesing, or chemical fly and lice control.

Meat production
Purebred rams generally reach a liveweight of 85-110 kgs. and ewes 50-80 kgs. The carcase has a high proportion of higher priced cuts and relatively even fat distribution. At slaughter it typically has a 2.5-5% meat yield advantage over other breeds. The lambs reach a good weight very quickly and thus, lend themselves to over-the-hook selling to capitalise on this advantage.

Good mothering qualities
Dorper and White Dorper ewes are excellent mothers and are very protective of their young. Lambs are extremely mobile at birth and survival rates are high. The ewes produce a large quantity of milk, aiding lamb survival and early growth.

Adaptable and hardy
The Dorper breed is well suited to the variety of climatic and environmental conditions seen in Australia – they adapt and thrive in arid areas, cold climates and semi-tropical locations. The breed was developed to be turned off quickly from arid, extensive grazing conditions in South Africa.

Fertile
Dorpers and White Dorpers are fertile sheep, with lambing percentages greater than 100% and with appropriate management, potential lambing intervals of only eight months. Short lambing intervals have several advantages including higher lamb production and out of season premium prices. It is however, important not to join ewe lambs too young – we recommend they be at least 12 months old, and greater than 50 kg. body weight. This is important to ensure the young ewe will have a long and productive life.

Good grazing habits
Dorpers and White Dorpers are non-selective grazers and can adapt to a variety of grazing conditions; they can be advantageously incorporated into under-utilised pastures of lesser quality, thus converting a poor asset into profit. The breed tends to hold its bodyweight better than many other sheep breeds in drier conditions...

Fast growing
Lambs have an inherent growth potential (ability to graze at an early age) - full-blood lambs will start to graze in the first few days after birth; first cross (F1) lambs usually after about two weeks. They can grow rapidly and achieve a high weaning weight. The breed responds well to increased planes of nutrition, giving growers the potential to increase weights rapidly in response to market demands.

Market Potential
The fast growth rate of the Dorpers and White Dorpers allows for early marketing, with the potential to fill market supply shortfalls.