Monday, January 22, 2018

These Are Facts About Katahdins For Sale

By Maria Powell


These breed of rams are developed in Maine and can be domesticated. They were named Katahdin after the highest mountain peak in Maine, Mount Katahdin. This breed was first developed in the mid nineteen fifties and was bred with different breeds including Suffolk. The breeding was based on the meat type conformation, hair coat, high fertility and their flocking nature. Here is useful information regarding Katahdins for sale.

These sheep were developed and originally bred in the United States. The purpose for their development was to attain carcass superiority. They have a ram crop, with a typical ram weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of 126 pounds. There is no need for shearing because the coat is shed off automatically during winter. Production is usually emphasized over appearance. Thus, they are available in various color shades.

When this breed is crossed with woolen sheep the lambs tend to have a mixture of mostly wool with partial hair. The popularity of this type of rams have increased in the recent years due to low wool prices and high shearing costs. Their genetic combination makes them resistant to parasites. This is one of the traits they inherited from their Croix ancestors which makes them highly productive and low cost option for commercial shepherds.

By nature, Katahdins are a polled breed, lacking horns. The breed association requires the animals to be polled. Breeders also prefer them that way. Standards do not allow for scars or horns on the animals. The animals are very cost effective because the require least maintenance, are adaptable, and hardy too.

The animals are medium in size and economical therefore bred in various management systems for production and utility. The females have a unique maternal capability and are alert and energetic. When it comes to adaptability, they have proven to have a wide variability of adaptability capabilities. Some breeds came from the British and Caribbean Islands, the weather at their home of origin is cold.

This has enabled them to grow very thick winter coats which they shed off during warm seasons. The coats are smooth hence acts an advantage that enables them to be able to tolerate heat as well as humidity. As mentioned earlier they tend to be more tolerant to both external and internal parasites than wooled rams. In addition, they only require minimum parasite treatment when they are managed and carefully taken care of.

The sheep harbor very many characters including being temperamental. They are very docile and easy to handle at the same time they exhibit flocking instinct. The mothers are very over protective of the young ones and have ample milk for their lambs. They produce a high quality of well-muscled carcasses that are lean naturally and the flavor offered is mild in a consistent manner.

Their coat is made up of an outer layer that is course, while their undercoat is made up of smooth fibers of wool that get thick and grow longer during the cold weather. These rams have been involved in various cross breeding programs but the descendants had undesired features. In most cases wool from such off springs had wool fleeces.




About the Author:



No comments: