Click here to download this document in pdf format 104 kb. This includes ewes that fail to get pregnant andor raise a lamb. Accelerated lambing is a more intensive system based on prolific ewes and high production that aims to produce market lambs and cash flow throughout the year. To calculate the sheep gestation using this calculator, just select the date of first mating and click the calculate button. The breed was created through the efforts of the south african department of agriculture to breed a meat sheep suitable to the more arid regions of the country. The dorper lamb grows rapidly and attains a high weaning weight which again is an economically important characteristic in the breeding of mutton. Description of growth and feed efficiency of dorper lambs. More room is needed for that reason, plus more guts to convert lower quality forage into muscle. Dorper sheep lambs for sale south africa enter your email address to receive alerts when we have new listings available for dorper sheep lambs for sale south africa. Lambing dates can generally be anywhere from 144151 days from first bred date. The sheep pregnancy calculator is a much simpler process to use than the customary sheep gestation chart. Many breeders have written about how easy the dorper is to care for.
Dorper sheep are able to thrive in a wide variety of climatic conditions. The dorper sheep breeders society of south africa was founded in 1950. To calculate the sheep gestation using this calculator, just select the date of first mating and click the. Uses an average 147 day gestation period for a sheep.
There is a market segment that wants a consistent and smaller carcass. New zealand dorper sheep breeders society home facebook. The dorper is an easycare animal that produces a short, light coat of wool and hair that is shed in late spring and summer. Downloadable sheep gestation table with images gestation. Except for lambing in cold weather our sheep are wintered outside. It also features a short bestpractice guide for lambing.
The dorper sheep breeders society of sa was founded in 1950. Located in central texas, our flock is made up of fullblood registered dorper sheep. They stay in the group and usually start lambing at right around a year old. You can download this budget as an excel file and use your own figures and. These types of sheep pregnancy calendars required you to count the days until your ewes due date. She is also very active in the working stock dog world, raising and training border collie dogs, some of which have qualified for and competed in, the national sheepdog finals and the national cattledog finals. Dorpers a pleasure to raise dorper sheep sales by half. Download this useful resource and print a copy to keep it as a handy. About dorper sheep american dorper sheep breeders society. Online calculators for sheep and grazing management. Average litter size in dorper ewes was consistent with reports of zishiri et al. Productive performance of dorper sheep request pdf.
The concept behind the development of the dorper sheep was to develop a. The lambing planner is a simple tool that allows you to change a lambing date or a joining date to see the impacts of that on other key times in the reproductive year. Whether you are looking for a profitable way to raise sheep, a small hobby herd to keep your ag exemption, or just want to raise your own delicious lamb, there is no better choice than dorper sheep from texas deluxe. Athough foot problems still exist, selection pressure will soon eliminate these. We selected the white dorper breed for muscling, heartiness, forage utilization, excellent meat qualities and good mothering instinct. It also takes into account any death losses that occur before marketing or retention. This lambing calculator is based on a 147 day gestation period. One stop ram shop can provide a large selection of purebred and composite sires to suit the needs of any progressive sheep farming enterprise.
Ram iambs scheduled to form the wether group were castrated by means of elastic rings within 24 hours after birth. Dorper sheep meat sheep white dorper lambs full blood dorper. Raising dorpers continues to be a pleasure for jennifer and i. Since the dorper breed is a meat type sheep, breeders can concentrate on meat quality and those breed attributes that increase. Just like people, individual pregnancies can vary, gestation periods of 8 to 159 days are not unheard of. The lambing calculator is simple to use instead of the customary sheep gestation chart. The amazing and wonderful dorper sheep texas deluxe. The amazing and wonderful dorper sheep dorper sheep are large and muscular with mature rams averaging around 230 pounds and mature ewes ranging between 180210 lbs. Sheep gestation periods can generally be anywhere from 144151 days sheep pregnancy calculator or lambing calculator. Lambing percentage is the percentage or number of lambs that you will market or retain from each ewe in the flock. Derbyshire gritstone, devon closewool, devon longwoolled, dohne merino, dorper. It is available as a handheld, paper based tool or as an app in both android and ios formats.
No shearing, less drenching, excellent weight gain on pasture, excellent mothering ability, and the list goes on. It is an excellent survivability trait, even though it gives club lamb feeders trouble. These iambs were removed from their mothers at one day of age, their body masses recorded and individually penned. The form below calculates the lambing date based on a 147 day gestation period.
W e would like to share with you our operation and fondness for the dorper sheep, a relatively new breed of sheep on the north american continent. They are able to lamb three times in two years, and have lots of rich milk for raising. A lambing percentage of 150% can frequently be obtained with dorper sheep and white dorper sheep. You will also be able to enjoy pictures taken in our region, the central texas hill country, throughout the different seasons, where our. Choosing breeds for producing profitable market lambs. Uses an average 147 day sheep gestation period for a ewe. For the past 3 years i have kept pretty much all the ewe lambs to grow my flock, so they dont ever get officially weaned.
This particular gestation calculator will enable you to determine the due date for your pregnant ewe female sheep. We have traveled and sold sheep from coast to coast and to many foreign countries. The dorpers require little grain i do give some through the very harsh winters, and maintain condition on poorer pasture. Registered with the american dorper sheep breeders society. It is now farmed in other areas as well, and is the second most common sheep breed in south africa. Compared to white dorper breed, dorper and tsigai ewes produced significantly higher litters p. Judi mault, owneroperator of lazy j ranch, breed and raise full blood dorper sheep. Top female farmers dorper success in the karoo farmers weekly. Use this tool to determine the impact on flock structure over six years of changes made to retaining or selling classes of sheep or changing the weaning ratio.
