World record year for Dell Dorper stud

It was the fourth year in a row that the stud has sold the top-priced ram at the Dorper Sheep National Show and Sale in Dubbo, NSW, and stud principal Andrea Vagg said the young sire, Dell Legacy 190321, sold to large commercial producer Darrawong Pastoral, Cunnamulla, Queensland, was a perfect example of the type of sheep they are aiming to breed.

"Our emphasis has always been on breeding structurally sound, fertile rams and ewes with fast growth rates and quality carcase attributes," she said.

"Most of our business is targeted towards selling commercial rams and top quality stud ewes which will perform in a range of environments and this emphasis has not changed since the stud began.

"We are finding more producers are chasing soft haired rams, for both ease of management and doing-ability, their progeny also seem to put more weight on and are more hardy, especially in tough conditions."

The studs currently comprise 600 Dorper ewes and 200 White Dorper ewes run on the family's 1000-hectare property, Fairfield, at Moama in southern NSW.

According to Mrs Vagg, careful selection using a combination of visual appraisal and performance data has been a key driver of success.

The stud employs a stringent selection criteria using the International Dorper Breed Standard classification system.

"Good conformation is paramount. We want our rams to have good smooth shoulders, good straight feet, a long body with good depth of meat right down to their hocks and a strong, masculine head," Mrs Vagg said.

"Our ewes are well-known for their femininity, fertility and great mothering ability with plenty of milk."

Dell Dorpers has also joined Lambplan, with preliminary Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) available for each sale ram this year.

The studs currently sell about 240 to 300 rams and 100 stud ewes each year, with buyers coming from throughout the Western Division of NSW as well as interstate interest from high rainfall areas in Victoria.

The Old family have been buying Dell Dorper and White Dorper rams for more than 10 years to run on their NSW station country and continue to be impressed with the breed's ease of management and fertility.

Dustin Old and his wife Sarah, brother Lincoln and wife Dimity, and their families, along with parents Frank and Robyn, own more than 90,000 hectares spread between two properties at Bourke and Balranald.

Originally running Merinos and cattle, the Olds have gradually transitioned into a self-replacing Dorper flock, which currently comprises 6800 ewes and 2200 ewe lambs, run between the two properties.

After three years of tough seasonal conditions, they are in the process of rebuilding their flock numbers back up to about 12,000 breeding ewes.

"The two properties really complement each other and give us more flexibility," Mr Old said.

"Most of the breeding ewes are run at Bourke, and if required we'll take all the lambs down to Balranald to be finished."

According to Mr Old, Dorpers have given them improved ease of management with no shearing required, better doing-ability and a significant boost in fertility.

"We're in a semi-arid area and they continue to have lambs," he said.

"It can vary depending on seasonal conditions, but we are regularly marking 120 per cent lambs from our mixed aged ewes."

Ewes are set joined for six weeks to better utilise the rams and mating times are manipulated to avoid lambing in the hot summer months at Bourke.

"We'll join 3000 ewes in blocks to lamb from March onwards through to November, we aim for the ewes to lamb three times in a two-year period," Mr Old said.

"We've also been joining the ewe lambs with variable results depending on the season, but they can scan at 80 to 85pc."

Ram selection is focused on structural soundness, coat type and positive fat which Mr Old believes translates to better ewe doing-ability and lamb survival in their harder country.

"Good feet, legs and shoulders are a priority as they need to be able to walk big distances and we like them soft haired and well muscled," he said.

Surplus ewe lambs are marketed via AuctionsPlus as future breeders while the wether lambs are generally sold over the hooks to Coles as trade weight lambs, targeting an average 22 to 23kg dressed weight.

"The Dorpers have given us flexible marketing options, we can sell them as stores or grow them out further and finish them," Mr Old said.

"We've been really happy with prices we've been getting, whether it's over the hooks or as store lambs."