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Dorper cross Dorset Carcass

Dorper Cross Dorset Carcass

Our Aims and Goals

We are amongst the first in the United Kingdom(UK)to start using the Dorper and White Dorper as a terminal sire. We are also using them to breed up to pure status in order to have a top quality commercial flock that is ultimately low maintenance, being an easy to lamb, self shedding sheep which poduces an end result of an outstanding carcase.Little mans back viewOur Shearling Dorper ram (Little Man)

White Dorper lambs featured below, photos taken in New Zealand.

Quality White Dorper lamb
Month old White Dorper Lamb
White Dorper cross Texel lamb

Dorper lamb photos (LEFT) Pure Dorper ewe lamb (RIGHT) Dorper x Texel

Dorper ewe lamb
Dorper cross texel type ewe lamb

 

Out-of-season Breeding Methods

Breed and Selection

There is a large variation between breeds in the length of breeding season. The season for each breed tends to vary (around the shortest day). Breeds with longer breeding seasons will be more likely to breed out of season.

Genetic selection is a slow but permanent method of achieving breeding out of season. The trait has a low heritability (10%). This means it is difficult and time consuming to develop a flock of animals with the genetic ability to breed (naturally) on a year round basis. In order to create a selection program that works, it is necessary to define what out-of-season means.

  • Is this a ewe that will breed in April, May, June or July?
  • Does the ewe have to lamb out of season every time she is exposed to be considered an out-of-season breeder?
  • Is the ewe expected to breed out of season as a ewe lamb?
  • How many daughters must a ram produce to be considered proven as an out-of-season breeder?

The other problem that makes selection for this trait very slow is that the trait is not expressed until the selected animal has lambs of its own.

 

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