What is the Difference between Purebred and Fullblood?
The term “fullblood” means the sheep can trace it’s genetic background only to sheep originally imported from South Africa. “Purebred” means the sheep has been upgraded from American stock and is at least 93% or 15/16ths Dorper genetics. Upgrading was allowed in order to increase the numbers of Dorper sheep after South Africa experienced an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease and importation was no longer possible. The sheep are shown together in the show ring with no preference for either designation.
