This breed averages in maturity at around 175 220 pounds. As they say, the proof is in the pudding eating. The Katahdins in the study had a consistently less barber pole worm infestation rate compared to the Dorper and Dorset crosses. After 22 years they are well rooted in South Paris. Feeding Practices in Sheep - Merck Veterinary Manual Due to their superior conformation and shedding characteristics, they have become one of the most popular breeds of sheep in the U.S. These include: Dorper sheep dont produce much milk or wool, which means raising them for meat is your only option. We prefer using forage to produce lambs rather than wool. As a result, about 50 percent of the first generation of White Dorper cross bred sheep shed partially or mostly. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'savvyfarmlife_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_3',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-savvyfarmlife_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Being native to Iceland, this breed is exceptionally cold-hardy, and is an excellent and efficient forager making it able to thrive and find food in harsh environments. The breed was created by crossing Dorset and Blackheaded Persian sheep. The American Sheep Industry recognizes 47 different sheep breeds in the US, with hundreds more recognized internationally. Our young Katahdins can be difficult to move. Rams generally have horns. Anymore (at least in Missouri) its the carcass quality that sets the price. The Katahdin sheep is listed as a Recovering heritage breed on the ALBC Conservation Priority List. Dorper sheep have a distinctive appearance: black heads and white bodies. The desire to climb mandates the use of a bale ring to prevent excessive waste. We have a dispute between the members about feeding sheep after working them. When comparing weights, keep in mind we live in north central Missouri. Best Sheep Breeds For the Extreme Heat and Cold - J&R Pierce Family I would also be interested in bred young ewes. In California prices for hair sheep have surpassed prices for wool sheep and in New Holland they are catching up. For several years weve had Romanov/Katahdin crosses. There are three main reasons to raise hair sheep. Ewes will breed back before the lambs are weaned. best beef in the word is lamb,i like lamb beef spesialis sate.. Amazing sheep, been breeding the Dorper for sometime now and i must say their adaptability is really outstanding. In conclusion, based on RT and RR, resilience to high HLI conditions ranked St. Croix > Katahdin > Dorper, with lowest . 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. With a high rate of multiple births and a gentle temperament, this is a good choice for people looking to start a hair sheep business, particularly in warm climates. While I cant speak for other hair breeds, Katahdin sheep are tough, hardy animals with eating habits more like that of a goat. For example, cold wind and warm sun quickly result in herd finding shelter under conditions when woolen sheep remain in the open. Dorpers are well-known to mature early as well, with most lambs considered market-ready in as little as 4 months old. The Royal White sheep shed their wool naturally, it saves the cost of shearing. . 2023, Countryside - All Rights Reserved, Raising Sheep For Profit: Milking Sheep Offer a Small Farm Alternative, Raising Sheep: Buying and Caring for Your First Flock, Raising Sheep For Profit: How to Sell Raw Fleece, Raising Sheep For Profit: A Cattle Man's View. Breed utilization for meat production in sheep. ByBasil Bactawar, UF/IFAS Duval County Extension Service. The cross breeding results in the best of both breeds but also in the benefits of heterosis, commonly known as hybrid vigor. Katahdin x Lacaune. Now meat sheep producers are lucky if wool prices cover . Most Muslims prefer intact ram lambs without tails being docked. Did you know that Dorper sheep dont need to be sheared? Suffolk grow wool continuously, and will need to be sheared annually. Their hair falls off naturally during the year, making them an easy breed to care for. The shedding process may take some getting used to but will not litter your pasture with wool Photographer: Ulf Kintzel. The cross breeding results in the best of both breeds but also in the benefits of heterosis, commonly known as hybrid vigor. 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 . Twinning is common and triplets and quadruplets are not rare. Compared to other breeds, these sheep are relatively new, dating back to the 1950s. We saw their ad and went to look at their Dorper rams. For instance, they have extended breeding season, and can be used to produce lambs to be marketed when lamb prices are usually high thereby reducing marketing risks. I forgot to ask for notification via e-mail, so I am reposting my questions. The thickness of a Katahdin sheeps winter coat will vary among individuals, but it needs to shed completely for an A or AA coat classification, which is the norm. Often, when a new breed or type is rising in popularity, careful breeding can fall to the wayside in the haste to have stock to sell. I could always pick out the dorper/katahdin crosses. Photo courtesy of:Dr. Stephan A. Wildeus. As you can see in picture Spike has some tiny horn buds; they have never grown . They are excellent foragers. 