Saturday, January 11, 2014

When One Needs Katahdin Sheep Kentucky Should Be The Place To Go Searching

By Marissa Velazquez


When in need of Katahdin sheep Kentucky is an elegant place to check out first. Katahdin refers to a certain species of domestic sheep developed in the 20th century in the United States. The breeding was done by someone called Michael Piel around the year 1956. He imported St. Croix sheep and crossed them with many other breeds. After breeding, he selected the animals according to their fertility, hair coat, flocking instinct, and meat-type conformation.

These species is liked by many farmers since it has many beneficial features. They are hardy, highly adaptable creatures that require minimum maintenance to survive. The meat is lean whereas the lamb crop is superior. They do not require shearing because they do not produce fleece. They are greatly adaptable as they were derived from the Caribbean, British Islands, and Maine as their place of origin.

During cold months or in chilly weather, these animals develop think winter coats. These coats persist during the whole chilling season and only shed off after the atmosphere begins warming up. The smooth hair permits them to survive and/or tolerate warmth and humidity well. Their capability to withstand interior and external parasites is very commendable and with elegant maintenance, they require minimal parasite treatment.

The hair coat differs among individuals of this strain. The coat might have a single color shade covering the entire body or may have a combination of various colors mixed in diverse ways and patterns. The coat is formed of two layers, an external layer formed of rough hair fiber and an undercoat made of soft wooly fibers. The under-coat sheds gradually as the warm season sets in.

Both rams and ewes undergo early puberty and they have long productive lives. Full-grown ewes normally give birth to twins, triplets, or quadruplets at times. Carefully chosen flocks produce two hundred percent lamb crops. Males are known for being aggressive breeders and stay fertile for a whole year long. During first exposure they fertilize flocks in weeks. Well chosen ewes lamb for the entire year with no stops.

A Katahdin ewe reveals strong protective mothering instincts and it does not need assistance during the lambing process. Newly born lambs are vigorous and alert even after a few minutes of birth. Both male and female can be used for crossbreeding purposes even though the first generation normally have wool fleece in most cases. Stable purebred characteristics such as shedding hair and ample milk normally start showing in the third generation.

This breed of sheep weighs great when in good health condition. Males can reach a weight of 180 to 250 pounds whilst females can weigh from 120 to 160 pounds. Lambs also weigh very high at birth with most twins having a mass of eight pounds. However, the weight may reduce if the mother gives birth to several lambs at ones.

When looking for Katahdin sheep Kentucky is a recommendable place to give priority when searching. This is a good species for any farmer because they can survive almost everywhere. There docility makes them easy to handle and the ability to produce multiple lambs is profitable.




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