The development of the Dorper, its nutrition and a perspective of the grazing ruminant on veld

Waal, H.O. de; Combrinck, W.J.

doi:10.1016/s0921-4488(99)00155-8

Cited by 29 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…This adult weight was significantly higher than the adult weight of the TA ewes (53.8 kg; P <0.001). According to data in the literature, the DO is a medium-sized breed, with adult ewe weights ranging between 52 and 74 kg in native South Africa (De Waal & Combrinck, 2000;Schoeman, 2000;Snyman & Herselman, 2005).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productive and reproductive performance of Dorper and its crossbreds under a Romanian semi-intensive management system

Gavojdian¹,

Cziszter²,

Păcală³

et al. 2013

SA J. An. Sci.

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The overall objectives of the research were to evaluate the effect of cross-breeding Dorper (DO) rams with Turcana (TA) ewes on growth and reproductive performances of F 1 DOxTA and R 1 DOx(DOxTA) crossbred lambs reared under a semi-intensive management system; to study the adaptability of the DO breed to Romanian farming conditions; and to evaluate the effects of melatonin implants outside the breeding season on reproductive performances in DO ewes. Animals were managed on cultivated pastures, with an average stocking rate of 12 head/ha. Additional 200 g concentrates/day were given for 90 days during the winter season and a three lambings per two years system was practised with the use melatonin implants for oestrous induction outside the natural breeding season. Dorper and F 1 crossbreds were found to be highly precocious when put to the ram as ewe lambs, with an average fertility rate of 84.2% and 79.3%, respectively, compared with 19.3% in the TA controls (CG). The litter size in adult DO ewes was 136.6% versus 118.8% for the TA (CG). Dorper-sired progeny had significantly higher body weights of lambs at weaning (90 days) compared with TA purebreds (23.8 kg, 23.5 kg, 21.5 kg, 19.4 kg for DO, R 1 , F 1 and TA, respectively). At the age of 8 months, all three DO genotypes were significantly heavier (46.1 kg, 40.7 kg and 43.5 kg for DO, F 1 and R 1 , respectively) compared with the TA females, who reached 32.3 kg. Average daily gain from birth to 28 days of age was significantly higher in DO purebreds and F 1 and R 1 crossbreds compared with TA lambs (266.4 g, 253.8 g, 223.4 g and 157.3 g, respectively). Lamb survival rates until weaning were not affected by the genotype. When using melatonin implants in the DO ewes, the fertility rate increased to 88%, compared with a fertility of 41.6% in non-treated DO ewes. Out-of-season prolificacy was not affected by melatonin treatment, with litter size being 127% and 120% in treated and non-treated DO ewes, respectively. The DO breed performed well under Romanian semi-intensive management, and proved to be a highly adaptable breed to the new rearing conditions. ________________________________________________________________________________

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productive and reproductive performance of Dorper and its crossbreds under a Romanian semi-intensive management system

Gavojdian¹,

Cziszter²,

Păcală³

et al. 2013

SA J. An. Sci.

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“…Although the Dorper breed was developed for arid and semiarid environments, it has performed favourably under a variety of climatic and grazing conditions including intensive feeding systems (de Waal and Combrinck 2000;Schoeman 2000). This characteristic enables them to fit well in different management systems where they can be used to convert feed resources which are underutilised, or not utilised, by other livestock (Brand 2000).…”

Section: Nutrition and Diet Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was developed by combining the hardiness of the Black-headed Persian breed with the meat-producing capacity of the Dorset Horn breed (Campbell 1989;de Waal and Combrinck 2000;Milne 2000) to produce a breed suitable for meat production under extensive grazing conditions. Body conformation, growth rate and fat distribution were among the characteristics emphasised in the development of the breed (de Waal and Combrinck 2000). Although developed originally for the more arid areas, the breed today is widespread throughout South Africa (Marais and Schoeman 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although developed originally for the more arid areas, the breed today is widespread throughout South Africa (Marais and Schoeman 2011). The Dorper breed has also performed well in Namibia, and have been exported to many other countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Mauritius, Malawi, Burundi, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United States and several European countries (Brand 2000;de Waal and Combrinck 2000;Milne 2000;Budai et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Introduction of Dorper sheep into Australian rangelands: implications for production and natural resource management

Alemseged

Hacker

2014

Rangel. J.