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 ? Well, at least Katahdins, St Croix and barbs. There is the wool type and the hairtype with the hairtype being slightly less meaty but far better shedding. Plainview, Tx. In terms of lambing, youll find Katahdins mostly give birth to multiple lambs. we find dorpers a great sheep to raise and to eat.. had ribs tonight and use the grease on the dry dog food.. dogs love it.. However, if thats what you are looking for then this breed might not be for you. Lamb chops from Barbados Blackbelly x St. Croix lambs were similar to those from Dorset-sired, Dorper-sired, or Katahdin. The Dorper sheep has gained popularity in the last decade for meat production, with ewes reaching a weight of 170-250 pounds, and rams up to 250 pounds. As well as a hand full of peanuts every day. Rather than stay in a group, they will scatter in all directions like a covey of quail. Westexas. Sheds coat as temperature and day length increase. I belong to a herding club in Hawaii. 13 Hair Sheep Breeds You Should Know About - The Homesteading Hippy Ron remembers raising wool sheep as a teenager. (I know, Im not a good farmer) The percentage of 15/16 is considered purebred. Animals dont grow as fastbut dont need to with milder winters and longer growing season. Kt ewes under low-input semiarid conditions of northern Mxico. This is not a true hair sheep. Sheep 201: Hair sheep primer Newbie trying to decide (Katahdin, Dorper, or St. Croix) Hope this helps! The Dorper is not a true hair sheep, but is included in this fact sheet because it is used in cross breeding programs involving hair sheep. It should be kept in mind that performance varies greatly with genetic . How do you decide which breed is right for your needs? Feeding these breeds too much grain can result in an overabundance of internal fat. He farms in the Finger Lakes area in upstate New York. They are attentive, protective, and make excellent mothers. My friend used to manage a flock of purebreds of both breeds and crosses. I think this is where the good reputation of hair sheep comes in. It improves from year one to year two of age but can again be reduced by external factors like disease or weight loss. . However, if you are not intending to feed grain and if you dont intend to grow your lambs beyond 100 lbs. You have to pay to have it sheared once a year. If my product would be poorly finished or wouldnt taste good, I surely would lose customers. Sheep For Sale - 118 Listings | LivestockMarket.com The ewes produce vigorous, healthy, robust lambs that have a high survivability. While weve missed out on export sales the last several years because of retaining ewes to increase flock numbers, Mexican buyers will be coming by this spring. While both breeds are exceptionally popular in the US, there are some differences between the two. I have no way of weighing him. Katahdin x Texel. Cheviots are easy to breed, meeting a 90% lambing average without assistance. Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 100 130, Ram = 120 150. LMAO!!!! As mentioned earlier, the Katahdin breed has served us well. -. 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. let me know! Dorper's are by far the closest hair sheep to the wool breed. Your email address will not be published. has anyone had CL in Dorper sheep one of my fav ewes has CL and we are trying to find a way to maybe stop it! Dorper Sheep vs. Katahdin Sheep. Why they are Crossed i do not want to cull her from the flock! Parasite resistance and reproductive efficiency is very high, making the Katahdin a valued breed in the hair sheep industry. They dont need to be sheared, they have a docile temperament making them easy to handle, and they are resistant to disease. My friend also mentioned his Katahdin-Dorper lambs are much fatter when born than Polypays. Origin: This breed was developed or evolved on the Eastern Caribbean Island of Barbados. Work with your states department of agriculture if youre interested in export sales. You will find the occasional larger patch of wool in your pasture and you will definitely find wool and hair on the trees where the sheep rub. 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 katahdin//dorper crosses are noticeably bigger than the pure katahdins. They reach sexual maturity very early, with ewes able to breed between 7 to 9 months of age. This article first appeared in the May/June 2010 Hobby Farms. History tells us our present-day sheep are derived from the wild Mouflon sheep, among others, that grew coarse hair with a downy undercoat. If you combine all traits I have not found a better breed for a farming system based on pasture and direct marketing. PDF Factors Affecting the Palatability of Lamb Meat They will definitely get too fat. 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. The flocking instinct of hair animals generally isnt as good as wool breeds. The Dorper has a high rate of lambing and is tolerant of the arid conditions it was developed for in South Africa. Katahdin meat tends to be leaner than many other breeds. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The Dorper has been very effective in increasing the growth rate, carcass size and quality of all the typical hair-type breeds such a the Barbados, Katahdin, St. Croix, the Mexican Pelibuey and other breeds that are considered exotic types. Of the ewe lambs exposed, 95 percent gave birth at the age of 11-13 months. Four years ago we began converting all our cropland into pasture and expanded the flock. