if any one would be interested in buying some good quality Dorpers check out my website MGDorpers.com it is comming out soon! Wondering whether to add Dorper or Katahdin sheep to your homestead? Here is a list of the top 10 sheep breeds for meat:if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'savvyfarmlife_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',121,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-savvyfarmlife_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Sheep are one of the most versatile livestock animals you can find when it comes to the number of different products they are able to produce. mantap ! Purebred Dorper rams can reach a live-weight of 90-120 kg and ewes 50-80kg. 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 The cross breeding results in the best of both breeds but also in the benefits of heterosis, commonly known as hybrid vigor. Good milkers, and is suggested not to wean lambs before three months. They will stand on their hind feet like goats to strip any low hanging limbs of their leaves. Many ethnic groups want a much different lamb or goat than has been marketed in the past. If this same time is spent building homestead fencing, watersystems, improving lambing or handling facilities, its improving an operation. Photo courtesy of:Dr. Stephan A. Wildeus. While hair breeds comprise a small percentage of the number of sheep in North America, this is changing as sustainability becomes a bigger issue for landowners. If you plan on raising lambs for meat, youll need to know everything that comes with taking care of baby sheep. As with any young growing animal, the weight gains of a Katahdin lamb increase as the protein and digestibility of the forage increases. Sheep Breeds - North Florida Livestock Agents' Group - UF/IFAS Very interesting and informational! They have woolier coats and are slower to shed (most of them). Just like the Katahdin, you do not have to shear them as they shed their winter coat in the spring. Twinning is common and triplets and quadruplets are not rare. Due to their superior conformation and shedding characteristics, they have become one of the most popular breeds of sheep in the U.S. Carcass Composition of Hair Sheep Breeds and Crosses - Virginia Tech In winter puts on coat that is shed as temperatures increase. Parasite resistance and reproductive efficiency is very high, making the Katahdin a valued breed in the hair sheep industry. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Ive seen Shropshire being used to keep weeds and grass down in Christmas tree plantations. Hi..I have a merino female sheep and I would like to know if its possible to cross it with male dorper sheep to get pregnant .. Do Dorpers only breed seasonally ? Good luck! Ulf owns and operates White Clover Sheep Farm and breeds and raises grass-fed White Dorper sheep and Kiko goats without any grain feeding and offers breeding stock suitable for grazing. However, if thats what you are looking for then this breed might not be for you. Selling Price: $325.00 / Head. There are black headed Dorpers (most common) and white Dorpers (harder to find). They require less worming medications as a general rule. Please indicate pricing as well. And some shed one year but not totally the next for no apparent reason at all. This is not a true hair sheep. By John Kirchhoff For many people, mentioning hair sheep evokes either I wouldnt have anything else or a No way would I have them response. Icelandic Sheep are another popular choice for meat, with ewes weighing an average of 150 pounds at maturity, and rams averaging 200 pounds. Hampshire sheep have a muscular and stocky build, and are comparative to the Suffolk in size. Our first lamb - Katahdin Dorper Cross - Farm Homestead This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. The St Croix are also quiet, but seem to be next on the ladder. Our flock is content to sleep outside in the coldest weather and will have unmelted snow on their backs like a wool animal. The Dorper originated in South Africa from crosses between the Dorset and the Blackhead Persian. daging domba sangat enak dan sangat kaya akan protein. Are Llamas Dangerous? In a second study, Dorper or Dorset sired lambs were compared to Barbados Blackbelly x St. Croix or Katahdin lambs. Lambs can also take a little longer to reach their market weight than some other breeds of sheep. If I took the chance and had her bred would she be able to carry her lamb/s? Fourteen years ago my wife got into the sheep business when she purchased three registered Katahdin ewes, a ram, and later, three Romanov ewes. Ewes typically reach sexual maturity by 7 months. It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. If breeding your own sheep for sustainable meat production, you will also want to know the breeding habits of each breed, and whether the sheep produces wool or grows hair this is helpful to know when it comes to maintenance. Suffolk meat is hailed as lean and somewhat sweet, with a good muscle to fat ratio. An interesting study was done that showed the parasite resistance was higher in the purebred hair sheep over the crossbred shedding sheep. Half of the group thinks it is okay to feed hot sheep, the other half disagrees. (Grabbing a Romanov thats been walking through cockleburs is like wrestling with a 130-pound cocklebur.). 