| What is Sherana? |
| Why cattle and sheep? |
| Why Damara sheep? |
| Why Braford cattle? |
| Our Damara flock |
| Photo Album |
| More Information |
| Newsletters |
| Contact us |
Our Damara Flock.
Damara sheep are a pure natural breed, which originated from the Hamites of Eastern Asia and then moved through Egypt into Africa. It is one of the oldest sheep breeds in the world. They were discovered by early German settlers in Namibia and Angola. For many years they were confined to an isolated region of Namibia and Angola (a region once known as "Gross Damaraland"), free of the influence of other breeds.Damara sheep have short glossy hair (resistant to grass seeds) long legs, fat tail, high fertility, hardiness and good mothering and herding instincts. These traits developed under natural selection on the African continent. Breed characteristics have been improved by ten years of selective breeding in South Africa, under conditions similar to Australia (predators a bit bigger). Males are very protective, with capable horns. They are non-selective grazers who can survive and breed under poor nutritional conditions. They can tolerate extended periods of water scarcity, tolerate heat well and can walk long distances. They were first introduced into Western Australia from South Africa in 1996.
A Sherana Damara Ram
Our original genetics came from "Hall Damara" in Western Australia, who imported them from South Africa, mainly from the flocks of Clynton Collett, the President of the South African Damara Breeders Society. John Hall has implanted some 4,000 Damara embryos to date and is now converting his 10,000 merinos to Damaras. He is Australia's largest Damara breeder and no longer has a merino ram - all Damaras.
Our sheep flock comprises:
- Over 100 pure bred ewes and rams from six ewe lines and about 20 ram lines.
- About 100 F1 ewes (50% Damara:50% Merino).
- Constantly growing numbers of Damara, F1 and F2 (75% Damara) lambs.
- A reducing flock of merino ewes, surrogate mothers of some Damara embryos.
- A llama whose job it is to guard the sheep from predators.
A Damara ram plus a few F1 or F2 ewes is a good way to start a Damara enterprise.
We were one of the first to get Damaras in the eastern states and were the first member of the Damara Sheep Breeders Society in Qld.
We have found transport quite easy. We have contacts with a transport company that shifts stud animals all over Australia. They spell the sheep and feed and water them and all arrive in good condition.
