About Us
We are Kevin and Jill Bird from Bradford, Arkansas. We own a 30-acre farm and our interest in sheep began when raising cattle just wasn’t profitable on 30 acres. We wanted to raise some type of animal, but weren’t sure what was right for us, looking for a future retirement income and something we could enjoy doing together. After studying sheep for years and visiting several sheep farms in Arkansas, we decided to go with meat sheep, and Dorper are the “Angus” of the sheep world. Our original purchase was quality, commercial, grass-fed Dorper ewes from one farm in Arkansas and a nice registered Dorper ram out of Texas, and our sheep journey began in 2022.
Lambing
We lamb in April each year, when spring grass is abundant and the ewe’s nutritional needs are the highest. The photos below are lambs from just a few hours old to 1 week old. They grow very fast!
Guardians
Our sheep have great guardians 24/7
GRASS-FED ROTATIONAL GRAZED
Our flock are intensive rotational grazed throughout the year. In the winter, we feed hay, no grain. They maintain a healthy weight year around. This photo is with a wind chill below zero (cold for Arkansas).
We rotate our sheep more often in the warmer months for parasite prevention.
Why Dorper Breed?
Dorper sheep are the Angus of the sheep world and are easy on the eye. Below are more benefits to owning them.
Fast growing to allow for early sale of Prime Lamb
Early reproductive maturity in ewes, lambing at 12 months of age
High twinning rate
Natural maternal instinct, doing well when raising their twins
Good milk production
Lambs graze at an early age
Can breed any time of the year
Low Maintenance
Do well in cold and hot weather
Non-selective grazers and do well with different grasses (and they enjoy some weeds)
They shed their own fleece, so shearing is often not required
Maintain good body condition on grass and hay only
Marketability
Good sellers at sale barns
High lean meat yield
Fine textured meat for good taste and tenderness
SHEEP FOR SALE
Our lambs are available for sale around July or August of each year when their weight is between 60 - 80 lbs. In the 2024 season, we will be selling only our ram lambs. The price is $350.00 each, cash only. These rams are quality, high percentage commercial Dorper. The pictures below are ram lambs approaching 4 months old. They will be available for sale beginning the weekend of August 10. Taking names for wait list to purchase ewe lambs for 2025 season.