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. I forgot to ask for notification via e-mail, so I am reposting my questions. -. Special Notes The Dorper sheep are very hardy animals. Why Katahdin x Dorper Crosses At Stoneheart Farms we specialize in Katahdin x Dorper crosses for exceptional market lambs and for replacement breeding stock. Breeding Season: They breed throughout the year. They still dont take a huge amount of time to reach it, but it is something to be aware of if you are looking for fast production. This may be due to the fact that wool can hide a lot of rib bones and other defects, while with a hair sheep what you see is what you get. However, they have been cross-bred with other breeds over the years to develop the modern breed we see today. Demand for Dorper breed, and specifically the black head Dorper, is experiencing an unprecedented surge here in the USA. 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. Sheep For Sale - 118 Listings | LivestockMarket.com You can even crossbreed them to develop unique varieties for your farm or homestead. My question is, how much should he weigh. When youre raising sheep for meat, the wool is a by-product. Suffolk ewes have an excellent lambing rate of 180%, making them a solid choice for breeding. They dont need to be sheared, they have a docile temperament making them easy to handle, and they are resistant to disease. This breed is adaptable and can live in many different climates. Hi Qazi, When the pastures are poor, hair animals hold their body condition much better. The flavor of the market lambs is in my opinion mostly influenced by the fact that these lambs are grass-fed. Some general information on hair sheep is found on the next page. This article first appeared in the May/June 2010 Hobby Farms. Dorper lambs tolerated the infection more so than Suffolk (wool) lambs when fecal egg counts were low. 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. Moreover, RT was slightly less for Katahdin vs. Dorper in period 4 at 13:00 and 17:00 however, RR was less for Katahdin than for Dorper in periods 3 and 4. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'savvyfarmlife_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_9',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-savvyfarmlife_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');This breed is also exceptionally hardy, able to thrive in both the cold, and the hot, humid climates in which many farmers struggle to raise sheep, making it a good choice for almost any climate in the United States. Royal White (Dorper x St.Croix) I usually harvest my lambs between 80 and 90 lbs. Hi Joanne. Ewes will breed back before the lambs are weaned. What You Need To Know, link to Goats vs Sheep: Profit, Care & Behavioral Differences, Best Sheep for Wool: Top 8 Sheep Breeds for Wool. Beginning in the mid-1950s, Piel imported three St.Croix sheep. Subsequent generations with higher percentage shed better and better although shedding is not a black and white thing. The Katahdin sheep breed was developed in Maine to help clear brush in powerline corridors. Hair sheep breeds simply shed their hair covering and fleecy undercoat when the weather warms. keep checking it out! After lambing season, most of our sheep time is spent managing our pastures so that we can provide our animals with the best quality forage possible. Katahdin-sired lambs typically produce carcasses that are heavier in weight and more muscular than St. Croix or Barbados Blackbelly when harvested at a similar age. Differences in the taste of sheep breeds - BC Boards 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 . Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 120 - 160, Ram = 180 250. Lamb chops from Barbados Blackbelly x St. Croix lambs were similar to those from Dorset-sired, Dorper-sired, or Katahdin. The ability of this breed to put grass into weight gain is remarkable. Due to its heavily muscled carcass, the Texel sheep is a very popular meat breed. Since todays hair sheep breeds are developed from hardy ancestors, they are considered easy keepers because they have a natural resistance to disease and parasites. Lambing %: Approximately 125%, exceeding 200% with subsequent lambing. Some breeders have been working on crosses between traditional wool meat breeds and hair sheep breeds. There was only the body fleece that needed shearing. My friend used to manage a flock of purebreds of both breeds and crosses. Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 170 200 (can be less than 170lb), Ram = 220 250. This breed was developed after 20 years of breeding and selection. Rather than stay in a group, they will scatter in all directions like a covey of quail. I had a Texel flock of 100 breeding ewes at the time when I bought my first White Dorper rams. View Details. St. Croix Sheep have been used to develop other breeds such as the Royal White. In many cases, farmers are adding hair sheep to pastures with cattle to maximize efficiency and for parasite control. The lighter weights are the result of hot weather reducing forage intake (occurs with all grazing animals) and lowered nutritional quality of cool-season forages. The flocking instinct of hair animals generally isnt as good as wool breeds. I have a black face ewe and she is very fat and is 7 months old, should I be worried about her having a lamb and is she old enough to get in lamb. Early maturing Terminal cross lambs. Is there any way to contact him? Our paddocks are grazed for 5-7 days followed by 25-34 days of . Animal Breeding Abstracts. Tunis sheep are able to thrive in a variety of climates, and tolerate both heat and cold well. $300. Ewes with young lambs show protective behavior and may raise front feet to strike dogs and cats when confronted. 