7 year old Katahdin ewe . Icelandic Sheep are another popular choice for meat, with ewes weighing an average of 150 pounds at maturity, and rams averaging 200 pounds. Dorpers are well-known to mature early as well, with most lambs considered market-ready in as little as 4 months old. The Katahdin breed is an easy to care for, meat type sheep, naturally tolerant of climatic extremes and capable of high performance in a wide variety of environments. Due to the high amount of red muscle fibers, the Icelandic sheep has a uniquely tender and fine texture. I have bought a dorper lamb an intend to serve mountain horny ewes with him has it ever being tried out, hi, Since these breeds are so adaptable, when found in colder climates, the hair sheep adapt by growing a thicker undercoat. daging domba sangat enak dan sangat kaya akan protein. Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogoh:n (the Cayuga Nation). They also are not limited to a breeding season, conceiving year round. We prefer using forage to produce lambs rather than wool. Its also common to see animals of up to a year old climbing to the top of a big bale of hay. The saving grace are our Dorpers. Origin: This breed was developed or evolved on the Eastern Caribbean Island of Barbados. They are excellent mothers. Their hair falls off naturally during the year, making them an easy breed to care for. As one of the most populous sheep breeds in America, the Suffolk is a popular choice for meat producers. There is the wool type and the hairtype with the hairtype being slightly less meaty but far better shedding. Work with your states department of agriculture if youre interested in export sales. Ewes will breed back before the lambs are weaned. Lambing %: Approximately 125%, exceeding 200% with subsequent lambing. Katatdin x Dorper . Well, at least Katahdins, St Croix and barbs. take it from me, you dont have to worry about anyone getting too fat. For us, the Katahdin sheep breed fits our operation and our philosophy quite well. Im sure by now you have an answer. Icelandic Sheep are excellent and reliable breeders, breeding seasonally in the Fall to Winter. Good milkers, and is suggested not to wean lambs before three months. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. They started with an idle, tired farm and through years of blood, sweat and tears have transformed it into a vibrant . We saw their ad and went to look at their Dorper rams. The Dorper is the fastest growing, heaviest-muscled hair sheep breed in the U.S. Dorpers do not shed as well as other hair sheep, but their carcasses are superior to any other breed of hair sheep. 109:265-275. At that weight there are no problems with too much fat cover whatsoever. Ewes weight approximately 200 pounds, and rams average out to around 260 pounds. With an annual rainfall of approximately 175mm (7 inches), the grazing is mainly scrubland with a stocking rate of 1 LSU per 32 hectare. Fact: Eight or ten years ago you could expect a 5-10 cents/pound discount for hair animals. Parasite resistance and reproductive efficiency is very high, making the Katahdin a valued breed in the hair sheep industry. Sales of sheep meat and sheep breeding stock are on the rise in the United States and Canada. The Cheviot sheep is best suited for northern, colder climates, and does not tolerate heat as well. I think that we are asking for bloat. Milk replacers should be fed at 10%-20% of the lamb's body weight, divided into 4-6 feedings/day during the first week of life. The Dorper has a high rate of lambing and is tolerant of the arid conditions it was developed for in South Africa. There are without a doubt breeds that surpass White Dorper sheep in one or the other trait. When comparing weights, keep in mind we live in north central Missouri. The cross breeding results in the best of both breeds but also in the benefits of heterosis, commonly known as hybrid vigor. Sheep will eat woody vegetation but prefer grass and weeds on the ground. In addition to being a smaller breed, the lambs tend to mature slowly, not reaching ideal market weight until around 2 years of age. Origin: This mutton breed was developed in South Africa in the 1930s from Dorset Horn and Blackheaded Persia for the extensive regions of South Africa. Due to their superior conformation and shedding characteristics, they have become one of the most popular breeds of sheep in the U.S. While it is estimated that hair sheep comprise only 10 percent of the world's sheep population, their numbers are growing, especially in temperate climates like the United States. Environmental Adaptability: Withstand heat and cold well, and part of this adjustment to extremes is behavioral. Suffolk ewes are excellent mothers and prolific breeders. 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 do well in warm, arid climates, but can tolerate cold as well. Feeding small quantities throughout numerous feedings helps reduce the incidence of bloat and/or diarrhea. I usually harvest my lambs between 80 and 90 lbs. Thank so much for this information. Animals dont grow as fastbut dont need to with milder winters and longer growing season. Owning Goats vs. Sheep Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There was only the body fleece that needed shearing. Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 70 -120, Ram = 110 140. Rather than stay in a group, they will scatter in all directions like a covey of quail. That's interesting! This breed was developed after 20 years of breeding and selection. Some Ewes shed coats after second lambing. I really like all three breeds. my ewe with CL has had her first batch of lambs last month and she is a really good mother! Though large in size, Hampshire sheep tend to be a docile and easy-going breed. It is raised mainly for meat production. Why they are Crossed Waco Childbirth Education 74 subscribers Subscribe 127 Share. They do produce wool, and will need to be shorn annually. One of the oldest breeds of sheep, the Tunis is still a favorite breed for meat production. If you plan on going into the meat production business, its important to know the difference between types of sheep meat. 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. Lambing %: Lambing rates vary from 150% to 250% with 3 lambing every 2 years not uncommon. This breed is medium-sized and is hardy with a high-quality carcass. 100 Dorper - Bred Ewes. Bosnians want 60-pound animals while Muslims often prefer 60-80 pound animals. Apparently, Momma Kathadin doesnt wait around to see what happens when Mr. Coyote shows up for dinner. They naturally shed their wool throughout the seasons. mantap ! 