Cazna Park Poll Dorsets

Cameron’s father Ron and grandmother Myrtle, founded the family’s Dorset Horn stud, Cazna Park, Flock No: 1265 in 1950. And in 1963 Myrtle Vale Poll Dorsets, Flock No: 615

When establishing the stud Ron based his judgment and selection criteria on the well filled hindquarters and body conformation shown in the Balmoral stud owned by WJ Martin, at Sandy Creek in South Australia. 

After spending some time away from the farm, Cameron returned upon his father’s retirement.

In 2012 Cameron re-established the Cazna Park stud, Flock No 4557, transferring stock from the Myrtle Vale stud. The same genetics have continued on.

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Poll Dorset History

The Dorset Horn breed was a minority breed in Australia until the second quarter of this century, but some of the early breeders were making great progress and the breed improved tremendously in their ability to produce a top quality lamb, which could be sold at light weights or carried on to heavy weights, and seemed to thrive in the wide range of climate. The only real drawback to the breed was their troublesome horns, which limited selection considerably.

Some studmasters had considered for a long time that the Dorset Horn, most popular of all fat lamb sires for Australian conditions, would be even more efficient minus his horns. This view was endorsed by many fat lamb breeders, who preferred that the horns of their Dorset flock rams should be sawn off.

The three men who pioneered the Poll Dorset breed were W.J. Dawkins, of Newbold, Gawler River (S.A.), L.A. Stuart, of Valma, Whitemore (Tas), and R.H. Wilson, of Kismet, Howlong (N.S.W.).
All breeders of Dorset Horn sheep, they saw the advantages of eliminating the horns from this great breed, but were determined to retain all its qualities.

While all three pioneer breeders had slightly different methods, all had the same common goal – to achieve a Dorset Horn sheep without horns.

The plan was to introduce the poll character by crossing the Dorset Horn with a poll breed and then by mating consistently back to the Dorset Horn, combined with rigorous culling, to eliminate all characters of the introduced breed, except the poll factor.

By 1954, after years of careful selection and ruthless and costly culling, Messrs. Dawkins, Stuart and Wilson felt that they had produced Poll Dorsets of sufficient Dorset Horn quality to establish the Poll Dorset breed of sheep.

The Poll Dorset is a short wool, meat producing sheep and is Australia’s No.1 terminal sire in the prime lamb industry. Poll Dorsets sire more lambs annually than any other breed.

Characteristics

Characteristics of the Poll Dorset breed include:

Poll Dorsets

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