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. At that weight the fat cover did indeed get too much. 2022 Cornell Small Farms. "Shearing the wool was tough," he recalls, but the price paid for wool nearly covered feed costs. I saw that the author is from Central Missouri, which is where we live. As a result, the Katahdin is the most common hair sheep in America. Dorset lambs, like the Suffolk and Dorper, mature quickly and are market-ready earlier than many other breeds. Disposition & Mothering Ability: Extremely reactive to dogs and cats usually as though they wish to flee. I am new to the sheep business so I am concerned that she will never be large enough to breed. The Gayogoh:n are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. We feel that our time must be used where it will improve our operation, rather than maintaining status quo. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'savvyfarmlife_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_11',105,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-savvyfarmlife_com-large-leaderboard-2-0');Considered to be the 2nd most popular breed of sheep in the US, the Dorset sheep is another solid meat-producer. I am trying to locate a couple of nice ewe lambs now. Last but not least on our list is the Cheviot breed. Now meat sheep producers are lucky if wool prices cover . I would say try the dorpers.. we only raise a few for there is only us out here. When the price of raw wool fleece is below the cost of shearing the animal, this is not cost effective. Instead, I get raving reports back and I never seem to have enough market lambs to make everyone happy. Relative resistance of Dorper crossbred ewes to gastrointestinal nematode infection compared with St. Croix and Katahdin ewes in the southeastern United States. Its important to have an animal thats pure or unaltered for sacrifice in observance of many holidays. Average weight for the Cheviot is 130 175 pounds. 2022 Cornell Small Farms. McKinney. They are hardy and do well in range. I raise all my sheep and lambs strictly on pasture and feed no grain whatsoever. The Cheviot sheep is best suited for northern, colder climates, and does not tolerate heat as well. The coat is a mixture of hair and wool and will shed from animal in late spring/early summer. Why they are Crossed - YouTube 0:00 / 4:43 Dorper Sheep vs. Katahdin Sheep. 80 pounds at 90 days can be expected. Weve 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. The desire to climb mandates the use of a bale ring to prevent excessive waste. The Katahdins in the study had a consistently less barber pole worm infestation rate compared to the Dorper and Dorset crosses. The Dorper has a high rate of lambing and is tolerant of the arid conditions it was developed for in South Africa. This behavior causes problems with maintaining desirable trees unless protection is provided. In fact, when we have pot roast from a culled ewe I can still fool my wife into thinking we had lamb for dinner. No Need to Shear One of the most obvious benefits of raising Katahdin sheep is that they do not need to be sheared on an annual or twice-per-year basis. The breed is actually very good for meat production, and it produce more meat than Dorper and Katahdin sheep. Black color covers belly, inside legs and thighs and extends up to the neck. This is inconvenient since you must pasture ram lambs separately from ewes to prevent unplanned pregnancies. However, they all shed around the belly, legs, head, and all the other places that would otherwise prolong shearing. "We liked their look," Ruby puts in. Currently have a friend running dorper but was looking at katahdins since they are a little bigger. These White Dorper female replacement lambs already look very much like purebred White Dorpers Photographer: Ulf Kintzel. If ewes are fed well, lambing rate approaches the higher end. Dorpers tend to be a little larger, and Katahdins are excellent mothers, so a Dorper /Kathadin cross is nearly perfect. Breed is mainly free of wool and do not normally require shearing. They will definitely get too fat. The low maintenance qualities of Katahdins allow us the time to do so. This breed produces rapid-growing lambs, with most lambs being considered ready for market at 12 weeks of age. At that weight there are no problems with too much fat cover whatsoever. We are interested purchasing Katahdin sheep and found this article very helpful. Typically, the 75 percent Dorper crosses will exhibit the Dorper coloration and conformation. In 1975 Utah State University imported a small flock of Virgin Island White which is the basis for the present St. Croix breed in North America. The purpose of the breed is to efficiently produce meat. A qualityregistered lamb will bring triple the fat lamb price. A list of the breeds of sheep that are thought of as being good ewe breeds would start with (1) Rambouillet sheep such as there are in Texas (2) several kinds of Whitefaced Western sheep, (3) the Dorset breed, which is a white-faced meat breed . The American Sheep Industry recognizes 47 different sheep breeds in the US, with hundreds more recognized internationally. As a result, about 50 percent of the first generation of White Dorper cross bred sheep shed partially or mostly. Ewes weight approximately 200 pounds, and rams average out to around 260 pounds. This breed is medium-sized and is hardy with a high-quality carcass. He experimented with breeding them to meat breeds, finally reaching a point, in the 1970s, where he named the breed, Katahdins after a nearby mountain in his home state of Maine. Royal White Sheep: Characteristics, Uses, Origin - ROYS FARM I could always pick out the dorper/katahdin crosses. Youll find these sheep to have an easy-going temperament, and they tend to produce leaner meat with even fat distribution. To learn more about how you can make money off of sheep, read my article What Do Sheep Produce? Since these breeds are so adaptable, when