Dorper Sheep
A natural fit for West Texas

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor
(Texas Farm Bureau)

Ever since the loss of the Wool Incentive Program in the 1990s, and the subsequent decrease in wool value, sheep producers have looked for alternative ways of increasing profitability either by decreasing costs or increasing lamb production. Mike Sudderth, owner of Yucca Lily Ranch in Crockett County, has been successful at achieving both. Sudderth touts his Dorper sheep as a natural fit for this semiarid region of West Texas, where he is working with other producers to promote the fledgling hair sheep industry.

Sudderth is a retired ear, nose and throat surgeon who practiced medicine in Dallas before moving to the ranch founded by his great-grandfather, J.W. Friend, in the 1880s. The ranch initially encompassed 125 sections southeast of Ozona. Today, Sudderth and his wife, Jean, split their time between a small farm at Fredericksburg and their 6,000-acre Yucca Lily Ranch.

"I have sheep in three places, in 14 different pastures, which range in size from 300 acres to 750 acres each," says Sudderth, whose family raised Rambouillet sheep for well over 100 years. "We have switched to Dorper and White Dorper sheep over the last five years, having over 1,000 percentage and full-blood animals at this time."

Why the switch? Sudderth cites a number of reasons—hardiness, reproduction traits, and ease of handling, to name a few. But first and foremost, it's because this South African breed is so meaty. Sudderth suggests that profitability can return to an operation that concentrates its efforts where the money is—maximum pounds of lamb in a minimum amount of time.

"With decent conditions, these Dorper lambs grow quickly, usually reaching a weaning weight of 80 pounds in 12 to 14 weeks. The carcass is muscular and lean, with a nice quarter-inch layer of fat below the skin that keeps the carcass moist in the shipping process—but very little of the intramuscular fat that discourages buyers..." he says.

A few years ago, the Dorper, which was developed in the 1930s, was a little known commodity. Today, while fullblood Dorpers still command top price, Dorper genetics are much more affordable, and the breed is gaining respect with even the most skeptical shepherds.

The lamb's meat has a very mild, pleasant flavor sought after by gourmet chefs.

"They're the sheep industry's answer to the Boer goat," he says.

Most Dorper breeders begin their flock by obtaining frozen embryos, which come from South Africa to Canada, where they are implanted in recipient ewes, and then enter the United States. But because purebred Dorpers are expensive, many people, including Sudderth, work their way up to a pure Dorper through a cross-breeding program.

"I like the Dorper-Rambouillet cross because it gives me an F-1 with good size, good herding ability, and good flocking characteristics," he says.

The Dorper breed has the characteristic black head (Dorper) as well as white head (White Dorper), he adds. The F-1 (50 percent) cross is usually black and white and, according to Sudderth, "looks like a Gateway Computer box." The F-2 (75 percent) cross exhibits the typical Dorper black head and white body (F-3 is 87.5 percent; F-4 is 93.7; and the desired purebred is 7/8ths).

Compared to other sheep, Sudderth says the Dorper boasts above-average lambing percentages. He says they are also very good foragers and good mothers with excellent milk production.

"Three lamb crops can usually be obtained from Dorpers in two years," he notes. "A lambing percentage of 150 percent can frequently be obtained with Dorpers and White Dorpers."

Because Dorpers breed year round, Sudderth says he is not captive to the downward spiral of prices that occurs in the traditional lamb market after the March peak. Dorpers give him the flexibility to time lambs to meet specific needs and market needs.

"Over the past five years, despite drought conditions, we have raised a lamb crop every eight to nine months. We breed our ewe lambs at seven to eight months of age and average an 85 percent lamb crop each time, giving us one extra lamb crop over the lifespan of the ewe," he says.

Furthermore, says Sudderth, ewe lambs will twin about 10 percent of the time.

"Good mothering is the norm. Bags are big and free of covering, giving all lambs a top shot at making it. This reproductive efficiency is derived from the Persian ewe, based on centuries of acclimation to arid and difficult desert conditions," he says.

Both Dorpers and White Dorpers thrive under range conditions where other breeds would have a hard time of it.

