Now meat sheep producers are lucky if wool prices cover shearing costs. We both work off the farm; therefore time is a commodity in short supply.
Ron, a credit card machine salesman, did the math before purchasing his first Katahdin ewes.
Our experienced ewes averaged 2.1 lambs/ewe born with 1.9 weaned.Three ewes needed assistance lambing (one got it, the other two didn’t and lost their lambs), one of which was 8 years old.The majority of ewe lambs are sold as registered breeding stock; the majority of ram lambs are sold for slaughter.
As mentioned earlier, the Katahdin breed has served us well.We may be partial to the breed, but we’re not raising a hobby flock. "It's good to take a look at the girls every day," Ron says, as he and Judy mingle with their ewes on a foggy morning.
The breeding lambs often go to folks on small acreages who don't want to mess with shearing wool. The covering of the Katahdin does not require shearing and is preferably completely free of permanent wooly fibers. Animals don’t grow as fast but don’t need to with milder winters and longer growing season.We’ve found that while genetics play an important role in weight gains, flock management, parasite control, forage quality and forage availability seem to be more important when it comes to the bottom line.
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Unfortunately, as the percentage of Dorper increases, more wool is found in their coat and some animals lose some of their shedding ability. Guardian dogs or guardian animals such as donkeys or llamas work well.
(A friend with Polypay and Katahdin sheep has had the same experience.
The Katahdin breed is a wooless, easy care, meat type sheep, naturally tolerant of climatic extremes and capable of high performance in a wide variety of environments. And their popularity increased due to low wool prices and high shearing costs.
And average live body weight of the mature rams is between 82 and 114 kg. To appeal to ethnic buyers, it often requires a change in flock management.
The ewes were recently moved to a new pasture Ron rents, and he watches for twine as well as other hazards. He added another 15 ewes from Oklahoma, then 17 from Arkansas, and then 29 from Oregon.
More on that subject later.Since hair sheep don’t have a heavy wool coat, they can’t take the cold.Fact: Katahdin sheep, at least, will thrive from hot, humid Florida to the western provinces of Canada.
Our ewes reach a mature weight of 150 to190 pounds - small enough to handle easily, but large enough to produce good butcher lambs.
The lambs they produce should make market weight by fall on grass.
The Katahdin sheep have demonstrated wide adaptability, and good for many different areas. Our ewes reach a mature weight of 150 to190 pounds - small enough to handle easily, but large enough to produce good butcher lambs. The breed’s popularity in it’s native area has increased in the recent years. Though they have no wool, they are hardy in climates from South America to Canada. Of the ewe lambs exposed, 95 percent gave birth at the age of 11-13 months.
Though the flock requires careful monitoring during lambing, the newborn lambs are on their feet and nursing immediately. The Monsons' first-time mothers have a 190% lambing rate. This is inconvenient since you must pasture ram lambs separately from ewes to prevent unplanned pregnancies.Many Greeks eat lamb for Easter, which is not always the same date as the traditional Easter.In years past, 18-30 pound lambs sold well in Chicago for Jewish Passover. The purpose of the breed is to efficiently produce meat. The Katahdin breed is a wool-less, easy care, meat type sheep, naturally tolerant of climatic extremes and capable of high performance in a wide variety of environments. Unlike many sheep breeds, they do well in hot, humid weather, thanks to their West African heritage. The Katahdin breed is a wooless, easy care, meat type sheep, naturally tolerant of climatic extremes and capable of high performance in a wide variety of environments.
Katahdins are a medium-size breed; ewes range from 140 to 185 pounds.
The selected lambs were based on hair coat, meat type conformation, flocking instinct and high fertility.
Electric fence works, but requires more maintenance.