Very tolerant of the humid hot conditions in the Carribean andSomolia, Blackhead Persians have a white body and black head. May 23, 2011 #3 Beekissed Herd Master Joined Aug 3, 2008 Messages 3,634 Reaction score 5,536 Points 453 Location mountains of WV And some shed one year but not totally the next for no apparent reason at all. They do produce wool, and need to be shorn on a regular basis. Katahdins tend to birth twins, with triplets and quadruplets occurring often with good flock management. Katahdin sheep and Dorper are bred as meat sheep breeds. Why Katahdin x Dorper Crosses. However, they are suitable for markets requiring smaller carcass size. The low maintenance qualities of Katahdins allow us the time to do so. We let them be sheep and just help them along. Dorpers DO NOT shed their coats as well and consistently as katahdins. In addition, there is almost no incidence of flystrike with hair sheep breeds. We also sell breeding stock locally. They are hardy and do well in range. Are you interested in raising sheep for meat? Dorper sheep have a distinctive appearance: black heads and white bodies. Your email address will not be published. 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). 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. In California prices for hair sheep have surpassed prices for wool sheep and in New Holland they are catching up. Dorper Sheep Breed Information, History & Facts - RaisingSheep.net Katahdin x Lacaune. Non selective grazers that perform well under both extensive and intensive production systems. oklahoma city farm & garden "dorper" - craigslist It is actually a hybrid which is bred for producing more meat, less fat and less wool with the goal of producing lean tender meat. 4 1. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. The cross breeding results in the best of both breeds but also in the benefits of heterosis, commonly known as hybrid vigor. The katahdin//dorper crosses are noticeably bigger than the pure katahdins. Some of the ancestors of these breeds originated in Africa and were brought to the Caribbean Islands, Central America and northern South America during the 18th and 19th century. Breeding Season: They breed throughout the year. My question is, how much should he weigh. While weve missed out on export sales the last several years because of retaining ewes to increase flock numbers, Mexican buyers will be coming by this spring. We just started raising Katahdins this year. Dorper sheep Revolutionizing the meat sheep industry The ewes produce vigorous, healthy, robust lambs that have a high survivability. Katahdin Pedigrees ~ Members List They are prolific breeders as well, often producing twins. The majority of ewe lambs are sold as registered breeding stock; the majority of ram lambs are sold for slaughter. A large-framed, late-maturing breed will not have the necessary carcass quality at these weights, whereas Katahdin sheep or Dorpers will. For example, we consider time spent worming, shearing, docking and trimming hooves as merely maintaining an operation. He is 8 months old. Dorper Sheep - Sheep Breed Series 22,946 views Mar 15, 2020 417 Dislike Share The Grass-fed Homestead 75.8K subscribers Shepherdess Tess talks about her Dorper sheep breeding program and how. Environmental Adaptability:They are adaptable to all climates. This may be due to the fact that wool can hide a lot of rib bones and other defects, while with a hair sheep what you see is what you get. Best Meat Cross-Breed with Katahdin Ram - Permies Rather than stay in a group, they will scatter in all directions like a covey of quail. I direct sell a great number of lambs. They naturally shed their wool throughout the seasons. The lambing rate is not as high as other hair breeds. They grow quickly and reach market weight early. The entire belly is black including areas between the legs, nose and forehead. This behavior causes problems with maintaining desirable trees unless protection is provided. Many of the Dorper you see have been crossed with Katahdin sheep for several reasons. Sales at the 2022 mid America Dorper Show nearly broke $1 MILLION with the top Dorper ewe bringing $20,000 and ram $12,800. Bred to produce less back fat, their meat is lean and flavorful. i love the dorper sheep breed! Katahdin Sheep: Low-Maintenance Meat and Milk Producer - MorningChores The breeder from whom I purchased the lambs said she is breeding in dorper with the katahdins to "beef" them up a little. "Dorper sheep are barrel-shaped with a well-muscled back end. Hi Mary. Unlike meat goats, hair sheep are resistant to many of the parasites shed by cattle. What is worse, however, is the fact that there are breeders who do not select for shedding ability and for the show ring instead. These lambs that I have seen are usually by percentage Dorper rams or rams of lesser quality and out of smaller ewes or lesser quality ewes. Katahdins are medium size, hardy, low-maintenance, and have a high-quality carcass weight. 