Happy Health Free-range Saddleback Pigs & Dorpers, Pork & Lamb

Dorper Sheep:

We came to own Dorpers as we were fed up with the hassle of trying to get our small number of cross bred wethers shorn each year. As with the pigs, we made a few mistakes initially (we purchased two supposedly F4 ewes at an auction, and they turned out to not to shed even a single bit of wool). But with some good guidance we are now producing F5+ lambs.

We have learnt the hard way about how difficult it can be to work with sheep—rounding up sheep is the quickest way to get into an argument and can be extremely frustrating. With that in mind, we decided to train our sheep to come to us. It started with Holly and Molly (our two F4 rejects bless’em) and now when we go into our paddocks our sheep come to us, thus making it so much easier to get them to where we need to go. If you purchase Dorpers from us we may not be able to guarantee they will come to you first time all the time, but we have laid the ground work for training, and with some regular contact from you (and a handful or two of sheep cubes) pretty soon you will have your very own sheep sized shadow.

Our Dorpers would suit those on small acreage who want a lawnmower without all the hassles that other sheep have and who are looking for a friendly “house sheep” or two. Dorpers are much less susceptible to fly strike and are a very hardy breed. They make excellent mothers and, if you purchase the right cross, shouldn’t need shearing.

"Shouldn't need sheering" - this is an important point, as many people mistakenly believe that if they purchase a Dorper it will guarantee them a sheep that sheds its wool. Like many other animals, this desired attribute has to be selected for when breeding. The higher the “F” cross, the greater the likelihood of the sheep being a good shedder.

We started with F4 ewes and mate them with a full blood Dorper Ram. This produces F5 lambs, which should be better shedders than their mothers. When we then breed the F5 lambs they will produce F6 offspring who should be better shedders than their mothers and so on. I have used the word should as nothing is ever guaranteed. We select the best ewes (taking into account not only shedding ability, but many other factors such as mothering instincts) so as to maximise the chances of a successful all round ewe.