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 . The other half needed shearing. Environmental Adaptability: Withstand higher heat and humidity than British sheep breeds. They are also well suited to survive in the arid extensive regions of South Africa. The bodybuilder of the sheep world, the Texel sheep is known for its heavily-muscled and sturdy frame. They shed their winter coats during spring and early summer. Many Greeks eat lamb for Easter, which is not always the same date as the traditional Easter. Like most of the sheep listed here, Texel lambs reach market size quickly, by 5-6 months. Some general information on hair sheep is found on the next page. its ok to wean the lamb as soon as possible. They are best raised on pasture and finishing these breeds on feedlots can lead to less desirable meat products as the ethnic market prefers a leaner lamb. As they say, the proof is in the pudding eating. 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. In general they have low maintenance requirements. Unfortunately, Mr. Piel did not live long enough to see his breed reach having a registry and breed standards. 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. There are three main reasons to raise hair sheep. 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. They do produce wool, and will need to be shorn annually. Coat & Color: The coat can be reddish brown, tan or yellow. Katahdin would adapt best under humid, warm conditions, while Dorper would be best suited for dry arid and semiarid rangeland conditions. If youre grazing crop-field aftermath, their coat will pick up trash where a Katahdin wont. If you plan on raising lambs for meat, youll need to know everything that comes with taking care of baby sheep. 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. In years past, 18-30 pound lambs sold well in Chicago for Jewish Passover. Sheep are like lawnmowers, while goats are more like Bush Hogs (for the uninitiated, that's the brand name for a machine designed to clear heavy brush). The number of feedings can be reduced over time to twice a day by 3-4 weeks of age. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Thank you. Disposition & Mothering Ability: This breed is a bit flighty. 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. Disposition & Mothering Ability: Ewes have good mothering ability and lamb easily unassisted. At 90 days, weve had November-December lambs on pasture, hay and whole grain (corn or milo) average 75 pounds. Benefits of This Breed The Dorper are preferred for their excellent feed utilisation and conversion: they don't need shearing, crutching and mulesing, and they are disease resistant. $300. The Katahdin Sheep is a domestic breed developed in Maine in the United States and named after the highest peak in Maine, Mount Katahdin. While mutton and lamb may seem like more of a rarity in America, it is more popular as a main dish in other parts of the world. However, they have been cross-bred with other breeds over the years to develop the modern breed we see today. The ancestry is believed to be of both African hair sheep and European breeds. Compared to other breeds, these sheep are relatively new, dating back to the 1950s. They were significantly more reasonably priced and for practical matters were the same. There are a lot of advantages to keeping Dorper sheep in the US. (I know, Im not a good farmer) Origin: Developed in the Virgin Islands for crosses of West African hair sheep and Wiltshire Horn. American Blackbelly Breeders often use less-expensive Katahdin ewes to initiate an upgrading program with registered Dorper as the final goal. People in the Midwest or southern states see this and make a trip to Alberta to purchase a super ram. They are the generally more fertile in hot humid regions and show greater tolerance to parasites than woolen breeds. As you can see in picture Spike has some tiny horn buds; they have never grown . Flock owners with less than 50 animals have a difficult time getting someone to shear unless they pool their animals with neighbors. They also do well eating the vegetation that other species reject. Ive spent my entire life around farm animals, and I created Savvy Farm Life to share the helpful information Ive learned over the years. 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. The Barbados Blackbelly got its name because of the characteristic black belly on an otherwise red brown coat. Market Weight/Live/Age: 60 80 lbs / 9 month. Also, much of the flavor ( good or bad) comes from the fat. Sales at the 2022 mid America Dorper Show nearly broke $1 MILLION with the top Dorper ewe bringing $20,000 and ram $12,800. The breeds of hair sheep that are of importance in Florida include Katahdin, St. Croix, American Blackbelly, and Barbados Blackbelly. We feel that our time must be used where it will improve our operation, rather than maintaining status quo. This has nothing to do with genetics and everything to do with the latitude in which the animal lives: Things being equal, our weights will be lower than the weights of similar Katahdins raised in Canada, but higher than ones raised in Florida. This breed is adaptable and can live in many different climates. However, Texel sheep breed strongly seasonal, are heat sensitive, have at times problems lambing due to the broad head and shoulders, and they need shearing. In terms of lambing, youll find Katahdins mostly give birth to multiple lambs. Mexicans prefer a larger lamb, and let nothing go to waste. Our spring lambs require 4-5 pounds of dry matter forage to produce each pound of gain. How do you decide which breed is right for your needs? As we disperse all our crossbreeds, weve found the crossbred cull ewes with a wool coat have sold for 50-75percentof what comparable weight hair ewes bring. The Dorper X Katahdin are very popular and providing you use a good quality ram, I would suggest fullblood or purebred, they do tend to really stamp the babies with their type. 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. Myth #2: Hair sheep don't bring as much on the slaughter market. Because of their hair, like the Dorper they do not produce lanolin which will give their meat a milder taste. Dorper lambs tolerated the infection more so than Suffolk (wool) lambs when fecal egg counts were low. 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. J. Anim Sci 77:215-222. The hair sheep breeds lamb easily in the pasture and the lambs gain weight rapidly and develop to maturity quickly. A year and many dollars later, they cant understand why the rams offspring doesnt grow any faster than the rest of their animals. There are many great options for meat-producing sheep. Thanks, Noela. Typically, the 75 percent Dorper crosses will exhibit the Dorper coloration and conformation.