Craig jones with prime fresh foods located in goldwaithe, tx, recognizes this demand and is utilizing the earlier maturing, moderate size of the dorper to meet these customer demands. Prepotency dorper sheep cross well with commercial ewes of other breeds and as terminal sires produce fast growing, muscular lambs. We are dedicated sheep breeders with the goal of putting more money in the farmers pocket. While visiting our site, you will find a short description of the breed and photographs of some of our sheep. Pasture lambing is done in spring in warmer weather and shelter is provided by wooded areas.
In a short time we realized the unbelievable growth traits and hardiness of the dorper were for real and purchased fullblood ewes. The actual condition score of the ewes is the most important determinant of ovulation rate. A lamb weighs on average when born, about 5 to 8 pounds 2. It was developed in south africa and is now the second most popular breed in that country. The lambing process has evolved over thousands of years and most ewes will lamb normally without any trouble or need for assistance. Croix and katahdin ewes was 140 percent to 212 percent, and 168 percent, respectively wildeus, 1997. Dorper sheep are famous as a meatproducing breed for their rapid muscle growth, while smalltailed han sheep have a higher mean litter size 2.
A total of 78 dorper iambs, comprising 26 ewes, 26 rams and 26 wethers were used. Jun 18, 2018 except for lambing in cold weather our sheep are wintered outside. Sheep have an average gestation period of 147 days. We purchased our first dorper ram in 1997 and began a large crossbreeding program. The dorper lamb, being a meat sheep, grows rapidly, usually reaching a weaning weight of 80 pounds in 12 to 14 weeks. Dorper sheep sales by half circle six ranches dorper. That big barrel chest gives room for a big set of lungs and heart. I bred my fullbloods to shock for spring 2012 lambing.
Gestation in sheep varies from 142 to 152 days with the average being 147 days. The dorper registry regulations allow for a breedingup program. However, understanding the lambing process can help you understand when a ewe is ready to give birth and when it may be necessary to lend a helping hand. Below is a sample budget for a sheep enterprise with 100 ewes lambing. A useful sheep gestation calculator instantly estimate the due date and gestation. Dorpers are an interesting addition to the nz sheep genepool.
Allie gordon from leeugamka in the karoo, named the top entrepreneur smallholder in the western cape female entrepreneur 2011 awards, started farming with 50 dorpers in 2005. Nonselective grazers dorpers are excellent converters of a wide range of forage types and they excel in grazing or weed control operations. Managing ewe nutrition is the most important factor to ensure best reproductive performance. White dorper sheep passing through the woods duration. University studies and dorper breeders have noted the vigor and will to live that the dorper lamb has. Sometimes, also called the sheep gestation calculator. I kept their lambs, one ram and one ewe, and thus began my flock of four. Both sexes are polled and usually do not have horns, but many rams may have scurs. So the ram lambs get weaned when are sent down the road.
Consumer demand is the other reason why dorper sheep need to be moderate in size. Twin county dorpers offers high quality white dorper sheep, rams and ewes for breeding programs, free range texas lamb, fresh or frozen, available nationwide and original recipes to cook this fine meat. The white dorper sheep are a very fast growing, heavily muscled sheep that have a high feed conversion and are extremely easy keepers. The dorper is a south african breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing dorset horn and the blackhead persian sheep. Dorper sheep give birth to 1 to 3 baby lambs once or twice a year. Lamb prices will vary by year, season, type and quality of lamb, and marketing method. Tools and calculators for sheep and grazing management. Since the dorper breed is a meat type sheep, breeders can concentrate on meat quality and those breed attributes that increase profitability. Top female farmers dorper success in the karoo farmers. Dorper sheep more easily store internal fat than other breeds. By careful genetic selection they display consistency and quality true to the dorper sheep breed standards. Lambing dates can generally be anywhere from 144151 days from first bred date lambing calculator. These lamb out in just a few days and lamb either in a barn or nearby pasture.
Breeds of livestock dorper sheep breeds of livestock. Showing the world what new zealand dorper breeders are up to. Dorper journal origin of the breed the dorper is the result of one of the most successful longterm livestock improvement programs in south africa. This breed has the potential to change the nz sheep industry. American dorper sheep breeders society members can have their fullblood 100% south african genetics and american purebred upgraded to 94% dorper genetics sheep officially inspected under the breed. May 09, 2012 allie gordon from leeugamka in the karoo, named the top entrepreneur smallholder in the western cape female entrepreneur 2011 awards, started farming with 50 dorpers in 2005. Dorper sheep meat sheep white dorper lambs full blood. Email field should not be empty please enter a valid email. Both dorper and white dorper sheep thrive under range conditions where other breeds barely survive. A useful sheep gestation calculator instantly estimate the due date and gestation period. The dorper is an easy care animals that produces a fleece of little wool that is shed late spring summer.
Lambing rate of dorper ewes in south africa was 141percent shoeman and burger, 1992 and has not been reported in the united states. If it is assumed that the lambing percentage is 150% and that management is at such a level that ewes can lamb about three times in two years, a dorper ewe will produce 2. Reproduction efficiency and health traits in dorper, white. Last year she sold 200 of them in preparartion for her next plan. Condition scoring is a quick and reliable tool for managing ewes to meet production targets and enable timely decisions to optimise reproduction rates see tool 10. The income from a sheep enterprise includes the proceeds from the sale of market lambs, breeding stock, cull ewes and rams, and wool. Sheep gestation calculator gestation table raising sheep. B red for its lean, tender meat, its broad frame and ideal muscling, the dorper is a very good forager, tolerant to a broad range of conditions, capable of breeding yearround with increased lambing percentages. Dorper sheep sales by half circle six ranches dorper sheep. Ewes and rams are considered purebred at 1516ths 93% dorper. Two fullblood rams on offer at the agribition sale november 29th 2014.
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