Pages

Facts About Katahdin Hair Sheep For Sale

By James Campbell


One of most important events that ever happened in human history was domestication of animals. Although, sheep were not the first animals to be domesticated by human beings, they proved to be important and that is why they were brought into the fold. There are several different breeds of sheep spread across the world. Some are exotic while others are indigenous. For instance, katahdin sheep is indigenous in Maine, United States. This is worth knowing about katahdin hair sheep for sale.

According to history, the katahdin breed of domesticated sheep has its name from the peak of Mount Katahdin. The emergence of the sheep in the US is dated in 1950. The various physical features that these animals exhibit resulted from crossbreeding several other breeds. Some of these breeds included Suffolk, Wiltshire horn, and St. Croix sheep. The selection was done based on various characteristics like high fertility, hair coat, meat type conformation and flocking instinct.

The popularity of this breed soared in America and other parts of the world for various reasons. First, for commercial shepherds and anyone else they do not require shearing. Shearing can be expensive in some parts and also considering the low price of wool. The hair coat trait is thought to have come from their St. Croix sheep ancestors.

According to history, the initial katahdin breeder had to bring the Wilshire Horn from England. This was aimed at improving the size and quality of their carcasses. In terms of weight, mature ewes weigh between 125 and 185 pounds. Rams, on the flip side are often bigger and weigh between 180 and 250 pounds. On average, lambs weigh 8 pounds at birth, though this is dependent on a number of factors that may result in a disparity.

Parasite resistance is another trait the breed inherited from their parents. For this reason, unlike other breeds the katahdin is able to resist internal and external parasites. In turn, when they are managed well, they do not require a lot of parasite treatment. Thus, the breed is usually high productive and low cost.

The productivity of this breed is almost comparable to none considering that ewes and rams exhibit early puberty. Besides this, they have long productive life. It is quite normal for fully grown ewes to have twins and occasional quadruplets or triplets. The protective mothering instinct of ewes is quite strong. Most of them do not need assistance with lambing.

Most ewes have ample milk for their lambs. Their mothering instinct is so strong that they rarely reject lambs. As for rams, they are among the most aggressive breeders. In general, they are fertile throughout the year. As such, they have the ability of settling huge numbers of ewes within the first cycle of exposure. Considering this, a flock should consistently lamb year round when the selection is done properly.

Finally, the breed is hardy. This means it may adjust to different conditions. They grow winter coats in the cold season. This offers protection against the cold. Hair coat allows them to persevere and survive in high temperature zones. They can be nurtured on pasture lambing or grass/forage management system.




About the Author:



By James Campbell


One of most important events that ever happened in human history was domestication of animals. Although, sheep were not the first animals to be domesticated by human beings, they proved to be important and that is why they were brought into the fold. There are several different breeds of sheep spread across the world. Some are exotic while others are indigenous. For instance, katahdin sheep is indigenous in Maine, United States. This is worth knowing about katahdin hair sheep for sale.

According to history, the katahdin breed of domesticated sheep has its name from the peak of Mount Katahdin. The emergence of the sheep in the US is dated in 1950. The various physical features that these animals exhibit resulted from crossbreeding several other breeds. Some of these breeds included Suffolk, Wiltshire horn, and St. Croix sheep. The selection was done based on various characteristics like high fertility, hair coat, meat type conformation and flocking instinct.

The popularity of this breed soared in America and other parts of the world for various reasons. First, for commercial shepherds and anyone else they do not require shearing. Shearing can be expensive in some parts and also considering the low price of wool. The hair coat trait is thought to have come from their St. Croix sheep ancestors.

According to history, the initial katahdin breeder had to bring the Wilshire Horn from England. This was aimed at improving the size and quality of their carcasses. In terms of weight, mature ewes weigh between 125 and 185 pounds. Rams, on the flip side are often bigger and weigh between 180 and 250 pounds. On average, lambs weigh 8 pounds at birth, though this is dependent on a number of factors that may result in a disparity.

Parasite resistance is another trait the breed inherited from their parents. For this reason, unlike other breeds the katahdin is able to resist internal and external parasites. In turn, when they are managed well, they do not require a lot of parasite treatment. Thus, the breed is usually high productive and low cost.

The productivity of this breed is almost comparable to none considering that ewes and rams exhibit early puberty. Besides this, they have long productive life. It is quite normal for fully grown ewes to have twins and occasional quadruplets or triplets. The protective mothering instinct of ewes is quite strong. Most of them do not need assistance with lambing.

Most ewes have ample milk for their lambs. Their mothering instinct is so strong that they rarely reject lambs. As for rams, they are among the most aggressive breeders. In general, they are fertile throughout the year. As such, they have the ability of settling huge numbers of ewes within the first cycle of exposure. Considering this, a flock should consistently lamb year round when the selection is done properly.

Finally, the breed is hardy. This means it may adjust to different conditions. They grow winter coats in the cold season. This offers protection against the cold. Hair coat allows them to persevere and survive in high temperature zones. They can be nurtured on pasture lambing or grass/forage management system.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment