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Sheep
Dorset Down
2008 Watchlist; Category 5, Minority.
The Dorset Down was developed in the late nineteenth century as a result of crossing Southdown rams onto Hampshire and Wiltshire ewes and using these to improve the native sheep of Dorset. The Breed Association was founded in Dorchester in 1905 and issued its first Flock Book in 1906 containing entries from 51 Flocks totalling 21,376 sheep, all located in Dorset.
It is a compact, medium-sized sheep, with a good depth of flesh, and is used as a terminal sire to produce quick-maturing lambs from crossbred ewes. It has been exported to many countries including Australia, New Zealand, South America, Africa and many European countries.