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Anyone going?
My system involves wintering draft Shetlands behind 3 strand rappa electric fencing. I'm sure dorpers can't be worse.Hope you’ve got good fences if you buy some of them !!!
Have you got or had any?Well the Dorpers will be easier to gather when there on the wrong side of the fence !
Hope you’ve got good fences if you buy some of them !!!
Handled them in Australia , and listened to plenty farmers complaining that there neighbour had gone into them but they were always on their property instead!
I've been told that the feet and shedding are a problem but mostly because they are a hot country sheep. They don't like wet feet and it doesn't get hot enough for them to shed properly.Are they worse than the main shedding breeds available here in that regard? All the ones I’ve seen have been pretty ‘normal’ as far as flightiness/feral characteristics are concerned.
Genuine question, before I’m accused of slagging off someone’s favourite mongrel/breed again.
I’d be more concerned about reported foot issues in uk conditions tbh, and they aren’t bred to shed completely, but to leave a ‘rug’ on top to protect from the direct heat in South Africa apparently…
I've been told that the feet and shedding are a problem but mostly because they are a hot country sheep. They don't like wet feet and it doesn't get hot enough for them to shed properly.
I am friends on Facebook with an American dorper breeder and they look bloody tremendous sheep great big strong meaty things to rival any sheep breed you'd find here. The ones I've seen pictures of here don't look half as good.
I doubt many are kept commercially over here. There are some run commercially in new Zealand though on similar systems @NZDan is the one that would knowIt was a South African breeder that told me that they are bred to retain that ‘rug’, and it’s seen as a bad thing if they do shed entirely over there. There was a logic to their argument.
As for looking like tremendous sheep, the ones I’ve seen in those pictures have always looked tremendously fat, with ripples around their tail heads and wobbles when then they walk. Most sheep look well fleshed when that grotesquely fat tbh.
It would be interesting to see some run on commercial lines in a UK system, but I think that might be hard to find? Most of the breed society members would be quite small scale, and run alongside other enterprises.
There is one commercial ram breeder who runs them pretty hard!I doubt many are kept commercially over here. There are some run commercially in new Zealand though on similar systems @NZDan is the one that would know
They've never really taken off here, because of well, feet feet feet. I've a pal who runs a small flock of them (250 ewes) in a 3500mm rainfall area plenty of culling has lead to line of good sheep. I've crossed them in to my composite ewes, I think they add more than they take but I've had to be ruthless on, yes you guessed it, feet feet feet. A local lifestyler has crossed their dorper ewes to Exlana, I reckon that might be a good cross.I doubt many are kept commercially over here. There are some run commercially in new Zealand though on similar systems @NZDan is the one that would know