British Dorper Society Show and Sale

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
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Anyone going?
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Hope you’ve got good fences if you buy some of them !!!

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…
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
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.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
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.

It 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.
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
It 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.
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
 

dogjon

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Western Oregon
I never found them to be wild compared to other sheep. One problem I had moving them over a distance was the black headed ones tended to fall to the back due to their short little stumpy legs. The white ones seemed to have a little more leg under them but even worse feet. Big white dorper breeder here told me the Oz had pretty much bred the rugs off them.
 
Been messing about with them a bit, got a couple of friends using them a fair bit. Would say what is available here is variable. As said feet and shedding a bit of a mixed bag, but some good ones. They obviously grow well and have a decent carcass, very popular in Oz still but think their time is waning as folk develop more useful composites.
 
I had a very small flock of 10 bought from a society member.

If you want to be tending to their feet every month then these are the breed for you.

All positive attributes are lost when you look out the window and see most of them walking around on their knees.

I hope people enjoyed the kebabs they went into, huge waste of money.
 

Tim W

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
I've tried a few rams & a good number of crossbred ewes
Positive....good fleshing, nice meat & hold their condition in the dry
Negative....feet, don't shed well, feet & feet again

Must be someone who's put the time in & bred a few good ones out there somewhere
(The rams we tried had been imported from NZ)
 

Muddyroads

Member
NFFN Member
Location
Exeter, Devon
I’ve had 3 black headed rams that I’ve run with Dorset ewes. Got them primarily for crossing onto first time lamberts as their heads are narrow. As said, their feet are the primary issue. Good back ends, breed out of season, finish on grass and taste good. When crossed with Dorsets they throw patterned lambs a bit like Jacobs and we’ve sold quite a few skins as a result.
There was a South African guy who was on here for a few months who ran flocks on solar farms in the east of the country. Last I heard he was bringing embryos in with improved genetics to combat the feet problems but haven’t heard of his progress.
 
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.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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