Everyone has dreams and you are one of them. Since you have a bit of grazing land to your name, you feel that you can make it big in the business of sheep farming and herding and want to raise katahdins because some of your friends do. One day you also want to put up a katahdin hair sheep for sale sign and watch the money follow in. To get you started on your dream do finish reading this article first.
Strangely enough despite the seemingly foreign sounding name, the Katahdin is actually an America domestic breed and named after the highest spot in Maine, Mt. Katahdin. Michael Piel in the late 1950s out of curiosity mated the St. Croix sheep with a variety of other sheep breeds, like the Suffolk breed and came up with some interesting results. The experiment brought up a new breed with two distinct line. One genetic line gives hairless ones that is good for meat and dairy production, while the other line, which has wool, gives one of the finest if not highest quality wool around.
When comparing to other grazing livestock like cows and such, they will not require too much space. In fact for a flock or herd of six, you will only need an acre of land. This is the basic rule of thumb. So be prepared to have at least thirty acres if you plan to have around one hundred or more heads. They do give birth at least twice in a single year, so if you have a majority of ewes in your flock, expect to double your entire population by then.
One of the most salient traits that this particular sheep breed has is that it can generally adapt very well to whatever environment it lives in. Hand in hand with this is a trait it also got from its St. Croix parents, and that is it is also very parasite resistant. These two positive traits, alongside the fact that this breed is also fairly low maintenance all add up to an attractive choice for would be commercial herders.
Katahdins are animals with a 200% lamb crop, meaning that 200% of its offspring are viable for breeding or for selling. To make it simpler and easier to grasp, just think of it as every ewe having two commercially viable lambs every four or five months. As lambs are more profitable when sold less than a year old, you can easily see the commercial viability of a 200% lamb crop.
Katahdins can be classified as medium to large animal, with rams weighing as much as 114 kilograms and ewes up to 72 kilograms. Despite the size, they are easy to take care of and one will not have problems with a small starter flock. A starter flock is one with about 20 ewes and one ram.
When you have decided to get your start flock, then you will need three things to begin with. First you will need a sheep proof fence to keep them in. Second thing you will need is a guardian dog or dogs to keep predators away and such. Third thing you will need will also be a shelter for lambing, as definitely you will be getting lambs within the year.
This article has shown some basic considerations an ideas to mull over before entering the shepherding business. Do also try to do more research into the long term market and viability of such an industry before making a solid commitment.
Strangely enough despite the seemingly foreign sounding name, the Katahdin is actually an America domestic breed and named after the highest spot in Maine, Mt. Katahdin. Michael Piel in the late 1950s out of curiosity mated the St. Croix sheep with a variety of other sheep breeds, like the Suffolk breed and came up with some interesting results. The experiment brought up a new breed with two distinct line. One genetic line gives hairless ones that is good for meat and dairy production, while the other line, which has wool, gives one of the finest if not highest quality wool around.
When comparing to other grazing livestock like cows and such, they will not require too much space. In fact for a flock or herd of six, you will only need an acre of land. This is the basic rule of thumb. So be prepared to have at least thirty acres if you plan to have around one hundred or more heads. They do give birth at least twice in a single year, so if you have a majority of ewes in your flock, expect to double your entire population by then.
One of the most salient traits that this particular sheep breed has is that it can generally adapt very well to whatever environment it lives in. Hand in hand with this is a trait it also got from its St. Croix parents, and that is it is also very parasite resistant. These two positive traits, alongside the fact that this breed is also fairly low maintenance all add up to an attractive choice for would be commercial herders.
Katahdins are animals with a 200% lamb crop, meaning that 200% of its offspring are viable for breeding or for selling. To make it simpler and easier to grasp, just think of it as every ewe having two commercially viable lambs every four or five months. As lambs are more profitable when sold less than a year old, you can easily see the commercial viability of a 200% lamb crop.
Katahdins can be classified as medium to large animal, with rams weighing as much as 114 kilograms and ewes up to 72 kilograms. Despite the size, they are easy to take care of and one will not have problems with a small starter flock. A starter flock is one with about 20 ewes and one ram.
When you have decided to get your start flock, then you will need three things to begin with. First you will need a sheep proof fence to keep them in. Second thing you will need is a guardian dog or dogs to keep predators away and such. Third thing you will need will also be a shelter for lambing, as definitely you will be getting lambs within the year.
This article has shown some basic considerations an ideas to mull over before entering the shepherding business. Do also try to do more research into the long term market and viability of such an industry before making a solid commitment.
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Get an overview of important factors to keep in mind when choosing a sheep breeder and more information about Katahdin hair sheep for sale at http://www.stablerockkatahdins.com now.
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