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.
Despite the strangely exotic and foreign sounding name, the katahdin is really a domestic breed found in Maine, and named after Mt. Katahdin. It was a breed that was developed by a certain Michael Piel out of curiosity in the late 1950s. He mated some St. Croix sheep with selected domestic stock, including the Suffolk, to create the breed. The result is a breed with two diverging genetic lines, wherein one is completely without wool and can be raised for meat and dairy, while the other is born with a lot of hair, and produces very high quality wool.
Sheep do not also require so much land for grazing when compared to other livestock such as cows. A basic rule of thumb is to have at least one acre for every six heads that you have. So for the case of 100 sheep, be prepared to allocate at least 30 acres. These animals also give birth on average every four to five months a year, so you can expect a doubling of your entire flock in less than a year, especially if a majority of them are ewes.
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.
Most katahdins will have a 200% lamb crop, which means that 200% of its offspring can be marketed or be good enough for breeding. In layman terms, just think of it as two lambs per ewe. Thus if you are using this breed for meat purposes, the highest value it can have is if the lamb is sold at less than a year old.
Medium to large grazing animals are what katahdins can be classified as. The females, or ewes can get as heavy as 72 kilos, while the males, or rams, can get as heavy as 114 kilos. Despite the fairly respectable size, they are quite easy to handle. First time shepherds will have no problems with a starter flock of twenty 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.
In conclusion, the foregoing article has discussed some items you should carefully consider before fully committing to the shepherding business. It is much advised also that you do make further research into market viability of such a breed before continuing further.
Despite the strangely exotic and foreign sounding name, the katahdin is really a domestic breed found in Maine, and named after Mt. Katahdin. It was a breed that was developed by a certain Michael Piel out of curiosity in the late 1950s. He mated some St. Croix sheep with selected domestic stock, including the Suffolk, to create the breed. The result is a breed with two diverging genetic lines, wherein one is completely without wool and can be raised for meat and dairy, while the other is born with a lot of hair, and produces very high quality wool.
Sheep do not also require so much land for grazing when compared to other livestock such as cows. A basic rule of thumb is to have at least one acre for every six heads that you have. So for the case of 100 sheep, be prepared to allocate at least 30 acres. These animals also give birth on average every four to five months a year, so you can expect a doubling of your entire flock in less than a year, especially if a majority of them are ewes.
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.
Most katahdins will have a 200% lamb crop, which means that 200% of its offspring can be marketed or be good enough for breeding. In layman terms, just think of it as two lambs per ewe. Thus if you are using this breed for meat purposes, the highest value it can have is if the lamb is sold at less than a year old.
Medium to large grazing animals are what katahdins can be classified as. The females, or ewes can get as heavy as 72 kilos, while the males, or rams, can get as heavy as 114 kilos. Despite the fairly respectable size, they are quite easy to handle. First time shepherds will have no problems with a starter flock of twenty 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.
In conclusion, the foregoing article has discussed some items you should carefully consider before fully committing to the shepherding business. It is much advised also that you do make further research into market viability of such a breed before continuing further.
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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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