The Breeding Aim for Dorper Sheep
Breeding aim:
- Hardiness, good health, free of genetic defects, good adaptability
- Longevity, long useful life
- Good roughage eater and converter
- Production of quality lambs of over 40 kg life weight at slaughter, good meat performance.
Lambing: Lambing intervals of 8 months are possible throughout the year.
Prolificacy: 2,0-2,25 lambs are aimed at per ewe per year.
Breed Standard and Overall Appearance
1. Type
Harmonic body proportion, meaty to very meaty, compact and muscular, pronounced sexual traits, good udder, the scrotum should not be too long.
Minimum sizes and weights of adult sheep:
Heights of withers: ♂ 65 cm, Weight: ♂ 80-120 kg
Heights of withers: ♀ 60 cm, Weight: ♀ 50-80 kg
Head and shoulders: strong and long head, great eyes, strong nose, strong and well shaped muzzle, position of teeth properly aligned, developed horn base and small horn stumps are frequent but not desired, brown pigmentation on the head is possible, ears medium in length and carried horizontally, meaty neck and well connected to shoulders and withers.
Breast, withers and back: Broad breast with good curvature of ribs. Close shoulders, broad withers. Straight level back-line, broad and long back. Broad loin, strong and meaty. Deep flanks. Pelvis medium long and broad. Meaty and strong haunch.
2. Legs
Members: not to strong, well positioned
Position: ankle joints slightly angled, fetlocks medium in length, sound and slightly splayed claws.
Gait: correct stance and walk
3. Hair coat / wool / colour / pigmentation
Short hair coat during summer (kemps with under-wool), 3-5 cm long winter coat of coarse wool during winter, winter fleece must shed naturally and completely by the end of May.
Skin colour following breed standards: Either white with black head in which brown pigmentation is tolerated or pure white.
The following traits are not desired:
– Animals without natural shedding
– Patches of wool on the back that don’t fall off
– Woolly belly and inner parts of legs
– Overstretched fetlocks and mal-position
– Defective jaws and teeth
– Dwarfism
– Horns and horn stumps