dorper vs katahdin
Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 70 -120, Ram = 110 140. Mating season for Suffolk sheep usually happens in the Autumn or Winter of each year, as it is for most sheep breeds. The breed was developed in the mid-1950s by crossing imported St. Croix Sheep and several other breeds, including the Suffolk Sheep. We currently manage between 45-60 ewes per year with about 70% of our flock being registered. Good milkers, and is suggested not to wean lambs before three months. A ewes wool will pay her winter feed bill. The Dorper is a breed of sheep that originated in the south of Africa in the 1940's. It is the product of cross-breeding between the Dorset Horn and Blackhead Persian breeds. If you consider hairsheep like White Dorpers in the future dont forget to ask the breeder about the shedding ability of their flock! Cole, N.A. ( From Buckler Farms near Granville TN) His mom is at least 50% dorper and Katahdin. 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. Hair sheep have some attributes that make them admirably suited to fill market niches or fit varying production systems in Florida. There are many great options for meat-producing sheep. They require less worming medications as a general rule. Any of the sheep breeds thats considered to be one of the true hair sheep breeds has an advantage in that cockleburs, briars, stick-tights and so forth dont become entangled. Another goodproductfromhair sheep is leather. This makes them one of the more profitable breeds to specialize in. I had heard all the negatives about them such as The lambs get too fat, The lambs sell for less money at auctions, The pasture will be littered with wool as these sheep shed, and They get too cold in the winter. When the weathers hot and the pastures are dry, their wool animals will be under a tree while the hair animals are out grazing. This information may be used to compare breeds of hair sheep. 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. Ron remembers raising wool sheep as a teenager. Hair sheep breeds are growing in popularity as consumers look for economical ways to raise homestead meat animals. To learn more about baby sheep, check out my article Baby Sheep: What a Baby Sheep is Called & Other Fun Facts. . We have a dispute between the members about feeding sheep after working them. Grading up to Dorper. 7/8th exhibit all the traits of purebreds like out-of-season breeding and even many 3/4 look like purebred and shed as well. Its also possible that some pieces of wool or hair remain along the back or on the hind quarters or arm pits. Unfortunately, as the percentage of Dorper increases, more wool is found in their coat and some animals lose some of their shedding ability. Crossbred individuals tend to be more vigorous, more fertile . In a second study, Dorper or Dorset sired lambs were compared to Barbados Blackbelly x St. Croix or Katahdin lambs. The Dorper is highly adaptable and does well in harsh conditions. 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. Grazing animals put on weight quickly in preparation for the long winters. Ultimate Guide. Suffolk ewes are excellent mothers and prolific breeders. We began our Katahdin Sheep herd with non-registered sheep but have added registered Katahdin ewes to our farm. Very interesting and informational! What is the point of getting hairsheep when you end up shearing them? In years past, 18-30 pound lambs sold well in Chicago for Jewish Passover. (Weve heard them all.). The desire to climb mandates the use of a bale ring to prevent excessive waste. They also benefit from a long productive life, giving you maximum bang for your buck. Some general information on hair sheep is found on the next page. Despite its origins in a cold northern climate, the Katahdin is remarkably well-suited to warm weather living. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Mexicans prefer a larger lamb, and let nothing go to waste. His father Barley ( in picture behind him) is a full blooded Dorper. The Katahdin is another great dual-purpose breed, producing on average 210 liters of milk per 210 day cycle. That's interesting! Bred to produce less back fat, their meat is lean and flavorful. The Dorper is a mutton breed of hair sheep developed in the 1930s. Katahdin ewes weigh around 125-185 pounds, and rams average around 200 pounds. In winter puts on coat that is shed as temperatures increase. 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. How the breed carries fat is, I think, important when dealing with older sheep. He is a native of Germany and lives in the US since 1995. Sheep will eat woody vegetation but prefer grass and weeds on the ground. Ten percent of sheep breeds are hair breeds but ninety percent of these are found in tropical areas. Twinning is common and triplets and quadruplets are not rare. Suffolk ewes have an excellent lambing rate of 180%, making them a solid choice for breeding. If ewes are fed well, lambing rate approaches the higher end. Weight Gain/Daily: 0.4 lbs daily with good nutrition. 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. The phrases youll hear most often is either mutton or lamb. Just a little more "stingy" than the Dorper (and I am talking more for working them with dogs). The leather from hair sheep grain is finer than the leather from wool breeds and brings in a larger amount of money. Ive seen Shropshire being used to keep weeds and grass down in Christmas tree plantations. Typically, the 75 percent Dorper crosses will exhibit the Dorper coloration and conformation. The Katahdins in the study had a consistently less barber pole worm infestation rate compared to the Dorper and Dorset crosses. Katahdins often breeding out of season. 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. Katahdin ewes weigh around 125-185 pounds, and rams average around 200 pounds. We let them be sheep and just help them along. They were an excellent choice for this as they seldom bothered the pine trees. Last but not least on our list is the Cheviot breed. How do you collect wool from self-shearing sheep? Sales at the 2022 mid America Dorper Show nearly broke $1 MILLION with the top Dorper ewe bringing $20,000 and ram $12,800. 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. They are also highly resistant to many parasites that can become bothersome to other breeds of sheep. Royal Whites are more recent in the hair sheep scene and development is still ongoing. I've seen some really nice Dorper/Katahdin crosses. They like large groups of lambs on each farm, prefer solid colors, registered and must be enrolled in the scrapie program. take it from me, you dont have to worry about anyone getting too fat. After slaughter, all thats left is hide, manure and stomach contents. The main differences between these two breeds are the colors available, and what they can be used for. In many cases, farmers are adding hair sheep to pastures with cattle to maximize efficiency and for parasite control. 