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 46:131-143.. Making a Good Ewe Flock. Our flock is content to sleep outside in the coldest weather and will have unmelted snow on their backs like a wool animal. Dorper Sheep Breed Information, History & Facts - RaisingSheep.net Hi Qazi, Bosnians want 60-pound animals while Muslims often prefer 60-80 pound animals. More on that subject later. About. November/December 2003 and regularly vetted for accuracy. Hairbreeds have many positive traits that make them an ideal animal for small farms, homesteads, and of course, larger commercial farms. 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. Research has shown Dorper have good parasite tolerance or resilience rather than resistance. 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. The only problem with colesterol is that the big pharma found a new drug to sell. St. Croix Sheep have been used to develop other breeds such as the Royal White. 199 Effects of high heat load conditions on Dorper, Katahdin, and St Market Weight/Live/Age: 60 80 lbs / 9 month. The Katahdin is another great dual-purpose breed, producing on average 210 liters of milk per 210 day cycle. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Some general information on hair sheep is found on the next page. While many of the characteristics hair animals possess appeal to the hobby flock owner, we expect an animal to make us money; if it doesnt, its gone. These White Dorper female replacement lambs already look very much like purebred White Dorpers Photographer: Ulf Kintzel. In a second study, Dorper or Dorset sired lambs were compared to Barbados Blackbelly x St. Croix or Katahdin lambs. The purpose of the breed is to efficiently produce meat. Katahdins are a popular meat breed for sheep farmers. Half of the group thinks it is okay to feed hot sheep, the other half disagrees. Later on I found out that this was the faster route to accomplish shedding in the offspring. As hair sheep breeds become more popular, it will be important for breeders to ensure the future integrity of the breeds. My wife and I feel theres no best breed, but rather which breed best fits your operation. This makes them one of the more profitable breeds to specialize in. A unique characteristic about the Dorper is that they do not breed seasonally, instead they are able to breed year-around. Katahdins are alert, protective mothers. To avoid the coloring and spots that come along with first and second generation cross breeding with Dorper sheep, I decided to go with White Dorper sheep (WD). The bodybuilder of the sheep world, the Texel sheep is known for its heavily-muscled and sturdy frame. Crossbred individuals tend to be more vigorous, more fertile . They reach sexual maturity early, and will remain fertile for a longer period of time than many other breeds. Signatures of selection for resistance to - BMC Genomics Unlike meat goats, hair sheep are resistant to many of the parasites shed by cattle. Although they are one of the newest sheep breeds introduced in America, Katahdin sheep have quickly become a popular choice. The Dorper is a good example of this interbreeding. No wool to deal with makes perfect economic sense. They like large groups of lambs on each farm, prefer solid colors, registered and must be enrolled in the scrapie program. If ewes are fed well, lambing rate approaches the higher end. (A friend with Polypay and Katahdin sheep has had the same experience. You are using an out of date browser. Suffolk ewes have an excellent lambing rate of 180%, making them a solid choice for breeding. I can only put this down to past genetics. I had a Texel flock of 100 breeding ewes at the time when I bought my first White Dorper rams. The Dorper sheep is a meat sheep breed. "Dorper sheep are barrel-shaped with a well-muscled back end. Dorpers Our goal is to develop a flock of productive, easy-care sheep that are scrapie resistant, require no shearing and that reach market specs on grass. However, as the challenge escalated, parasite resistance was greatest in St. Croix lambs, followed by Katahdin and Dorper lambs. Some of the main pros of keeping Katahdin sheep include: Katahdin sheep are one of the easiest breeds of sheep to care for. But what about the market lambs getting too fat? The leather from hair sheep grain is finer than the leather from wool breeds and brings in a larger amount of money. He is 8 months old. I am new to the sheep business so I am concerned that she will never be large enough to breed. Everything You Need to Know About Hair Sheep - Cross S Ranch Originating in South Africa, these lovable and attractive sheep tend to come with a lot more pros than cons. We have just over 1200 breeding ewes & aim for around 2000 when things get better. As mentioned earlier, hair sheep breeds are considerably more heat-tolerant than wool breeds. This ancient breed has thrived in warm climates, continued to produce twins and good carcass weights. Docking tails is unnecessary, although you still see some old timers that dock just because they always have. Average weight for the Cheviot is 130 175 pounds. Some are calling these shedding sheep. Thanks for the belly shaking laugh! Difference in color is a matter of preference. This breed was imported in the US in 1904 and was crossed with Mouflon (wild sheep), Rambouillet and other European breeds to produce what is known as American Blackbelly. Keep reading to learn more about the best sheep breeds for meat. Farmersville. In colder zones they produce a very heavy winter coat that is shed in spring. 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.
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