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Abstract. The growing popularity of the Dorper breed of sheep potentially may have implications for the ecological sustainability of the semiarid and arid rangelands of southern Australia. The implications are heightened by forecasts of a warming and drying climate in these rangelands, which may in itself place native vegetation under increasing stress. While the Dorper breed of sheep offers important production advantages, little is known from research under Australian conditions about their grazing ecology and management requirements from a natural resource perspective. Key factors identified from this review of literature from other countries include a high fertility and fecundity, a generalist feeding strategy, a high growth rate and a capacity to survive and reproduce under low-rainfall conditions. The wider range of plant species selected by the Dorper compared with the traditional Merino breed of sheep potentially creates both opportunities and risks for rangeland condition. Less selective grazing may reduce pressure on some species but the capacity to harvest sufficient nutrients over a smaller area could concentrate grazing and promote resource degradation. High reproductive efficiency under a wide range of seasonal conditions may lead to more rapid onset of overgrazing and will require close attention to both natural resources and animal marketing if resource degradation is to be avoided.

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“…However, it was expected that the NA would be more similar to the late maturing SAMM. When considering the results it is important to bear in mind that no selection for economically important traits have been done on the NA and that the breed has not been genetically bred for meat production as both D and SAMM were (Epstein, 1960;De Waal & Combrinck, 2000;Sheridan et al, 2003;Buduram, 2004).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carcass composition of Namaqua Afrikaner, Dorper and SA Mutton Merino ram lambs reared under extensive conditions

Burger¹,

Hoffman²,

Cloete³

et al. 2014

SA J. An. Sci.

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This study evaluated the differences in the muscle-fat-bone yield of Namaqua Afrikaner (NA), Dorper (D) and SA Mutton Merino (SAMM) ram lambs. The breeds constituted an indigenous, hardy and late maturing, fat-tailed breed (NA), an early maturing, commercial meat breed (D) and a late maturing commercial dual-purpose breed (SAMM). Lambs were slaughtered at 35 (± 8) days post weaning. Carcasses were cooled for 24 h, separated into retail cuts (leg, loin, rib, and shoulder), weighed and deboned. Meat and fat were separated after deboning and weighed to calculate the muscle-fat-bone yield per cut. Least-square means were computed for the respective breeds, using slaughter age as covariate. Results for percentage meat indicate that, with exception of the rib, retail cuts from the NA breed contained a lower percentage of meat than D and SAMM breeds, particularly in the valuable loin and leg cuts. The shoulder of the NA had a lower percentage meat than that of the D. The percentage fat in retail cuts did not differ between breeds for any of the cuts. In comparison with both D and SAMM, NA contained a higher percentage bone in all cuts. Dorper and SAMM carcasses did not differ in terms of the percentage of bone, fat or muscle for any of the retail cuts. The lower meat yield, particularly in the more expensive loin and leg of the NA, when compared to the commercial meat breed (D) could make the former less preferred for meat production. However, the NA compared more favourably than the dual-purpose SAMM. Differences in carcass composition could be attributed to the fact that the NA is an unimproved and late maturing sheep breed.

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The development of the Dorper, its nutrition and a perspective of the grazing ruminant on veld

Cited by 29 publications

References 13 publications

Productive and reproductive performance of Dorper and its crossbreds under a Romanian semi-intensive management system

Productive and reproductive performance of Dorper and its crossbreds under a Romanian semi-intensive management system

Introduction of Dorper sheep into Australian rangelands: implications for production and natural resource management

Carcass composition of Namaqua Afrikaner, Dorper and SA Mutton Merino ram lambs reared under extensive conditions

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