An indigenous South African breed 50 years ago the Department of Agriculture and some farmers decided to develop a sheep breed which can produce a maximum number of lambs with good mutton qualities and which could be marketed off arid and extensive grazing conditions. A Dorper is a fast growing meat producing sheep. The Dorper is an easy care animals that produces a short light coat of wool & hair that is shed late spring summer. It was developed in South Africa and is now the second most popular breed in that country. This breed was developed by the crossing of a Dorset Horn x Blackhead Persian around the 1930s. Other breeds such as the Van Rooy are also believed to have contributed to the development of the breed. The name 'Dorper' is a coupling of the first syllables of the parent breeds Dorset and Persian. The breed is well adapted to survive in the arid extensive regions of South Africa. It has high fertility and maternal instinct, combined with high growth rates and hardiness. The breed has the characteristic black head as well as white heads (White Dorper).