"The Dorper is a nonselective feeder, browsing like a goat and grazing like a sheep. I've actually seen them eating cedar," he says. "Both ewes and lambs are good browsers as well as grazers. During periods of severe drought in southwest Texas, our Dorpers have maintained their weight remarkably, as well as reproducing regularly. An underweight ewe is uncommon."

According to Sudderth, weights for a Dorper or White Dorper ewe range from 160-220 pounds. A Dorper or White Dorper ram will weigh 225-265 pounds.

Sudderth says the fact that these sheep naturally shed their coats makes them ideally suited for hot West Texas summers. However, F-1 crosses from both species will need to be sheared if a fine wool ewe is used. Spontaneous shedding occurs with the F-2 cross. The hair-shedding trait is a major advantage as shearers grow scarcer and the demand for wool, as a commodity, withers. They are "easy care" sheep, he says.

"Even though Crockett County is the second largest sheep-producing county in the United States, it is a struggle to find shearers, and when we do it is usually only on the weekend. And then after penning the ewes, they may not show up," says Sudderth.

Sudderth notes that some black color on the F-1 cross does cause a deduction in pelt value; however, pelt value is higher for more typical Dorper skins due to the high quality of the leather. He says top Dorper hides are sent to China for the production of fine gloves and are also used for seat coverings for European automobiles.

Because Dorpers are more resistance to parasites, less chemicals are necessary to control intestinal parasites. Sudderth drenches his Dorpers about once a year, usually in the wintertime.

Dorper lambs are often docked because their tails are fatter and woollier than other breeds. Sudderth accomplishes the docking by banding the tail.

Bobcats and feral hogs are the main predators that attack sheep in this rugged terrain southeast of Ozona.

"The Dorper lambs are up almost immediately from birth, and hard to catch, but not for a bobcat," Sudderth, who has successfully used llamas as guard animals for his flock, observes.

The Ozona rancher says the Dorper is smarter than your average sheep, and in behavior, is more like a goat.

"They move through gates more easily, move quickly down alleys and will usually jump into trailers with a minimum of urging. Less stress in working your sheep is a blessing for both man and animal," Sudderth suggests.

These sheep must be easy to handle because Sudderth and his foreman, Mario, take care of the flock with only occasional outside help.

Sudderth, who is one of about 300 Dorper producers nationwide, is the current president of the American Dorper Sheep Breeder's Society, which was founded in Cameron, Texas in 1995 and now boasts more than 200 members (www.dorperamerica.org).

The average price for a fullblood or purebred Dorper ram in an association sale last fall was $1,721.05. Fullblood and purebred Dorper ewes averaged $1,538.46. White Dorpers were not far behind with rams averaging $1,235 and ewes $1,043.75. A young provisional T5 Dorper ram of Powell Ranches topped the sale at $5,250. The Fullblood T5 ewe of Riverwood was high selling female at $4,700.

Sixty-two head of sheep sold for an average of $1,402. Thirty-one of them, including the top selling Dorper ram, stayed in Texas with one each to Ohio and New York and two to Arkansas. The remainder of the sheep went to Mexico.

"Dorpers are extremely popular in Mexico. Mexico really sets the price in this market," notes Sudderth.

This year's North American Dorper Show and Sale is set for Aug. 20-22 in Kerrville.

In 2004, Sudderth will breed 350 of his 75 percent and 87.5 percent Dorper ewes at Yucca Lily Ranch.

"During the year we will be selling about 150 of these 75 percent ewes. All are registered and will be from 15 to 24 months old," he reports.

Sudderth is also breeding 350 of his 50 percent and 75 percent White Dorper ewes. He will be selling about 60 of the 50 percent White Dorper ewes this year. Again, all are registered stock.

"We will also be lambing over 180 fullblood Dorper and White Dorper lambs during the year. A good selection of rams from both types will be available, along with some fullblood Dorper ewes," he says. "And we do have some fine animals that are affordable for someone wanting to get started in the business.

Sudderth loves his animals. "There's nothing cuter than a little white lamb with a black head. I'm having the time of my life," he says.

For more information about Dorper and White Dorper sheep, contact Yucca Lily Ranch, 830/990-8486; 325-392-3082; email: sudderth@beecreek.net ; or visit www.texasdorpers.com