20 years keeping Dorper sheep and still counting

Sheep, goats and dairy cows graze in groups on the farm situated in Buggar, off the Iten-Kapsowar Road.

It is drizzling when we arrive, but as we shelter under our umbrellas, the animals are seemingly enjoying the shower.

The 147-acre farm, which also hosts the Elgeyo Sawmill, is home to 131 sheep, 115 dairy cows and 66 goats.

Daljit Singh Wirk, 63, the owner has been keeping the animals for about two decades on the farm located in the remote area, where temperatures fall as low as 100C.

And it all started in 1997. “I was travelling from Nakuru to Eldoret when I spotted a flock of Dorper sheep that I liked.

I stopped, talked to the owner who agreed to sell me three ewes and a ram.”

However, while buying the animals, his aim was not to keep them for economic purposes.

“My concern was the overgrown grass on the vast farm, which I wanted them to help me manage,” says Wirk, who is the General Manager of the Elgeyo Saw Mills located on the border of Elgeyo-Marakwet and Uasin Gishu counties.

Soon, the animals increased and Wirk thought of breeding them for sale.

“I keep mainly the pure Dorper sheep because they are hardy. The ewes are 106 while the rams are 25,” says the farmer, whose company makes plywood and timber.

“We breed the animals once or twice a year, but one can breed up to three times, which is good but the animals get exhausted,” says Wirk, who has employed 18 people on the farm whose income complements that from sawmill.

The farmer has constructed separate sheds for the ewes for breeding purposes.

SEPARATED TO AVOID IN-BREEDING

The ewes and rams are separated at four months to avoid inbreeding. And at five to six months, the ram is ready to serve.

“One ram serves not more than 20 ewes. We use four rams to serve them but it depends on the time they are on heat.

Averagely, a ram can serve two ewes in a day. So that after three months, they would have served all the stock and then they will be separated,” says Wirk.

He gets about 200 lambs in a year from the stock, with each animal offering one to three lambs. “We normally dispose or exchange the rams with farmers with good pure breeds to avoid inbreeding after three to four years,” he says, adding he plans to double his stock.

“In-breeding should be avoided because it leads to poor offspring. We exchange the animals with other farmers in Nakuru, Thika or Laikipia. Sometimes we buy at Sh25,000 each.”

Once born, a rubber ring is tied on the young ewe’s tail to eliminate it, falling off after two weeks.

“This is to make mating easy when time comes. It also eases the calving process as well as distributes fats in the body.

In short, it is important in growth and development of your flock,” says James Kosgei, the livestock manager

They sell their rams at Sh15,000 each while an ewe is sold at Sh10,000, all when aged eight months.

“We sell a minimum of five animals in a month,” notes Kosgei, adding a mature sheep that is well-fed can weigh between 35 to 40kg though the farm once had an animal weighing 52kg.

HARDY SHEEP BREED

The sheep breed, though hardy, requires good management to thrive.

“We feed them in the evening and in the morning before we let them graze. What one cow consumes is same as what four sheep will feed making sheep farming economical,” he notes, adding that all their animals feed on 70 to 80kg a day.

Besides grass, the animals are fed on Boma Rhodes, oats, salt, and silage and grounded maize seeds.

With good management, according to Kosgei, there is a possibility of the ewes calving twins or triplets. 

“Every two weeks, we dip them to control ticks and fleas. We also deworm after every two months. We also shear wool to keep them clean and trim hooves to ensure ease of movement,” he adds, noting they have not started selling the wool.

From the cows, they get 500 litres of milk daily from 30 lactating animals which they sell to traders mainly in Iten and a farmers’ co-operative at Sh40 a litre.

Some of the diseases that give them trouble include Ovine progressive pneumonia, which is caused by a virus, and is characterised by weight loss, difficulty in breathing and development of lameness, paralysis, and mastitis.

It is transmitted laterally or to offspring through ingestion of infected milk and colostrum.

KEEP BREEDING RECORDS

Ronald Kimitei, a livestock expert at Egerton University, says sheep requires proper feeding and best rams and ewes for better productivity.

“It’s important that the sheep be fed on good quality pasture. For intensive production, feeds can have supplements of proteins, energy and minerals (one can go to agrovets and buy mineral premixes for mutton). 

The supplements should preferably be fed in the morning and evening. With that you can breed up to twice year,” says Kimitei. 

He further advises that when breeding young sheep for the first time, farmers need to consider weight rather than the age.

For instance, the rams should have attained 60 per cent of the total weight of a mature one. Rams need to attain at least 40kg and 45kg for good servicing.

“To avoid inbreeding, it is crucial that farmers practice ram rotation. This can be achieved by exchanging rams or buying from other farmers after every one to one-and-a-half years. The length of the period depends on the time it takes for the sheep to attain the recommended breeding weight. At all times it is important to ensure that only unrelated rams and ewes are bred. Breeding records will provide a reference point when selecting unrelated animals.”

COMMON DISEASES AND PESTS

Kimitei says that Dorper farmers need to be wary of pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia), a common disease which is evidenced by sudden death especially in lambs with limbs extended and their heads twisted back. 

Infected animals may show signs of green diarrhoea, staggering, convulsions and frothing in the mouth before death. 

“Most of the diseases are associated with seasons. This happens when you are accustomed to feeding then a specific feed then they are suddenly exposed to others. For instance, when they feed on young plants (after it starts to rain), or grains, they will likely suffer from pulpy kidney,” he says. 

To control this disease, he says a farmer should change or withdraw the good quality ration for at least two weeks before exposing them to the other feeds.

“The sheep can also be vaccinated twice for the first time (one month apart) against enterotoxaemia followed by booster vaccines every year,” he says, adding that a farmer should practice pasture rotation by periodically grazing the animals in new paddocks or fields to ensure that they get good pasture and curb parasites. 

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Diseases and Vaccinations

• Other diseases which may affect sheep include Rift Valley Fever, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes (common during seasons of water-logging or flooding) and can be controlled through vaccination. 
• In order to plan vaccination programmes, veterinary authorities often obtain information from the Meteorological Department on the possibility of prolonged heavy rains and flooding.
• When choosing good rams for service, farmers should select active rams with fast growth rates and two testicles (not one) as a sign of good fertility.