Some information about Damara from our experience and from what has been sourced on the www...

overview

The Damara live and breed in harsh environments, under poor nutritional conditions and with restricted water. Damara are good food converters and can have a diverse diet made up of browsing material, shrubs, weeds (blackberry, thistle etc) and also make good use of low nutritional feed. This makes them ideal as scrub control livestock. Owners can graze more sheep per hectare. They don't require shearing, crutching or docking and are very fertile all-season breeders. Ewes can have their first lamb before they are one year old and generally have three lambs in two years. This breed of sheep requires minimal handling, maintenance and produce high quality meat sheep all year round.

ability

Damara have the ability to thrive in the most marginal conditions and have really proved their true value during periods of long drought.

The Damara's fat tail is a distinguishing feature it's also a key to its robust nature and their ability to thrive in these harsh conditions. Damara sheep can raise a lamb on the fat reserves stored in the ewe's tail. The tail acts like a camel's hump storing fat. When they're in good condition, the tails are fat and wide. Damaras are able to survive without water for days at a time quite often lactating females only come in to water every three days. They have a gut metabolism more like Brahman cattle so they've got the ability to turn feed of less quality into meat and muscle.

Due to their strong flocking instincts they require less fencing than other breeds of sheep. They often graze and move within in sight of each other and rest as a group. This assists the ewes in defending their young from predators and makes moving the flock easy.

From the book, The Damara of Southern Africa by Dawie du Toit...

The Damara over centuries survived a long and perilous migration through Africa and its genes have to a large extent been shaped by natural selection. The Damara had to survive for many centuries without veterinary support in a hostile environment and had to adapt to these conditions. It was only in the middle of the 20th century that commercial farmers became aware of the unique characteristics of the Damara. The Damara can therefore thrive in a wide range of environments without expensive support systems. The unique genetic traits of the Damara ensure that it is a most prolific mutton-producing breed. As result of this process of natural selection, the following outstanding characteristics of the Damara have been researched and reported...

• It is a low-maintenance sheep; no shearing or tailing;
• High resistance to worms, flies and blowflies;
• High tolerance to most sheep diseases and parasites;
• Strong flocking instinct, easy to muster, protection for young lambs within the flock;
• Tolerate climatic extremes.  A woollen layer, which protects it in winter, is naturally shed in summer;
• Can survive under poor nutritional conditions, but will flourish under good conditions;
• It can survive on a limited water supply;
• Feeds in a non-selective manner on a wide variety of grass, bush, shrubs and trees.  At the Omatjenne Research Station, Otjiwarongo, Namibia,  it was established that the Damara utilizes 60% browsing material and 40% grasses on a monthly basis over a year.   The Damara can therefore be used to combat bush encroachment;
• Damara Rams are virile with a strong libido. Ewes have a high fertility rate and long productive life and will on average lamb every eight months.   They are very good mothers and protective of their lambs;
• Under extensive conditions and on average a Damara lamb will reach a live weight of 36 kg at between 7 to 9 months;
• Independent scientific research has shown that Damara meat is of an outstanding quality and that the Damara has the best skin for the production of leather of 10 South African sheep breeds tested;
• The average weight of an adult ewe is about 50 to 55 kg and that of an adult ram about 75 to 80 kg.