Northern View Ranch Sheep

The Dorper breed was developed in South Africa in the 1930s and 40s using the Horned Dorset and Black headed Persian. Selection was made to produce top carcass characteristics and the ability to thrive under harsh, arid conditions.

The Dorper has a white body with a black head, while the White Dorper is all white.   Otherwise the two types are identical but are considered separate breeds.  The coat is a mixture of hair and short wool which is shed, eliminating the need for shearing. Mature rams weigh between 225 and 275 lbs. Mature ewes average 160-220 pounds. They are naturally polled, rams usually have minimal horn development. Dorpers have calm dispositions.

Characteristics that also drew us to the breed include:

• Hardy and Adaptable
• Excellent Maternal Qualities
• Long Breeding Season –
• Reproductive Efficiency-lambing rates of 180% can be achieved.
• Pre-potency-Dorpers cross well with other breeds and produce fast growing, muscular lambs. We are crossing a few White Dorper ewes with a Dorset Ram getting DWD's a great cross. A few lambs will be in white face market lamb classes in the near future. 
• Non-Selective Grazers-Dorpers are excellent converters of a wide range of forage types, which makes them well suited to Southwestern desert pastures.  They are docile and don't challenge the fences.
• Heat and Insect Tolerant-Due to their area of origin, Dorpers have natural tolerance to heat and heavy insect populations. Heat is always a major consideration in the southwest. They have adapted well to the Southern       Arizona High Desert.

American Dorper Sheep Breeders Society members can have their Full blood (100% South African genetics) and American Purebred (upgraded to 87% or 94% Dorper genetics) sheep officially inspected under the recently adopted South African Breed Standard of Excellence.  Under this system, five types of quality are judged:

• Type 5- Very Good-Stud Quality
• Type 4- Above Average, Stud Quality
• Type 3- Commercial Quality - First Selection
• Type 2- Commercial Quality - Second Selection
• Type 1- Cull

An animal is typed based on the evaluations of the following:

• Conformation (Head, Forequarter, Barrel, Hindquarter, Sexual Organs)
• Size or Growth
• Distribution of Fat
• Color Pattern
• Covering
• The ADSBS periodically holds judging courses, however; at this time the Society relies on South African certified inspectors.  Upon inspection, qualifying animals will be ear tagged with appropriate color coded and sequentially numbered tags.  Type 5 - Blue, Type 4 - Red, and Type 3 - White.  The inspector will apply the tags as the animals are being judged. 

Note:  The term Stud Quality comes from the fact that South African breeding farms are called stud farms.  Hence animals that qualify as "stud quality", both ewes and rams, are of sufficient quality to be placed on breeding farms and used to enhance the breed.  Commercial quality animals accurately represent the breed and possess the traits valued in commercial operations.  Cull animals possess one or more faults serious enough that they should not be used for breeding purposes. 

WhiteDorper 

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