Im sure by now you have an answer. I have bought a dorper lamb an intend to serve mountain horny ewes with him has it ever being tried out, hi, Ron remembers raising wool sheep as a teenager. They are excellent foragers. Our spring lambs require 4-5 pounds of dry matter forage to produce each pound of gain. We may be partial to the breed, but were not raising a hobby flock. we really enjoy that black baby lamb and she is 9 months old now. 80 pounds at 90 days can be expected. These are some of the best reasons to raise Katahdin sheep - though the list is by no means exhaustive! This site is owned and operated by Wild Wire Media, LLC. The breed was created by crossing Dorset and Blackheaded Persian sheep. I think this is where the good reputation of hair sheep comes in. The breed has a thick, well muscled carcass and extended period of fertility. Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 170 200 (can be less than 170lb), Ram = 220 250. It improves from year one to year two of age but can again be reduced by external factors like disease or weight loss. Thank you for stopping by, and best of luck with your farm! While Hampshire sheep are seasonal breeders, they tend to have a longer breeding season than others. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I have seen many Dorper X Katahdins which are small and the only sign they have Dorper in them is the fact that they have black heads, if they had been crossed with a white Dorper, one would assume that there was no Dorper in there at all. Sales at the 2022 mid America Dorper Show nearly broke $1 MILLION with the top Dorper ewe bringing $20,000 and ram $12,800. They are best raised on pasture and finishing these breeds on feedlots can lead to less desirable meat products as the ethnic market prefers a leaner lamb. Plainview, Tx. If ewes are fed well, lambing rate approaches the higher end. I sell a lot of culled ewes as roasts, ground meat, stew meat and various sausages. I have a question. When it comes down to it, the choice of whether to add Dorper sheep or Katahdin sheep to your homestead is more about personal preference. One in particular is more like a paint horse. Average weight for the Cheviot is 130 175 pounds. Mutton is meat that comes from mature sheep over the age of 1 year old. High latitudes (up north) have a short growing season with long daylight periods and fast grass growth that is high in protein and low in fiber. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. We are in the process of installing another 10,000 feet of electric fence on 25 acres that will result in another nine paddocks. Fourteen years ago my wife got into the sheep business when she purchased three registered Katahdin ewes, a ram, and later, three Romanov ewes. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Also, much of the flavor ( good or bad) comes from the fat. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare productive performance of F 1 Dp vs . They grow quickly and reach market weight early. The breed was created by crossing Dorset and Blackheaded Persian sheep. Katahdin sheep are one of several hair breeds, the most common of which includes Barbados Black Belly, St. Croix and Dorper sheep. In 2001, my friend with Polypay paid $2 to shear $.50 worth of wool per animal. for info and videos along with books and much more! Produce large amount of milk. "Shearing the wool was tough," he recalls, but the price paid for wool nearly covered feed costs. Origin: Developed in the Virgin Islands for crosses of West African hair sheep and Wiltshire Horn. The Kasteel White Dorper Stud farm lies in an arid area of the Republic of South Africa, called the Great Karoo. 1. Breed ideal for pasture lambing and grass/forage based management systems. Fact: Katahdin sheep, at least, will thrive from hot, humid Florida to the western provinces of Canada. Thank you. I have a pet ram lamb, texel dorset cross I was told. Quite a few meat producers are finding better success with the hair breeds of meat sheep than with meat goats. The Katahdin hair sheep is the fastest growing breed in the United States. Im very new here currently living in Virginia. If you combine all traits I have not found a better breed for a farming system based on pasture and direct marketing. The number of feedings can be reduced over time to twice a day by 3-4 weeks of age. For more on the differences, plus potential pros and cons between the breeds, read on. Not only do they suffer fewer complications during birthing compared to some other breeds, but they also give birth to multiple lambs. This breed tolerates both heat and cold making them a good choice for most climates. Market Weight/Live/Age: 80 110 lbs / 5.5 6 months. While I had no worries about my 1/2 market lambs since the Texel influence was still strong, my anticipation when the first 3/4 market lambs were harvested was great. While they always have access to a wind break when the wind howls, they are not being housed with the exception of those that lamb during the winter. Dorset ewes weigh approximately 150-200 pounds, with the rams weighing on average 275 pounds. They will stand on their hind feet like goats to strip any low hanging limbs of their leaves. Request PDF | Signatures of selection in sheep and goats infected with Haemonchus contortus | Host genetic variation for resistance to Haemonchus contortus allows selective breeding of animals for . Breeders often use less-expensive Katahdin ewes to initiate an upgrading program with registered Dorper as the final goal. Your email address will not be published. I like the Dorper temperament, generally they are a pretty docile breed. Katahdin is probably the more economical choice, however, namely because they can produce both meat and milk. However, they are suitable for markets requiring smaller carcass size. Manage Settings Ewes with young lambs show protective behavior and may raise front feet to strike dogs and cats when confronted. