SHEEP - DAMARA

Gather your flock of family and friends and come meet our majestic Damara sheep.

As their name suggests, these gentle animals originate from the Damara region of South Africa, and were only recently introduced to Australia in 1996.

Often confused with goats due to their hairy (rather than woollen) coats, Damara sheep are a unique breed characterised by a muscular body and a wedge-shaped tail that extends below the hock (or what we might consider the ankle) of the hind legs. Their hairy coats are coloured in a variety of hues, ranging from blacks and browns, to reds and whites. As they don’t have wool coats no shearing is required. In addition, their excellent resistance to disease and parasites makes them low maintenance and highly resilient animals. Also referred to as “fat tailed sheep”, their distinctive long tail stores body fat that is utilized in hard times. This is an example of the Damara sheep’s exceptional adaptability to harsh environments.

In the world of agriculture, Damaras are primarily raised for meet production, and are sometimes crossed with the Dorper breed to produce offspring known as ‘Meatmasters’.

This breed generally have a life span of 8 to 12 years. The Damara Sheep’s gestation period will usually last about five months, leading to the birth of a baby lamb. Females are called ‘ewes’ and typically weigh around 70 kilograms, while male ‘rams’ and desexed males (known as ‘wethers’) typically weigh around 100 kilograms. Both male and female Damaras can have horns, though some are naturally poll – a term meaning ‘without horns’. Damara sheep forage on a diet which includes a variety of grasses, shrubs and hay, as well as fruit and vegetables. They generally have a calm and gentle demeanour, but possess a natural alertness which may cause them to spook easily.