Thursday, March 19, 2015

To Get Good Breeds Of Katahdin Sheep Kentucky Is Worth Visiting

By Lelia Hall


The second half of the twentieth century in America was characterized with the development of a unique domesticated animals. Katahdins were the result of this work. The breed was first raised in north central Maine near mount Katahdin, thus the name. The research work and breeding was done by amateur geneticist called Micheal Piel. His sole goal was to come up with a breed of sheep with better hair coat, good flocking instinct, high fertility and meat type conformation.

His research was focused on producing animals with hair and not wool. A breed that does not produce wool was needed because of low prices of wool and high shearing costs. The resultant breed had good mothering abilities in comparison to the parents. To get docile yet hardy Katahdin sheep Kentucky is the place to go. They show higher resistance to both external and internal parasites. They are easy to handle because they are docile.

Healthy and full grown females vary in weight from 160 pounds to 120 pounds. Mature males have a weight variation of between 250 pounds to180 pounds. Most twins average eight pounds at birth. Ewes normally give birth to two lambs, although they may have triplets or quadruplets in some occasions. Females exhibit better protective instinct.

A year is the earliest period an ewe can be mate on condition that it has attained the necessary weight and size. Focus should be placed on weight and not size. When lambs are two-thirds the size of a mature ewe they may be bred. A first-time mother must be fed and held separately from continuing mothers until its lambs is weaned. This is an important on teaching them to be better mothers.

Early maturity and long productive lives is observed in both males and females. Males are reliable breeders with the capacity of searing the entire year. A single ram has the ability of serving many females when mixed. Both sexes can be used in interbreeding. First time generation young ones between this breed and other types of wool sheep have fleeces.

It takes about three generations or more depending on the breed of interbred wool animal to develop offspring with purebred characteristics such as shedding hair coats. The texture and length of hair coats differs on every sheep. Katahdins appear in several pure or a combination of different colors. Red, brown, white and black are some of the common colors. Some have unique patterns or spots.

Lambs produce quality healthy lean meat. Fatty acid content of their meat is influenced by diet. Their meat is rich in both essential omega 6 and 3 fatty acids. They derive fatty acids from the grass they feed on, although a diet with certain oils and fats can serve the same purpose. Information on the type of oils and fats to feed them on should be given by a qualified veterinary. This is important for health purposes.

Katahdins are hardy animals with feeding behaviors similar to that of goats. They feed on anything ranging from soft tree barks of deciduous plants to weeds. They support themselves on hind legs to access leaves and remove tree barks. They may be destructive when not controlled. Young ones of katahdin sheep are in the habit of climbing on plants and hay. To avoid this, bale rings must be placed round plants and trees to be protected.




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