The Dorset Horn, which was developed to its present form in the mid 1800s, and is known for its all round qualities as a meat and wool producer. The Dorset Horn sheep is a meat sheep breed. The History of the Dorset Button The Dorset Button began In Shaftesbury, Dorset, probably between the years 1680 to 1700. It is raised mainly for meat production. It is pleasing to be able to report that numbers have increased slowly over the past few years. Photo and info from Wikipedia. DORSET HORN SHEEP QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW; The Dorset Horn sheep breed is versatile, adaptive, calm and docile. The Dorset Horn (or Horned Dorset) is of conservation interest. In contrast, Dorsets can be bred in the spring for production of lambs in the fall. A further importation in 1937 marked a period of breed increase, but numbers remained low. It was covered by a small piece of material and worked with a needle and thread to make a conical shaped button. Unlike many British lowland breeds, Dorset sheep were not influenced by cross-breeding with the Leicester or Southdown breeds which were much used for this purpose in the latter eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Polled Dorset sheep have almost completely eclipsed Dorset Horns, and the latter is experiencing a precipitous drop in registrations. The Portland Sheep was first recorded in the sixteenth century and its origin is obscure, but it was spectacularly horned, and noteworthy because of its ability to lamb all year round – with up to four births in two years. The Dorset Horn originated in Dorset in south-west England. Dual In 1927, a project started at the Elsenburg research station in Stellenbosch with the aim of producing a mutton breed with rams suitable for crossbreeding, and slaughter lambs that could grow out rapidly and economically in the cold, wet winter rainfall areas of … (Polled Dorsets were also developed in Australia earlier in the 1900s, though they originated from the introduction of Corriedale and Ryeland blood into the Dorset Horn.). The Dorset Horn sheep breed is versatile, adaptive, calm and docile. The term dates from the 15th century. To establish an improved South African mutton breed. The Dormer, a white wool mutton breed, was developed by crossbreeding Dorset Horn rams with German Merino ewes. The Dorset is an ancient breed likely developed from white faced, horned, short wooled sheep that thrived in the sheltered valleys and lush hill pastures of southwestern England. The Polled Dorset variety was developed there. The Dorset Horn sheep is a meat sheep breed. The Continental Dorset Club was organized in 1890. The fleece is of medium length, fine and very white, and the face and legs, clear of wool, are also noticeably white and show another of the Dorset Horn’s distinguishing features – a pink nose and light coloured hooves. The Dorset’s characteristics, the horns and the breeding rate, were bequeathed to it by a dominant ancestor – the now extremely rare Portland Sheep, found originally on and near Portland Island, very close to Dorchester. The first buttons were known as "High Tops" and were made from a disc of horn from the Dorset Horn Sheep. Uses. Their horns are no longer acceptable at a commercial level. Uses. Status: Breed Facts Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep Ewes weigh 150–200 pounds, and rams weigh 225–275 pounds. 160 - 200 lbs Dorset Horn sheep were imported into the United States about 1860, though the breed did not appear in large numbers until the 1880s. Trials were started in 1937 with a purebred Corriedale ram and a purebred Ryeland ram mated with pure Dorset Horn ewes. The success of the polled variety has caused the Dorset to become the second most popular sheep breed in the United States. Some ewes will raise two sets of lambs a year, with multiple births not uncommon. Dorsets tolerate heat well, and heat tolerance contributes to Dorset rams’ ability to breed earlier in the season than rams of other breeds. The Dormer, a white wool mutton breed, was developed by crossbreeding Dorset Horn rams with German Merino ewes. Dorsets are white sheep with open faces and long bodies. The sheep are avid grazers and use feed well. I’m told that in many European languages, being horny means you’ve been betrayed by your spouse. The history of the Dorset Horn begins in the 16 th century when valuable Spanish Merino sheep were smuggled or traded into southern England and crossed with the native horned sheep. Dorset Horn definition is - an English breed of sheep with very large and in the ram much-coiled horns that has a close-textured fleece of medium-length wool and that has been much used for hothouse lamb production because of the early breeding of the ewes and the high percentage of twin lambs. The Dorset is an ancient breed likely developed from white faced, horned, short wooled sheep that thrived in the sheltered valleys and lush hill pastures of southwestern England. Photo and info from Wikipedia. Sheep of most breeds are seasonal breeders, mating in the fall and producing lambs in the spring. The Dorset Horn (or Horned Dorset) is of conservation interest. During the late 1950's hornless Dorset sheep, developed in Australia, were introduced to the UK and rapidly grew in popularity. Dorsets Sheep is commonly found in the Australia that is basically known due to its horn. The breed’s other great distinction is the forwardness of the ewes. They have also been used in dairying. The resultant breed, similar to the rare British Portland sheep, had the ability to breed year round. The Poll Dorset is a short wool, meat producing sheep that was developed in Australia between 1937 and 1954 with the aim of breeding a true Dorset type sheep without horns. Temperament: Horns have also traditionally been associated with cuckoldry. In the Horn variety, both ewes and rams carry horns. Country of Origin: United Kingdom: Other Names: Dorset or Dorset Horned: Breed Size: Medium: Main Purpose: Meat: Can be used for: Breed, Meat, Wool ** LSC (Landscape Management) Temperament: Like the extinct Pink-nosed Somerset to which it is related, it probably derived from cross-breeding of Merinos imported from Spain with local tan-faced sheep similar to the modern Portland. Average live body weight of the Dorset Horn ewes is between 70 and 90 kg. Adult Weight: To use half-cross Dorset Horn x Persian rams (50:50) on the indigenous fat-tail breeds in order to upgrade them to the half-cross Dorset Horn x Blackhead Persian. (From Otago Witness, 6 August 1902) Dorset Horn sheep were imported into New Zealand in 1897 . The horn/phallus link is also the reason some Eastern cultures prize the powdered horn of certain animals, notably the rhinoceros, as an aphrodisiac. ), See also Navigation Bar at top of this page. Average live body weight of the Dorset Horn ewes is between 70 and 90 kg. And average live body weight of the mature rams vary from 100 to 120 kg. The breed was widely exported to Australasia, North American and South Africa and in Australia the breed became hugely important. Fleece of the Dorset Horn sheep is strong, close and free from dark fiber. The lambing rate is good and they are excellent mothers with abundant milk. They cause carcase damage in these days of trucking sheep rather than driving them, and the shearers don’t like them either. Its chief distinction is its horns – large and curled – in both rams and ewes. Use: The poll gene was introduced into Dorset Horn flocks from two other polled breeds and following a strict back-mating programme achieved close to 100% of Dorset Horn blood. Though differences between the populations have not been documented, anecdotal evidence suggests that the intensive selection of Polled Dorsets for early maturation and rapid growth rate may have been made at the expense of selection for nonseasonal breeding, which has declined as a result. Dorset ewes can breed twice in one year although three lambings in two years is more usual. This characteristic, not found in any other British breed, is an important performance trait. This pink and white look is particularly marked in lambs where it appears to be intensified; a young Dorset has hoofs of mother-of-pearl and a nose like a fresh raspberry.