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogoh:n dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogoh:n people, past and present, to these lands and waters. . The coat is a mixture of hair and wool and will shed from animal in late spring/early summer. It is raised mainly for meat production. I am new to the sheep business so I am concerned that she will never be large enough to breed. These slaughter lambs sell comparable to pure Katahdin sheep per pound unless theyre full of cockleburs and briars. This breed is medium-sized and is hardy with a high-quality carcass. Have been buying in feed since the start of 2018. Because of their hair, like the Dorper they do not produce lanolin which will give their meat a milder taste. The Dorper carcass has a good conformation and fat distribution. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The other half needed shearing. Choosing breeding stock with this in mind can avoid this problem. Katahdins are docile, medium-sized sheep; ewes weigh 125 to 185 pounds, rams 180 to 250 pounds. The Dorper is highly adaptable and does well in harsh conditions. $300. While both breeds are exceptionally popular in the US, there are some differences between the two. Lamb meat is known to be more tender and tasty. The Dorpers get so quiet and even a little lazy that the dogs really have to work hard to make them move much. As a result, about 50 percent of the first generation of White Dorper cross bred sheep shed partially or mostly. Market Weight/Live/Age: 110 lbs / 7 8 months, Professional Horticulture and Pest Services, Breed Directory- American Sheep Industry Association, Hair Sheep Production and Marketing Including Some Breeds, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1010 N. McDuff Avenue We have an 18-cell planned grazing system with 10,000 feet of electric fence and 5,000 feet of underground waterline on 35 acres. As with any young growing animal, the weight gains of a Katahdin lamb increase as the protein and digestibility of the forage increases. Vigorous growers, the Icelandic produce lambs that are market-ready at 70-100 pounds in as little as 4-5 months. In addition, there is almost no incidence of flystrike with hair sheep breeds. Several Polypay owners in the area worm all animals 6-8 times during the summer and still lose animals to stomach worms. For registered breeding stock, permanent wooly fibers are a no-no. Variance in RT in periods 3 and 4 ranked St. Croix < Dorper < Katahdin. Though the breed produces wool (and lanolin), it is known to have a particularly mild taste. Unfortunately, Mr. Piel did not live long enough to see his breed reach having a registry and breed standards. This breed is adaptable and can live in many different climates. What You Need To Know, link to Goats vs Sheep: Profit, Care & Behavioral Differences, Best Sheep for Wool: Top 8 Sheep Breeds for Wool. Suffolk ewes reach between 180-250 pounds, while rams can top out at 350 pounds. 7 year old Katahdin ewe . Our flock is content to sleep outside in the coldest weather and will have unmelted snow on their backs like a wool animal. Sheep are like lawnmowers, while goats are more like Bush Hogs (for the uninitiated, that's the brand name for a machine designed to clear heavy brush). 1999. Hi Mary. Question is this common? It is also well established that heavy grain feeding does not suit these medium sized sheep since they thrive on so little. The bodybuilder of the sheep world, the Texel sheep is known for its heavily-muscled and sturdy frame. If you plan on going into the meat production business, its important to know the difference between types of sheep meat. These include: Dorper sheep dont produce much milk or wool, which means raising them for meat is your only option. The Katahdan tend to be a little more "active", in general not quite as docile, though many would disagree but they are still quiet. Katahdins are a popular meat breed for sheep farmers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If you have a disability and are having trouble accessing information on this website or need materials in an alternate format, please contact Cornell University via email at web-accessibility@cornell.edu for assistance. Dorper and Katahdin are medium size breeds. I'll be using my Barbados Blackbelly ram on my BB ewes and also a few Kathadin ewes. In years past, 18-30 pound lambs sold well in Chicago for Jewish Passover. Our grass-fed ewes normally go into the fall with a body score of 4-5, which makes flushing difficult: Adult Katahdin sheep can maintain themselves on poor quality forage that had our Romanovs literally skin and bones. We figured the combination would be a meatier sheep." They bought the ram in 1996 and some ewes the following spring. I have found that the Katahdin can be a little taller than many of the Dorper but then it will also depend on what bloodlines. For example, we consider time spent worming, shearing, docking and trimming hooves as merely maintaining an operation. Katahdin can be used for both meat and milk, whereas Dorper sheep are only good for meat production. The American Sheep Industry recognizes 47 different sheep breeds in the US, with hundreds more recognized internationally. It was bred from West African hair sheep and is extremely well-adapted to hot, humid conditions. I love lambs Does lambs has less cholesterol than goat? This means that, theoretically, a Dorper ewe can produce a lamb (or 2 or 3) every 8 months. What You Need To Know. A maternal breed, Katahdin ewes breed well with the Dorper rams to produce a meaty but feminine lamb. The breed was developed in the mid-1950s by crossing imported St. Croix Sheep and several other breeds, including the Suffolk Sheep. Nitrogen retention by lambs fed oscillating dietary protein concentrations. We are currently using rams with high shedding scores, while culling heavily on production traits.