Dorset (sheep)
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The dorset, or Somerset or Dorset Horned breed of sheep is known mostly for its prolific lambing. It has been known to produce two lambing seasons per year: bred in May for lambs finished by the holidays, and bred again immediately after the first lambing to produce again in March or April. This type of management, the ewes sold with the lambs, sometimes produces as many as four or five lambs a year. The Dorset has a white face with close short fleece. It has a solid build, with broad back and short legs. Originally, both rams and ewes had horns. The polled Dorset originated in a herd at North Carolina State College, Raleigh, NC, and a registry of the polled Dorset was established in 1956. Since then the polled breeders have outnumbered the breeders of the horned variety. Dorset ewes weigh 150-200 lbs. and rams 225-275 at maturity.
The Somerset is related, but is larger and has a pink nose. (The Dorset's is white.)
The Portland is a smaller variety of the Dorset raised on the island of Portland, with a dressed weight of 10 lbs. per quarter.
This text was derived from The Domestic Sheep by Henry Stewart, 1898, pp. 66-70. Supplemented by the breed page at the Oklahoma State University web site.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Dorset, "Breeds of Livestock," Oklahoma State University (with photos).
- The Domestic Sheep by Henry Stewart (1898), "The Dorset" (with photos).
