The breed standard calls for the St. Croix to be white. Keeping Sheep (how to prepare your farm & yourself), Best Sheep Breeds for Beginners (your options), How to Create a Business Plan for Sheep Farming, How to Buy a Lamb that Will Win! Consider the pros and cons featured above before making your decision. Breeders Association. To be successful, you must sell quality, and I stress quality animals; send anything else to slaughter. Raising Sheep Has Some Cons. Katahdins are a cross between the hair sheep (St. Croix) that Piel imported from the Caribbean and the British sheep breeds (primarily Suffolk) that he had on his farm. Your email address will not be published. Your in-laws might want to visit for extended periods of time! These include: Dorper sheep dont produce much milk or wool, which means raising them for meat is your only option. My name is Joe and Im the owner of RaisingSheep.net a site where I share information and tips about raising sheep for fun, for show, and for profit. Medium sized, fine textured and alert at the sides of their head. The Dorset has white wool and the Persian has a black head. . A type of hair breed, Katahdin sheep originate in the United States. Fact: While it's true that Barbados and St. Croix are small animals (ewes 80-110 pounds), few commercial breeders raise them. As mentioned earlier, the Katahdin breed has served us well. To speak to one of our agents contact us today. Aside from the obvious (they taste good), they make Pro. - No docking, unless To learn more you can read our completeadvertising policy. He buys 4-6 The flocking instinct of hair animals generally isnt as good as wool breeds. While many breeders enjoy the production of wool, others view annual shearing as a costly expense. Hair sheep are preferred to wool sheep for meat purposes for a number of reasons: More mild-flavored meat. All things being equal 300 cows will bring in $150,000 a year. The Katahdin Sheep is a domestic breed developed in Maine in the United States and named after the highest peak in Maine, Mount Katahdin. Hair sheep breeds (Katahdin, St. Croix, Barbados) generally have much greater parasite resistance than wooled breeds, especially after one year of age. Do you want to earn multiple income streams from your flock. This is a very old article and I do not have the contact info for John. Your email address will not be published. No need for shearing and tail-docking. you want to do it for looks. The best genetics wont keep an animal from starving to death. They also benefit from a long productive life, giving you maximum bang for your buck. ), In fall 2000, we grazed our flock on cocklebur and waterhemp that followed an oat crop. Over time, Caribbean Hair sheep became well adapted to the heat and humidity of their environment. havea regular customer who has a fruit orchardin CA. After being on island for over a year, I thought it was about time to compile a list of both the pros and cons of living on St. Croix. wool. You can even crossbreed them to develop unique varieties for your farm or homestead. Here are a few of the not so great things about sheep that you should know about. The low maintenance qualities of Katahdins allow us the time to do so. raising St. Croix hair sheep? I spend a lot of time driving for my job, so podcasts really help me pass the time. More on that subject later. DOWNLOAD MY FREE Sheep Farming E-book: https://bit.ly/SheepEBOOKSt. If you'd care to discuss this breed and its suitability for you, or if you already have them and just want to exchange thoughts, I'd love to chat. In Canada, Katahdin sheep commonly gain well over a pound per day. Katahdin sheep and Dorper are bred as meat sheep breeds. of Grants Pass. } A Katahdin ewe will average between 140-180 pounds, while Dorper ewes will average 160-200 pounds. 503-367-8912 Caleb & Hannah . We feel that our time must be used where it will improve our operation, rather than maintaining status quo. Research has shown Dorper have good parasite tolerance or resilience rather than resistance. 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. If you have a lot of visitors around your homestead, then this breed might be one that you'd want to consider. While there are far fewer cons than there are pros for keeping Dorper sheep, you do need to consider the potential downsides. Due to "con" number You can find out more about lambing Dorper sheep through the American Dorper Sheep Breeders Society. A few more interesting facts to know about the breed, They are pretty docile but very active and vigorous as such no child should be left unsupervised around them. Unlike any other domesticated livestock cattle, goats, buffalo, you name it we created a set of conditions that put sheep at increased risk of infestation by blowflies by making its tail so heavy that it can't lift it out of the way of its elimination and then . At lower latitudes (down south), summer daylight periods are shorter, the temperature higher, grass growth is slower and is lower in protein and higher fiber. Several Polypay owners in the area worm all animals 6-8 times during the summer and still lose animals to stomach worms. , here's my honest evaluation of the St. Croix breed - Pros and cons of Katahdin sheep. 