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In this article, I am going to answer a question that nobody wants to: “How much do Dorper Sheep Cost?” Now, nobody wants to answer this question because pricing for livestock fluctuates constantly. However, I am going to write this article in an effort to get you into a current price-range as well as give guidance on the various categories you’ll encounter when shopping for Dorper sheep.
I am going to give you 3 different pricing categories that purebred Dorper sheep fall into going from least to most expensive. The categories include: commercial Dorper Sheep at the Sale barn, value-added commercial sheep at private sale, and high-value registered Breeding stock.
Now something to know is that the most expensive sheep is a dead sheep, and as such I have a free EBOOK for you called “The 13 Things You Need to Raise Sheep”. It will give you a strong head start toward a healthy, profitable flock. Click this link and I’ll email it to you for free.
The first pricing category I will provide is for commercial Dorper sheep from the sale barn. A sale barn is where you will typically find sheep at the lowest cost. There are pros and cons to the sale barn: the pro is lowest cost and ability to get a large quantity of sheep. The con is that there is often not a lot of background information provided on the sheep for sale. There are no guarantees of pure bred status, it’s hard to do diligence and identify what kind of system and feed the sheep were raised on, and often Dorpers at the sale barn are mixed with other hair breeds. Unless you have a lot of experience buying from a sale barn (or help from a friend that does), you could end up with a sick sheep, mixed breed, or potentially genetics that are not suitable for your farm.
In terms of pricing, I use the San Angelo Texas livestock report and I use the “HAIR SHEEP” category of the report for an idea of current pricing for Dorper Lambs. Reports from this week show that you can purchase a 75lb “choice/prime” HAIR lamb at about $2.62 per pound. So for a 75lb lamb you can expect to pay $197 at a sale barn in Texas.
The second pricing category is purebred commercial Dorper sheep at private sale. This is the category that my sheep fall under and the category I suggest you buying from as a beginner buying sheep. Buying private sale enables you to get direct information on the type of feed the sheep receive, how much grain input, what kind of grazing system the sheep are managed under, what kind of medications the flock owner uses, and so much more. It is the best way to get a healthy sheep and the easiest way to traceback and pursue accountability and reparation should you end up with a sick sheep.
Pricing for really good quality commercial Dorper breeding stock at private sale is anywhere from $250-700/hd. That is a really wide spread that is going to be based on what kind of genetics and management the flock boasts.
I sell my breeding quality ewes and ram lambs for between $500 and $700/hd based on the really strong pasture-based genetics I have developed. My pasture raised lambs have about a 50-55% carcass yield at the butcher – meaning a hearty, meaty, low input animal. I have also bred in a lot of value-adding characteristics like parasite resistance, shedding ability, good maternal instincts, and a lot of others. This contributes to me earning top-tier for my sheep because I am breeding for a specific niche that really values those characteristics and understands that while they may pay-up for seed-stock, they are going to get paid back within their first lamb-crop (because of the quality).
But to summarize I would say that $350 per head for quality, purebred, commercial Dorper lamb at 60-80lb is not an unreasonable pricepoint at this point in time.
The third and most expensive pricing category for Dorper Sheep is registered, full-blood at private sale (or more commonly at specialty shows like the Mid-America Dorper Sheep Breeder Show). These are sheep with registration papers at the ADSBS. These papers trace the sheep’s lineage back to South Africa. Registered sheep are rarely, if ever bred for meat production. They are typically always bred for the show ring. Being show animals, they are very expensive.
Pricing will depend on the reputation of the breeder and the phenotype of the animal itself. “Typing” is done on a 1-5 scale, with 5 being the best phenotype. The price range can be anything from $800-8,000 for a breeding ewes and rams. $8k is pretty extreme but not unheard of for Dorper. This year you can expect to pay an average of $1000-1500 for a quality, registered Dorper breeding stock.
But $3,000-5,000 for a ram from one of the best breeders in the country is not uncommon. The reason is that people will pay premium for, say, a “type 5” ram so that they can breed him to a flock full of “type 3” ewes and immediately have a top-dollar, type 4-5 lamb crop that pays for the cost of the ram in the first year.
So in summary, you could be looking at pricing that is anywhere from $200-$8,000 for a quality Dorper Sheep.
If you have experience buying at a sale barn, or an experienced friend who can help you buy, you might be able to source a quality group of ewe lambs for $200 each. My preferred method is to pay around $350-500 per head at private sale to ensure I am getting good, pasture based genetics in my Dorper sheep. Finally, if you are into show animals, expect to pay a median price of $1,000 per head for Registered Dorper breeding stock.
Remember, that the most expensive sheep is a dead sheep, so be sure to download my free EBOOK on “The 13 Things You Need to Raise Sheep” for a good head-start toward a healthy flock.