found in colder climates, the hair sheep adapt by growing a thicker undercoat. All Rights Reserved | Website by Maple Creative, God Save the Beef: Trials of Sustainable Farming in the UK . This market presented difficulties such as lambing in the dead of winter, having lambs large enough (especially when Passover comes early) and pooling with your neighbors to find enough lambs for a truckload. As far as winter hardiness is concerned, I have my sheep out in zero degree weather. He can be reached by e-mail at ulf@whitecloversheepfarm.com or by phoneduring calling hour specified on his answering machineat 585-554-3313. His information is given at the conclusion of the article, pasted below. Dorper-sired lambs produce carcasses that are most similar in weight and muscling to that of wool breeds, but generally have greater fatness when slaughtered at the same age. You are using an out of date browser. Dorsets commonly produce twins and even triplets. They naturally shed their wool throughout the seasons. I belong to a herding club in Hawaii. This is true for Barbados Blackbelly and St. Croix in particular, because they have not been subjected to selection for size and growth rate of the woolen breeds. If there were a hair Hampshire or Suffolk that would do a better job, wed be raising them. This is a very good article to read and understand the secrets of Raising Katahdin Sheep. It is also well established that heavy grain feeding does not suit these medium sized sheep since they thrive on so little. How the breed carries fat is, I think, important when dealing with older sheep. This, alongside their easy-going dietary needs, really cut down the cost of keeping them. To be successful, you must sell quality, and I stress quality animals; send anything else to slaughter. The Barbados Blackbelly got its name because of the characteristic black belly on an otherwise red brown coat. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. I think this is where the good reputation of hair sheep comes in. They do produce wool, and will need to be shorn annually. Dorper and Katahdin are medium size breeds. Market Weight/Live/Age: 80 110 lbs / 5.5 6 months. Hair sheep dont bring as much on the slaughter market. Mating season for Suffolk sheep usually happens in the Autumn or Winter of each year, as it is for most sheep breeds. To showcase the commercial qualities of our animals, all breeding stock we sell comes directly from pasture, having received no special treatment. Your email address will not be published. Some of the main pros of keeping Katahdin sheep include: Katahdin sheep are one of the easiest breeds of sheep to care for. 2. These are some of the best reasons to raise Katahdin sheep - though the list is by no means exhaustive! These include: Dorper sheep dont produce much milk or wool, which means raising them for meat is your only option. They also benefit from a long productive life, giving you maximum bang for your buck. 4 1. The mild and yet rich flavor of these culled ewes is remarkable and does not at all remind anyone of mutton. Lambing %: Lambing rates vary from 150% to 250% with 3 lambing every 2 years not uncommon. Dorper's are by far the closest hair sheep to the wool breed. Some of the ancestors of these breeds originated in Africa and were brought to the Caribbean Islands, Central America and northern South America during the 18th and 19th century. 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. Many of the Dorper you see have been crossed with Katahdin sheep for several reasons. It is actually a hybrid which is bred for producing more meat, less fat and less wool with the goal of producing lean tender meat. Staking livestock to a rope and expecting them to clear vegetation is ineffective and can result in . How do you collect wool from self-shearing sheep? I bottle fed him for three months and give him grain 2x a day, and free choice hay as well as pasture grass. His website address is www.whitecloversheepfarm.com. How often do dorpers have breeding problems and we will then have to pull the lambs? a From the review: Notter, g. 1978. Farmersville. While Im sure Ill rile a lot of Dorper breeders, Ive seen too many that had been sheared before a sale, which defeats the purpose of a hair animal. $300. They were called Africans at the time. Why they are Crossed Waco Childbirth Education 74 subscribers Subscribe 127 Share. It is now farmed in other areas as well, and is the second most common sheep breed in South Africa. PDF Productive Performance of F Dorper vs. Katahdin Ewes Under Semi For the Katahdin vs Dorper analysis (Table 1), 8 SNPs under selection were observed in SOCS2, NOS2, TGFB2 and IL2RA genes within OAR3, 11, 12 and 13, respectively. Breeders often use less-expensive Katahdin ewes to initiate an upgrading program with registered Dorper as the final goal. It should be kept in mind that performance varies greatly with genetic, management, climate, etc. They were an excellent choice for this as they seldom bothered the pine trees. Between their size and their courage, llamas may seem intimidating at first. The breeder from whom I purchased the lambs said she is breeding in dorper with the katahdins to "beef" them up a little. Mostly Katahdin hair ewes exposed to Dorper and Katahdin bucks. That is normal. The Dorper Sheep is a hardy resilient South African breed of sheep that can withstand various harsh climates, environments and intensive operations. Myth #2: Hair sheep don't bring as much on the slaughter market. Why Choose St. Croix Hair Sheep? Lambing Interval:It ranges from 6 to 8 months. I dont want him to get unhealthily fat. You will always need to make compromises if you choose to have a purebred flock.