1. The main reason this hybrid was created was for its meat, not its wool. Noise - Loud bleating, cud chewing, and even just digesting may well be audible from inside your home if your sheep are right outside. Although they are one of the newest sheep breeds introduced in America, Katahdin sheep have quickly become a popular choice. The Teeswater sheep breed is a hardy sheep breed that can withstand most climatic and environmental conditions. uncommonly resistant to foot rot, prolapse, and parasites. I was also told that St Croix are more. Bosnians want 60-pound animals while Muslims often prefer 60-80 pound animals. They are extremely aggressive foragers towards brush . In our operation, that sheep breed is the Katahdin sheep. Log in. Know a lot about lawn mowers, but nothing about sheep? They were bred with other hard footed, shedding, Continue reading "Wiltipoll" Most parasite resistant sheep breed! ST. CROIX HAIR SHEEP. Katahdin is probably the more economical choice, however, namely because they can produce both meat and milk. Sheep, however, cannot simply be parked in the shed once theyre done dining. Fact: Eight or ten years ago you could expect a 5-10 cents/pound discount for hair animals. This video describes why I raise Dorper sheep instead of St. Croix sheep as a meat production breed.Join my Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessNWSLTRFOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessIG -the Shepherdess0:00 Raising Dorper Sheep1:36 Dorper vs St. Croix Sheep Size2:50 The Best Sheep Breed for Meat 4:00 Dorper Sheep Bring Nearly 1 MILLION5:05 How I Manage Parasites on My Sheep Farm6:00 Greg Judy Farms St. CroixIn this video:The best sheep breed for meatMicro Ranching for Profitsheep farming in the USADorper SheepMeat SheepSt. I wish to sign up to your exclusive club but I dont think that it is much needed at this point as I dont have a farm or even a garden yet. While I cant speak for other hair sheep breeds, Katahdin sheep are often more flighty than many other breeds: Several producers of both hair and wool animals have found coyote losses are considerably lower with Katahdins. While I cant speak for other hair breeds, Katahdin sheep are tough, hardy animals with eating habits more like that of a goat. The Livestock Conservancy is Americas leading organization working to save over 150 heritage breeds from extinction. Contact a breeder in your area about St. Croix 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. The carcass weight on a pure St. Croix sheep is not suitable for commercial (meat sales) production. Since hair sheep dont have a heavy wool coat, they cant take the cold. Learn More, Questions or comments? The Field Guide to Fleece We also sell breeding stock locally. Thinking about 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. Washington 99117. Its carcass size is even smaller than most other wool breeds. Sheep provide two sources of cash income: lamb and wool. There are five lambing periods each year. As opposed to lawnmowers, when they are fully grown, they can be butchered and either sold or served for dinner. The main questions to ask yourself to determine the answer are: Katahdin sheep come in multiple color varieties, whereas Dorper sheep are white and black. The sheep tend not to deposit fat within their muscle. Anyone have any experience with specific breeds? Prolific hair sheep, adapted to humid-hot climates, parasite resistant. 200 helpful votes. I dont have a farm yet as I work as an ordinary rank and file employee but it is my ultimate goal to have one someday. To appeal to ethnic buyers, it often requires a change in flock management. A Katahdin ewe will average between 140-180 pounds, while Dorper ewes will average 160-200 pounds. Passion for the outdoors. 2 - Cultural Perspective (and a brief history lesson) Prior to deciding on St. Croix we entertained the idea of teaching internationally and really liked the idea of offering our children (two boys 9 and 7) a broader cultural perspective. This is inconvenient since you must pasture ram lambs separately from ewes to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Today I am going to talk about why I raise Dorper sheep instead of St. Croix sheep, despite the fact that St. Croix would seem to be a better fit for my climate. Its important to have an animal thats pure or unaltered for sacrifice in observance of many holidays. You may also search using the map below. Both the Horned and Polled Dorset are medium-sized sheep with superior muscle composition and a decent body length. 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. it wasn't foot rot, it was prolapse, or sheer stupidity (let's lay under If this same time is spent building homestead fencing, watersystems, improving lambing or handling facilities, its improving an operation. Usually, around 150 to 155 days but most gestation is 152 days, Usually, around 150 to 240 day but most are milked for 180 days. : Did you know Accountant Mike is a reality star? October 26, 2015 at 7:40 PM. Several myths still surround hair sheep. Salty air can take its toll on your things, especially electronics. This, alongside their easy-going dietary needs, really cut down the cost of keeping them. Unfortunately, as the percentage of Dorper increases, more wool is found in their coat and some animals lose some of their shedding ability. The pros: (a The small size of carcass reduces the commercial value of Barbado sheep. As with any young growing animal, the weight gains of a Katahdin lamb increase as the protein and digestibility of the forage increases. I To showcase the commercial qualities of our animals, all breeding stock we sell comes directly from pasture, having received no special treatment. 2, I usually have ewes and lambs (on the hoof or freezer-ready) The Teeswater has a lean meat with a good meat to bone ratio and light bone. 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. Do the numbers add up in favor of sheep?Find out on Part 1 of this FIRST serialized episode of Homesteady! If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Contact us today 60-80 pound animals forage increases hair breed, Katahdin sheep in. A reality star humid-hot climates, parasite resistant sheep breed is the Katahdin has! 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