46:131-143.. Making a Good Ewe Flock. He can be reached at 585-554-3313 or by e-mail at ulf@whitecloversheepfarm.com. How the breed carries fat is, I think, important when dealing with older sheep. Dorset ewes weigh approximately 150-200 pounds, with the rams weighing on average 275 pounds. Ten percent of sheep breeds are hair breeds but ninety percent of these are found in tropical areas. Our first lamb - Katahdin Dorper Cross - Farm Homestead Thank you. -. While there are far fewer cons than there are pros for keeping Dorper sheep, you do need to consider the potential downsides. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Dorper is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian sheep.The breed was created through the efforts of the South African Department of Agriculture to breed a meat sheep suitable to the more arid regions of the country. Lamb comes from a sheep under the age of 1 year old. 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. Relative resistance of Dorper crossbred ewes to gastrointestinal nematode infection compared with St. Croix and Katahdin ewes in the southeastern United States. They reach sexual maturity very early, with ewes able to breed between 7 to 9 months of age. Hairbreeds have many positive traits that make them an ideal animal for small farms, homesteads, and of course, larger commercial farms. 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. This is true for Barbados Blackbelly and St. Croix in particular, because they have not been subjected to selection for size and growth rate of the woolen breeds. Keep reading to learn more about the best sheep breeds for meat. He is a native of Germany and lives in the US since 1995. The Katahdin Sheep is a domestic breed developed in Maine in the United States and named after the highest peak in Maine, Mount Katahdin. Grazing animals put on weight quickly in preparation for the long winters. They still dont take a huge amount of time to reach it, but it is something to be aware of if you are looking for fast production. However, if you are not intending to feed grain and if you dont intend to grow your lambs beyond 100 lbs. Four Barbados Blackbelly sheep arrived in the United States in 1904. Thirty percent of the ewes were first-time lambers, having an average of 1.2 lambs/ewe. The phrases youll hear most often is either mutton or lamb. Royal White (Dorper x St.Croix) To properly flush a ewe, she should be on an upward nutritional plane and gaining weight. He experimented with breeding them to meat breeds, finally reaching a point, in the 1970s, where he named the breed, Katahdins after a nearby mountain in his home state of Maine. Dorper's are by far the closest hair sheep to the wool breed. Parasitol. This breed is adaptable and can live in many different climates. Some European sheep genetics were incorporated into the African sheep to arrive at the existing hair breeds mentioned above. Dorset sheep thrive in a wide variety of climates, and being wool-producers, they will need to be sheared annually. Just remember that Dorpers do have multiple births.. we raise some dorpers and they start off with the first time lambing with twins then after that triplets. We are currently running 130 registered ewes with 10 commercial ewes that will be dispersed this year. There were sequential 2-wk. 80 pounds at 90 days can be expected. Animal Breeding Abstracts. What is the Ideal Weight for a Market Lamb? - Cornell Small Farms They were significantly more reasonably priced and for practical matters were the same. The trend is now reversed. I sell a lot of culled ewes as roasts, ground meat, stew meat and various sausages. 2 are Katahdin and 2 are katahdin/dorper crosses. Most Muslims prefer intact ram lambs without tails being docked. 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. Publication : USDA ARS For a number of years, there has been a good export market for ewe lambs going to Mexico. Some hair breed rams are long-bodied which can create a lengthy birthing scenario for the ewe. Suffolk grow wool continuously, and will need to be sheared annually. Mexicans prefer a larger lamb, and let nothing go to waste. So, what about littering the pasture with wool? I had a Texel flock of 100 breeding ewes at the time when I bought my first White Dorper rams. 3 year old Dorper Katahdin Ram. 