page_title: Dorper
section_title: Physical characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Dorper / Physical characteristics
caption_attribution_description: Sheep that produce hair (like this Dorper ram, in the foreground) instead of wool don't need shearing, an expensive, labor-intensive process. Elimination of shearing may increase profits for producers interested in producing meat rather than wool. Behind the Dorper ram in the photo is a Romanov ewe.
context_page_description: The Dorper is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian sheep. 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. It is now farmed in other areas as well, and is the second most common sheep breed in South Africa.
context_section_description: The Dorper adapts well to a variety of climatic and grazing conditions. In its native South Africa it has spread from the arid areas to all parts of the republic. It reputably does well in various range and feeding conditions and is also suited to intensive feeding. In Australia, Dorpers are now farmed throughout the arid and tropical areas as well as the high rainfall southern States, thriving even in the extreme cold and wetness of Tasmania. Dorpers can be run as a replacement or with suitable management as a complementary flock to Merinos, particularly as shearing costs continue to rise.
caption: A white-headed Dorper ram (with Romanov ewe in the background)
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