Why Keep The Dorper Sheep

The Dorper is a crossbreed of Dorset horn and a Blackhead Persian sheep.It was bred by the South African Agricultural Department for a suitable meat sheep to the more arid areas.

The breed is barel shapped,hornles with short, dull black/white hair on the head with black feet.They have short hair and coarse wool.The black headed ones are Dorper while the white headed ones are White Dorper.

Lambs mature rapidly,at the age of four months the breed is ready for the market, for better mutton production  producers can wait a little longer. Their rapid growth is influenced by their more efficiency in grazing. They are fast-growing meat-producing sheep. 

Most farmers are turning to this great venture of rearing Dorper sheep. Their ability to adopt to a variety of grazing conditions makes them more suitable to arid areas. They also have the ability to graze and browse, a rare trait which other sheep like Merino don't possess. 

Dorpers reproduce at intervals of eight months. This means with good care, it's possible to get three lambs from the sheep every two years or two lambs annually. 

They require very minimal labour since it has less wool to shear. Their skin is a valued product Worldwide since it is tough. 

Dorpers are resistant to parasites and diseases. Ram sells at Ksh. 45,000/-, ewe Ksh. 25,000/- and lamb Ksh. 6,000/-. Mature ram can weigh between 80Kg and 114 Kg while ewes weigh 57Kg to 80Kg. 

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