Dohne Breed

HISTORY OF DOHNES

The Dohne is a dual purpose breed developed by the South African Department of Agriculture in 1939 using Australian Peppin Merino ewes and German Mutton Merino sires. The progeny were interbred and selected for high fertility, rapid lamb growth and medium to fine wool under commercial pastoral conditions.

Since 1970 selection in South Africa has been done with the aid of performance, progeny testing and comprehensive production records maintained in a computerised flock recording scheme.

Dohnes were introduced into Australia in 1997 with embryos imported from South Africa. The Australian Dohne Breeders Association was formed in October 2000.

Today the Dohne Merino is a well-balanced dual-purpose breed that allows the commercial producer to market a quality heavy weight lamb and fine-medium white wool.

PERFORMANCE RECORDING

Quality Assurance

Screen Shot 2015-07-15 at 2.41.36 pmKoonik is a ram breeding flock registered by the Australian Dohne Breeders Association (ADBA) and uses the Dohne breed evaluation system.

The Dohne is the only breed of livestock in Australia that requires its ram breeders to maintain and use full pedigree performance records to ensure their product is accurately described.

Each stud animal is visually assessed by an ADBA appointed Assessor. This inspection assessment is aimed to complement the assessment for production and ensures the conformation, soundness and trueness of type are maintained. Inspection Grade is established as R (registered) or UR (unregistered).

This quality assurance system allows the commercial breeder to select genetics with the emphasis on performance that they require for their own individual flock requirements