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Dormer sheep mature faster and are hardier than the other breeds you’re currently rearing. Isn’t it time you invested in livestock that can give you a better ROI?
Considering the losses in livestock local farmers experienced last year, it may be time for you to switch to a breed that will give you a higher return on investment. The Dormer sheep is a white-woolled mutton sheep with a sturdy frame – developed for the climatic and grazing conditions of the Western Cape in South Africa.
Here are just a few reasons why you should invest in Dormer sheep and how they can make it easier for you to achieve the revenues you’d like to this year:
1. Dormers boast high birth rates
The Dormer breed offers high fertility rates, with ewes typically producing twins or higher multiples. This can help you improve sustainability and profitability. Stud flocks haves an eight-month breeding system while the commercial ewes follow a 12-month lambing season. The stud ewes generate more income than the commercial ewes, so farmers can afford to spend more on additional feed for the stud ewes.
Because Dormer ewes mainly produce twins, farmers can be satisfied with a lifespan of four to five years. The number of lambs produced by the ewes still exceeds the number produced by other sheep breeds with longer lifespans.
2. Dormers mature faster
The Dormer breed matures early, which ensures that a slaughter lamb is ready for market at a younger age. This enables you to produce a quality carcass between 16-22kg at 3 months. When considering that each ewe has multiple births, this in itself could recover your losses from the drought last year.
It’s also important, however, that you understand how to work with a Dormer’s increased maturity rate, so that you’re not caught unaware in terms of over-maturing the animal.
3. Dormers are hardy animals
This breed survives well in difficult conditions. The relatively high Dormer birth weight of around 4kg assists in eliminating lambing challenges too. Dormers are bigger sheep, which produce bigger lambs that gain weight faster reducing the risk of illness or death.
4. Average daily gain
The Dormer breed is also known for its exceptional average daily gain (ADG), which makes it an excellent choice for feedlot enterprises. The average Dormer ADG can be 417g/day. The faster your animals grow, the quicker you’ll be able to turn them around.
While other breeds of sheep do offer benefits as well, the Dormer breed is known for its high fertility and excellent mothering abilities. Its easy lambing, as well as its hardiness and high average daily gain also make it a worthwhile animal to invest in.
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