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Welcome to Southwest Texas. Yucca Lily Ranch is located near Ozona, Texas, in Crockett County, the second largest sheep-producing county in the United States. It is a semiarid area, averaging 18 inches annually, and is composed of wide valleys surrounded by 200-300 FT limestone mesas.
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Even though we ranch in Crockett County, the 2nd largest sheep producing county in the US, it is a struggle to find shearers…and when we do it is usually only on the weekend. The covering on Dorpers sheds naturally. Unfortunately, wool as a commercial product is a losing proposition these days. The downward spiral of prices and the costs of labor are disconcerting. The savings in time and labor in not having to shear is appreciable. Dorper sheep also do better in our hot Southwest climate because they shed when warm weather comes. |
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In this day and time, the problems associated with finding good help are well known to all ranchers. Labor is much less time consuming with Dorper sheep. Though not quite as smart as goats (thank goodness), Dorpers are intelligent animals. | They move through gates 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 breeder and animal. |
The Dorper is a nonselective feeder, browsing like a goat and grazing like a sheep. The maternal influence [the Black Headed Persian] is a desert sheep that has thrived and reproduced under harsh conditions for centuries. It originated in what is now Somalia, East Africa. Also inherited from this desert ewe is the cooler hair type coat that sheds spontaneously. |
During periods of severe drought in southwest Texas, our Dorpers have maintained their weight remarkably, as well as reproducing regularly. Dorper sheep routinely eat almost anything as the following pictures show: | ||
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Both ewes and lambs are good browsers as well as grazers… an underweight ewe is uncommon. These are data from weather lambs with retained ownership, fed at the Denis Feed Lot and then processed at Rancher’s Lamb in San Angelo.
NUMBER | ADG | YIELD % | |
50% Dorper Lambs | 276 | 0.53LBS | 51% |
75% Dorper Lambs | 160 | 0.73LBS | 57% |
Have you ever noticed how high lamb prices are in March, and then slowly slide when you are ready to hit the market? Dorpers breed year round, giving you the flexibility to time your lambs to meet your needs and market needs. We routinely lamb four to five times a year in bunches of 200-250.
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| Since 1999, despite drought conditions, we have raised a lamb crop every 8-10 months. We breed our ewe lambs at 9-10 months of age and average an 85% lamb crop each time, giving us one extra lamb crop over the lifespan of the ewe. Ewe lambs will usually twin about 10% of the time; however, yearlings and older ewes will average 150% or higher with reasonable range conditions. 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. A Dorper ram will settle 75 to 100 ewes. |
This question is frequently asked. The choice is a matter of personal preference. We run both breeds and do not have a preference. The Dorpers are very handsome sheep with their black heads and white bodies, but the White Dorpers may be a bit more docile and laid back. |
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Three years ago we began to import semen and embryos from the Kaya Dorper Stud (www.kayadorper.com) in Australia. We had previously purchased 55 WD embryos from Tien and Margaret Jordaan in South Africa. They were out of his top stud ram, “Y”. The embryos were taken to Australia and implanted. Thirty-five very good lambs were produced. They were moved to the Kaya Stud.
“Y”
Semen from these rams and embryos from the ewes have been shipped to Yucca Lily Ranch since then. The top ram from the group, MS16, has been an important ram in the breeding program at Kaya as well.
MS16
In addition, the top stud rams from Kaya have produced semen and embryos for us as well. See below:
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We have produced many top rams from these sires: |
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The ewe is the foundation of any good stud. Without input from top ewes, very little can be accomplished. The dam is the main factor in the production of great rams. The following pictures show some of our best producing ewes. All of our 350 current Fullblood ewes are Type 4 or Type 5.
4310, 4312 and 4313 are all from the same sire and dam. They were the top three lambs at the National Show in 2005 and the top three yearlings at the Nationals in 2006
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The ranch runs about 1000 ewes. Half are Dorper and half are White Dorper. We will be selling good ewes from both flocks this year. Demand, as always, far exceeds supply. We always have a good supply of Dorper and White Dorper rams. In both rams and ewes we have stressed QR and RR genetics. Our word and reputation is built on having buyers who feel that we have been honest and stand behind our sheep. We believe that the customer comes first. All of our sheep are registered. |
We were certified as Scrapie free under the Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Program in April of 2006. A Federal vet examines every sheep in the flock each year under this program. That means bringing in 1000 animals from 16 pastures that cover nine square miles for a one-day exam… but we think it is worth the effort.
Give us a call or an email to talk about Dorpers, and hopefully start your ranch on the road to Dorper sheep.
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