Breeding Objectives

Our objectives with the White Dorpers is to make the most of the breed’s traits. Shedding ability, conformation, fertility, early growth rates and ability to finish lambs are all very important to us as stud and commercial breeders. As with all selection criteria it’s a balance between all traits and in selection of your sheep you will have the same balancing act.

With Shedding as there is no income generated any maintenance costs associated with running White Dorper sheep are not acceptable. We have one of the cleanest mobs of White Dorper sheep and it is important to us to maintain it that way.

As with all sheep structure is important and we do not breed from or sell sheep that are not structurally sound.

Fertility is also important and our aim is to produce good lambs every mating. Our ewes have to wean a good lamb every 8 months. Twinning is some thing that is important to us but is not a huge focus. As we do not produce any wool we need our ewes to be getting in lamb or rearing one all of the time. By lambing constantly we can take advantages of feed at any time of the year and also spread out our selling season to take opportunities in market fluctuations.

The obvious profit driver after the lambs hit the ground is growth rate. This is a big part of our selection criteria as if ewe or ram lambs can’t go on after weaning they are not going to perform in the commercial world.

We are starting to collect carcass data to provide extra information for prospective buyers. This information is an important tool but the sheep must appeal to you before these figures come into play.