Dorset sheep are originally from the Downs area of England. The first Dorsets in the US came to Oregon, shipped by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1860's. East Coast imports came in the late 1800's. Polled (hornless) Dorsets were a mutation that happened at North Carolina State College in the 1950's and now outnumber Horned Dorsets here and in other countries. One of the most common sheep breeds in the US, raised primarily for meat.
The fleece is very white with no black fibers like black faced meat breeds (Suffolks and Hampshires). The sheep will grow fleece from 2.5 to 4 inches long in a year and it has the robust crimp (extremely springy) of Down-type wools.
Farm source: hand selected fleeces from Flat Duck Farm, Boyce, Virginia
