It was developed at the North Carolina State University Small Ruminant Unit in the 1950s after a genetic mutation led to the birth of a polled ram.

[1] In 1949, four hornless lambs were sired by a Horned Dorset on a farm at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

The offspring of NCSU 402 were bought by other breeders, and within twenty years seventy percent of all registered Dorsets were polled.

Dorsets are noted for their ability to be bred more than once per year and are commonly used in crossbreeding to produce females for out-of-season breeding.

Multiple births are common, and they work well in commercial operations, including programs where rams are specifically used to sire lambs for slaughter.

Polled Dorsets thrive under grass-based and feedlot conditions and are more suitable on small farms that are intensely managed.