A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE OLD RAM

Thanks BR,I am not worried about color in the skin which may come with the black hoofs as at this point the skin of the Dorpers has "no " value at the sale-yard.But I do wish to retain the "length" in the W H's along with the anticipated texture change in the meat from the Suffolk's...T.O.R.

What exactly do you mean about the "texture change " in the meat from the Suffolk ? It is also interesting that there is " no " value to the Dorper skin in the sale yard in Australia.

Thanks BR,early on I became aware of the fact that Dorpers weigh heavier than the normal 2 X meat lamb of the same size it seems due the the way the Dorper packs the meat on the carcass.I suspect that much of this is genetic based on the evolution of the breed but also it reflects the "type" of country they are grown out on.The big Dorper runs are in what used to be referred to as "wether" country,which (before the crash) was wool sheep ,desexed males run exclusively for wool.In one of our major supermarkets the two types of meat are marketed quite differently in the Meat Case.Only traditional lambs are cut and packed in-store ,while the Dorpers are processed and Cryovaced in a central processing facility.I have spoken to people who have experienced both and detected a difference and they certainly had a "preference " for one or the other.

The" skin value" is an important part of the value of the sheep to the processor and the skin value will often be referred to in market reports on regional sheep sales. Depending on the market at any one time the skin can return $40 +to the buyer in "dead wool" and the raw skin.Much like wool processing almost no skin processing is carried out on-shore and so the value is determined by the world market at the time.I think it was our processors who developed the idea of "everything but the baa", they have markets for everything including ,eyes ,brains, tongues,cheeks,tails and testes.In today's market with wool up around $12/15 a kg and a 30 kg carcass cutting 2+kg of wool on which they pay "no wool tax" it's a good little money earner.

The wool on the Dorper skin is seen as a "cost" rather than a return and it I suspect "dumped" as there is no market for it in the Aussie system.Because we produce upwards of 20 million lambs a year and only a small proportion is shipped out" live "on boats carrying 100,00 head at a time and every market is price sensitive so the price paid at the auction is so variable and so small producers like me have to meet a very narrow target to maximize my profit,hence the focus on the Cost Of Production in out operation...T.O.R.

Don't know that much, but where I live (QLD, Au) our dorpers with white feet are very good. We don't have to trim them because they naturally file down in our land, but never get too short.

G'day AimeeDx,because we are transitioning to Dorpers your knowledge and experience could be of considerable help to us.

I assume you are in Central Qld? are you a cattle as well as sheep operation?How long have you had the Dorpers? What was the reason you choose this breed?....T.O.R.

Hey TOR,
I'm not a big sheep farm, just a small hobby farm, for our family's use. We brought because they conveniently self shed, and for their reputation of a delicious roast!

We had 2 meat cows, they were in our property for about 10 minutes max, one was found 1 month later, and the other around 5 months later, we thought we would never find the latter again!

TOR, what exactly is the detected difference in the Dorper meat vs. the traditional lamb meat ? Why the preference for the difference ? My father in law would not eat lamb because he said that he could taste the wool. I susspect that the lanolin levels in the wool breeds has something to do to impart that certain flavor. But , he even had seconds , then third servings at one of my BBQs where I butchered a brocken mouth ewe, aged the carcass, then marinated it and BBQed it whole in a pit.

Bossroo, you're invited to my next barbecue.

G'day,well Boss ,I guess its what you grew up with in regard to taste.I recall once having a "chat" with an Indian store owner whose customers were Asian or from the Pacific Islands,the Islanders "flatly" refused to eat Aussie lamb and he was importing frozen lamb from NZ to service this part of his clientele.
Don't worry Aimee the bulk of farmers started on a small farm (our first farm was 5 acs) that is unless you "inherited "it from the family..T.O.R.