TESTAMONIALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

DORPERS AT lAMBING TIME

Raising Dorpers continues to be a pleasure for Jennifer and I. Many breeders have written about how easy the Dorper is to care for. No shearing, less drenching, excellent weight gain on pasture, excellent mothering ability, and the list goes on. University studies and Dorper breeders have noted the vigor and will to live that the Dorper lamb has. Our ewes seldom need any assistance lambing and do an excellent job of cleaning and encouraging the lambs to nurse. There have been many days when we have been eagerly anticipating lambs and ready to help if needed only to find our assistance is not needed. What a pleasure! I love lambing time. It is rewarding when your ewes do just what nature intended and care for their newborn lambs, but on occasion something will go wrong. The ewe may die, become sick, or just walk off from her lamb. Luckily I have not had this happen to any of our Fullblood Dorper sheep, but I recently had a young Katahdin ewe abandon her lamb. I will let you in on the history of this ewe and help explain possible reasons for the lamb to be left on its own. Last year we had some feral dogs attack our sheep and goats and the damage was incredible. We used every means possible to stop these dogs but they came and went from the pasture for several weeks before we got them. The ewe in question lambed for the first time last spring. I believe she was so traumatized that she may never raise a lamb on her own. This scenario is something all ranchers and farmers should realize when and if (A BIG IF) compensation is paid for damage caused by dogs. I found her lamb near the water trough in fairly good condition but obviously abandoned and hungry. I took the lamb and located the herd, which is not easy as the pasture they are in is over 700 acres and is extremely rough and rocky. When the herd of sheep and goats was located I let the little lamb go and hoped for the best. After an hour or so it became clear that for whatever reason the mother would not reclaim her lamb. As I drove home in my old and not so beautiful four-wheel drive ranch truck I could not help but notice the improvement we have begun to make by using Katahdin ewes in our crossbreeding program. They really produce nice lambs when crossed with the Dorper. I dread the process of taking a small animal in need of its mother and replacing her with a bottle and plastic nipple. It seems most lambs and kids really try our patience those first few days of feeding. The remarkable thing about this Dorper sired lamb is that he took the nipple the first time and began to suck just like he had always eaten from a bottle! He has been gaining weight and eating pelleted feed since he was a week old. I must say this has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had with and orphan lamb or kid.

REASONS TO SWITCH

Why the switch? Sudderth cites a number of reasons—hardiness, reproduction traits, and ease of handling, to name a few. But first and foremost, it's because this South African breed is so meaty. Sudderth suggests that profitability can return to an operation that concentrates its efforts where the money is—maximum pounds of lamb in a minimum amount of time.

"With decent conditions, these Dorper lambs grow quickly, usually reaching a weaning weight of 80 pounds in 12 to 14 weeks. The carcass is muscular and lean, with a nice quarter-inch layer of fat below the skin that keeps the carcass moist in the shipping process—but very little of the intramuscular fat that discourages buyers..." he says.

A few years ago, the Dorper, which was developed in the 1930s, was a little known commodity. Today, while fullblood Dorpers still command top price, Dorper genetics are much more affordable, and the breed is gaining respect with even the most skeptical shepherds.

The lamb's meat has a very mild, pleasant flavor sought after by gourmet chefs.

"They're the sheep industry's answer to the Boer goat," he says.

Most Dorper breeders begin their flock by obtaining frozen embryos, which come from South Africa to Canada, where they are implanted in recipient ewes, and then enter the United States. But because purebred Dorpers are expensive, many people, including Sudderth, work their way up to a pure Dorper through a cross-breeding program.

"I like the Dorper-Rambouillet cross because it gives me an F-1 with good size, good herding ability, and good flocking characteristics," he says.

The Dorper breed has the characteristic black head (Dorper) as well as white head (White Dorper), he adds. The F-1 (50 percent) cross is usually black and white and, according to Sudderth, "looks like a Gateway Computer box." The F-2 (75 percent) cross exhibits the typical Dorper black head and white body (F-3 is 87.5 percent; F-4 is 93.7; and the desired purebred is 7/8ths).

Compared to other sheep, Sudderth says the Dorper boasts above-average lambing percentages. He says they are also very good foragers and good mothers with excellent milk production.

"Three lamb crops can usually be obtained from Dorpers in two years," he notes. "A lambing percentage of 150 percent can frequently be obtained with Dorpers and White Dorpers."

Because Dorpers breed year round, Sudderth says he is not captive to the downward spiral of prices that occurs in the traditional lamb market after the March peak. Dorpers give him the flexibility to time lambs to meet specific needs and market needs.

"Over the past five years, despite drought conditions, we have raised a lamb crop every eight to nine months. We breed our ewe lambs at seven to eight months of age and average an 85 percent lamb crop each time, giving us one extra lamb crop over the lifespan of the ewe," he says.

Furthermore, says Sudderth, ewe lambs will twin about 10 percent of the time.

"Good mothering is the norm. Bags are big and free of covering, giving all lambs a top shot at making it. This reproductive efficiency is derived from the Persian ewe, based on centuries of acclimation to arid and difficult desert conditions," he says.

Both Dorpers and White Dorpers thrive under range conditions where other breeds would have a hard time of it.

"The Dorper is a nonselective feeder, browsing like a goat and grazing like a sheep. I've actually seen them eating cedar," he says. "Both ewes and lambs are good browsers as well as grazers. During periods of severe drought in southwest Texas, our Dorpers have maintained their weight remarkably, as well as reproducing regularly. An underweight ewe is uncommon."

According to Sudderth, weights for a Dorper or White Dorper ewe range from 160-220 pounds. A Dorper or White Dorper ram will weigh 225-265 pounds.

Sudderth says the fact that these sheep naturally shed their coats makes them ideally suited for hot West Texas summers. However, F-1 crosses from both species will need to be sheared if a fine wool ewe is used. Spontaneous shedding occurs with the F-2 cross. The hair-shedding trait is a major advantage as shearers grow scarcer and the demand for wool, as a commodity, withers. They are "easy care" sheep, he says.

"Even though Crockett County is the second largest sheep-producing county in the United States, it is a struggle to find shearers, and when we do it is usually only on the weekend. And then after penning the ewes, they may not show up," says Sudderth.

Sudderth notes that some black color on the F-1 cross does cause a deduction in pelt value; however, pelt value is higher for more typical Dorper skins due to the high quality of the leather. He says top Dorper hides are sent to China for the production of fine gloves and are also used for seat coverings for European automobiles.

Because Dorpers are more resistance to parasites, less chemicals are necessary to control intestinal parasites. Sudderth drenches his Dorpers about once a year, usually in the wintertime.

Dorper lambs are often docked because their tails are fatter and woollier than other breeds. Sudderth accomplishes the docking by banding the tail.

Bobcats and feral hogs are the main predators that attack sheep in this rugged terrain southeast of Ozona.

"The Dorper lambs are up almost immediately from birth, and hard to catch, but not for a bobcat," Sudderth, who has successfully used llamas as guard animals for his flock, observes.

The Ozona rancher says the Dorper is smarter than your average sheep, and in behavior, is more like a goat.

"They move through gates more easily, move quickly down alleys and will usually jump into trailers with a minimum of urging. Less stress in working your sheep is a blessing for both man and animal," Sudderth suggests.

These sheep must be easy to handle because Sudderth and his foreman, Mario, take care of the flock with only occasional outside help. visit his website