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. Im sure by now you have an answer. Lambing %: Given an average lambing percent of 150 and 3 lambing in 2 years, Dorper will produce 2.25 lambs on an annual basis. Mature Weight (Lb): Ewe = 100 130, Ram = 120 150. Hair sheep dont bring as much on the slaughter market. . This breed is medium-sized and is hardy with a high-quality carcass. Some of the main pros of keeping Katahdin sheep include: Katahdin sheep are one of the easiest breeds of sheep to care for. . I have no way of weighing him. Thank you. In lambs, grain feeding versus grass-fed has a greater influence on flavor than the differences in breeds. Your email address will not be published. Posted 11/18/2019 21:09 (#7854689) Subject: Dorper Sheep vs. Katahdin Sheep. "Dorper sheep are barrel-shaped with a well-muscled back end. However, they all shed around the belly, legs, head, and all the other places that would otherwise prolong shearing. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'savvyfarmlife_com-leader-1','ezslot_7',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-savvyfarmlife_com-leader-1-0');Katahdins are a popular meat breed for sheep farmers. My customers are also distributors of various sizes who sell mainly at restaurants and their private customers. 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. Subsequent generations with higher percentage shed better and better although shedding is not a black and white thing. The Cornell Small Farms Program is housed at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) in Ithaca, NY, and works in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension across New York State. 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. 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. The Katahdin sheep breed was developed in Maine to help clear brush in powerline corridors. If you have space to corral a few sheep, you can fill the freezer with a healthy alternative to beef and chicken. They can mature to be up to 6 tall, can reach over 400 pounds, and they dont back down Goats vs Sheep: Profit, Care & Behavioral Differences. At that weight the fat cover did indeed get too much. Unsave Save. An interesting study was done that showed the parasite resistance was higher in the purebred hair sheep over the crossbred shedding sheep. What Needle Felting Supplies Do You Use for Sculpting? As mentioned earlier, hair sheep breeds are considerably more heat-tolerant than wool breeds. May 23, 2011 #3 Beekissed Herd Master Joined Aug 3, 2008 Messages 3,634 Reaction score 5,536 Points 453 Location mountains of WV We had the idea of crossing a Dorper with their 60 Katahdin ewes. Weight Gain/Daily: 1 pound under intensive production. Feel free to contact the author, Ulf Kintzel, at ulf@whitecloversheepfarm.com for further information. You will always need to make compromises if you choose to have a purebred flock. Sales of sheep meat and sheep breeding stock are on the rise in the United States and Canada. The Dorper sheep is a meat sheep breed. I have noticed that some lambs are showing caramel patches. If you plan on raising lambs for meat, youll need to know everything that comes with taking care of baby sheep. Blackbellys are often left unvaccinated due to their disease and parasite resistance (though of course, we recommend you do your research on the breed and talk to a vet about what they recommend for vaccinating). It is raised mainly for meat production. One of the oldest breeds of sheep, the Tunis is still a favorite breed for meat production. Work with your states department of agriculture if youre interested in export sales. Origin: Developed in the Virgin Islands for crosses of West African hair sheep and Wiltshire Horn. These breeds are called hair sheep because the coat consists of hair more like that of cattle and many goats rather than wool. The reproductive rate of true hair sheep is excellent. Fencing. I would also be interested in bred young ewes. Suffolk grow wool continuously, and will need to be sheared annually. These include: The fact Dorper sheep are easy to breed is a huge advantage. Hampshire sheep have a muscular and stocky build, and are comparative to the Suffolk in size. Coat & Color: Solid white or white with black head. Looking forward to reply. One of the first breeds to be recognized for its commercial production, the rams can reach more than 250 lbs. Although the breed was created in the 1930s, it is still fairly new to the US. Since these breeds are so adaptable, when found in colder climates, the hair sheep adapt by growing a thicker undercoat. They are easy care sheep that divert most of their energy into producing meat instead of wool. Ewes typically reach sexual maturity by 7 months. Im Carmella. They dont need to be sheared, they have a docile temperament making them easy to handle, and they are resistant to disease. I love lambs Does lambs has less cholesterol than goat? Coat & Color: The coat can be reddish brown, tan or yellow. 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! Sheep are one of the most versatile producers when it comes to livestock animals. Hairsheep breeds such as the Barbados Blackbelly and St.Croix are largely found in these tropical areas of the world. study was done that showed the parasite resistance. Katahdins have hair and not wool, which means they are a low-maintenance breed that will shed their hair naturally. i want buy texel sheep unit so please tell how can buy it this breed. We are interested purchasing Katahdin sheep and found this article very helpful. Our spring lambs require 4-5 pounds of dry matter forage to produce each pound of gain. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Manage Settings 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. 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. They do produce wool, and need to be shorn on a regular basis. All Rights Reserved | Website by Maple Creative, God Save the Beef: Trials of Sustainable Farming in the UK . Our flock is content to sleep outside in the coldest weather and will have unmelted snow on their backs like a wool animal. The first generation grows quite well due to the heterosis effect, but nearly always has a wool coat.
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