Sheep & Goat

Sheep and goat farming is practiced throughout South Africa. There are over 8 000 commercial sheep farms throughout the country and about 5 800 communal farmers. The estimated number of sheep in South Africa is 28.8 million. Dorper is a highly successful South African-bred mutton breed developed specially for the more arid areas of South Africa. Today they are widely spread throughout the country. The Dorper’s excellent carcass qualities in terms of conformation and fat distribution, generally qualify it for top classification. They are especially concentrated in more arid parts of the country. Other mutton breeds which can also produce wool are Damara, Meatmaster, Ille de France, Dormer, Suffolk, Van Rooy and Vandor. South Africa is a relatively small goat producing country and possesses only approximately 3% of Africa’s goats and less than 1% of the world’s number of goats. The Boer goat, Savanna and Kalahari Red are currently recognized as commercial goat breeds for the production of meat and skins and small quantities of cashmere.

DNA profile analysis is important in farming sheep and goats because it can improve the knowledge of the flock dynamics, to determine a ram’s service capacity, to determine which ram sires the progeny (especially important for commercial producers), confirms breeding and ensures the integrity of blood lines.

Sample requirements:

For sheep and goats, the sample of choice for DNA testing is hair (containing roots), tissue or blood.

Animal Genetics price list documents can here found here.