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. Some general information on hair sheep is found on the next page. They shed their winter coats during spring and early summer. We feel that our time must be used where it will improve our operation, rather than maintaining status quo. 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. Our experienced ewes averaged 2.1 lambs/ewe born with 1.9 weaned. Effects of high heat load conditions on body weight, feed intake Because of their hair and their low fat content, this breed is known to produce both flavorful and mild meat. Crossing these breeds with woolen breeds for efficient meat production does hold some potential. Thanks for the belly shaking laugh! . Hi..I have a merino female sheep and I would like to know if its possible to cross it with male dorper sheep to get pregnant .. Do Dorpers only breed seasonally ? I dont want him to get unhealthily fat. Work with your states department of agriculture if youre interested in export sales. I am trying to locate a couple of nice ewe lambs now. Coat & Color: Solid white or white with black head. We have all three breeds. Fact: While its true that Barbados and St. Croix are small animals (ewes 80-110 pounds), few commercial breeders raise them. Market Weight/Live/Age: 70 90 lbs / 7 8 months. Crossing these breeds with woolen breeds for efficient meat production does hold some potential. Later on I found out that this was the faster route to accomplish shedding in the offspring. 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. Best guess is he is 175-200 lbs. Katahdin Hair Sheep | Successful Farming 7 year old Katahdin ewe . One in particular is more like a paint horse. It improves from year one to year two of age but can again be reduced by external factors like disease or weight loss. They also have a fat rump, short legs, and a compact body. There are black headed Dorpers (most common) and white Dorpers (harder to find). You have to pay to have it sheared once a year. for info and videos along with books and much more! The ancestry is believed to be of both African hair sheep and European breeds. After 22 years they are well rooted in South Paris. Just like the Katahdin, you do not have to shear them as they shed their winter coat in the spring. Ewe's Dorper/Katahdin Cross | Mysite Tunis sheep are known to have an excellent flavor of meat. This breed averages in maturity at around 175 220 pounds. The breeds of hair sheep that are of importance in Florida include Katahdin, St. Croix, American Blackbelly, and Barbados Blackbelly. If my product would be poorly finished or wouldnt taste good, I surely would lose customers. I forgot to ask for notification via e-mail, so I am reposting my questions. 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. Selling Price: $325.00 / Head. Katatdin x Dorper . This breed was imported in the US in 1904 and was crossed with Mouflon (wild sheep), Rambouillet and other European breeds to produce what is known as American Blackbelly. To avoid the coloring and spots that come along with first and second generation cross breeding with Dorper sheep, I decided to go with White Dorper sheep (WD). The Dorper has a high rate of lambing and is tolerant of the arid conditions it was developed for in South Africa. Breeding stock is selected under rigorous criteria, including parasite resistance, hair coat, growth characteristics on grass alone and general thriftiness. As a result, the Katahdin is the most common hair sheep in America. When I look out in the paddock it looks like hell on earth but at the same time beautiful. The number of feedings can be reduced over time to twice a day by 3-4 weeks of age. They reach sexual maturity early, and will remain fertile for a longer period of time than many other breeds. $300. Libyans prefer old worn out buck goats for their stronger flavor. Purebred Dorper rams can reach a live-weight of 90-120 kg and ewes 50-80kg. This is not a true hair sheep. Dorpers are well-known to mature early as well, with most lambs considered market-ready in as little as 4 months old. Like most of the sheep listed here, Texel lambs reach market size quickly, by 5-6 months. Due to their superior conformation and shedding characteristics, they have become one of the most popular breeds of sheep in the U.S. Katahdin sheep will strip the bark from cedars, pines and any deciduous tree that has smooth, immature bark. Dorper sheep are exceptionally popular amongst both hobbyists and commercial homesteads.
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