Mike and Jan Canaday have had sheep for over 26 years. Currently we are located in Coalinga, CA where we raise percentage White Dorpers. We also train Border Collies for livestock work. Mike and Jan compete in both sheep dog and cow dog trials throughout the US. and Canada. Mike is the current President of the United States Border Collie Handlers Association, this is the organization that runs the National Sheepdog Finals and National Cattledog Finals. See the web sites www.usbcha.com and www.cattledog.org/
We became interested in Dorpers because we need a low maintenance sheep that can provide a financial return for our investment plus provide us with stock for training our dogs.
We feel it is becoming increasing difficult for farmers and ranchers to show a profit in the sheep business. Due to the low price received by the wool producer, the difficulty in locating someone to shear small numbers of sheep, we found it necessary to cut expenses by going to hair sheep. Most hair sheep do not have the carcass commercial buyers are wanting.
We feel the Dorpers are the sheep of the future. They have an excellent carcass development, highly productive, low maintenance sheep that are disease resistant. At a time when costs of maintenance are increasing, we feel the Dorper is the way to survive, even prosper as farmers and ranchers.
At the current time the demand for Dorpers is strong, with full blood rams selling for $1200 and up and ewes $2000 to $4000. Percentage Dorpers are also in demand with 1/2 Dorper ewes at $200 to $300 and 3/4 Rams at $400 and 3/4 ewes at $750 and up. White Dorpers are slightly higher as there are only a few hundred registered purebred White Dorpers in the U.S. at this time. The White Dorper is similar in every way to the black headed Dorper except that on the first cross they produce white sheep rather than the spotted lamb as in the picture on the top of this page. The larger producers in the U.S. seem to prefer the white sheep but it seems to be just a matter of preference to most sheep producers as either requires the absolute minimum of labor. No shearing, easy lambing, the ewes are good mothers and early marketing of lambs as well as having a calm disposition that makes them easy to work.
This is our 100% White Dorper Ram at 3 months. He will be the sire of our lamb crop for 2001. This Ram was purchased from Stephanie Mitcham's Crane Creek Dorpers in Iowa. He was a naturally raised triplet ram. Look for his offspring in 2002! If you are interested in White Dorper Sheep give us a call. We have Percentage ewes and rams available and can arrange delivery. We also have friends that have a number of pure bred Rams for sale. Just call Mike at 254-722-8776 or 559-935-8309 or e-mail me at mike@dorpers.com.