Buying Katahdins, small ewes

[Baymule]

I have mixed breed Dorper/Katahdin sheep. This is my "learner" flock. I am now ready to step it up to better sheep. I didn't want to kill a registered $$$ expensive sheep out of ignorance. I didn't want to kill ANY sheep out of ignorance, but losing a lot of money would have put the double whammy on me.

What is his price on full size, healthy, registered ewes versus what he wants for these undersized ewes? Are you really getting a good deal? If so, I say go for it. Getting registered ewes at a good price sounds good to me.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have no sheep, never have. Cattle, pigs, goats (meat & dairy), donkeys, riding and mini horses. Just never got into sheep. Having raised, bred, bought & sold some very expensive registered animals, there are things that I found to be important.


BUT...some thoughts that I have about all animals. Look at their health and the health of the herd overall. No matter the size concerns or a great deal, it will be NO good if they are not healthy. Ask for his records for vaccines, deworming, hoof trims, testing, etc. If he has a "book of registrations", trust me, he has this info, too. If he can & does offer the info without hesitations, I'd say he was up on all of it. Has his herd issues with soremouth or bad feet? Does he have a vet? Ask for a reference from him.

It sounds like he is a breeder who has experience and isn't wanting to sell and run. A good breeder will be there to answer questions of a buyer and try to help them succeed. Being honest is part of the package. Did he ask you up front what you wanted to do with them? Seems he offered to assist with breeding rams, resales, etc. Probably showed you various pens, and how he "handles" his sheep, i.e. weaning, ewes/rams, young ones, etc., etc. That is a sign of a breeder you want to know in almost all cases I've seen.

I don't know "sheep" but I believe you should consider them. Like others have said, their genetics will not be altered even if they are slightly smaller. You will need to give appropriately good nutritional density without over fattening the ewe and fetus, as a FF especially. If the seller has offered to take calls if you have problems, need help, etc., even better!

 

[Mini Horses]

has had years of experience and he is seeing problems down the road with these sheep of some kind that he doesn't want to deal with, which is why he is willing to give you a deal. But, he has a lot of sheep and doesn't need them

So it may be -- BUT what he may see as a "problem" may not be such for another. If he has a large herd and expects all ewes to lamb on their own without issues, he may feel his way handling and the herd dynamics are such that he does not have the time to "consider" special need animals. Where a farm with 10 head can easily give one on one attention. Often we just don't know.

Pictures would help...especially with some of "his own"s similar aged near for reference.

 

[goatgurl]

i'm slow to chime in, not here everyday. you have gotten a lot of good advice, now you have to decide what you want to listen to and what you want to do. I have raised katahdins for several years and do try to keep the smaller, late born ewelings separate from the ram but sometimes things happen beyond our control. with a small flock you can keep a close eye on your girls and monitor their growth and condition. in my opinion you don't want to start throwing feed at these girls if you do decide to bring them home, remember that the fetus(lamb) grows the most in the last 6 weeks of gestation and if you over feed the mom then the baby can be to big to deliver. be a hands on shepherd some times an animal may look ok but when you handle them you can tell for sure what their condition is. I wish you the best which ever you decide. I love my sheeple and bet you will too.

 

[walkonfarms]

A breeder that is local, and has registered and commercial Katahdins is offering to sell me ewes that might have been breed. He is offering them at a discounted rate because he said he bought them from good bloodlines, but the breeder he bought them from weaned them at 45 days, and he wasn't thinking, and just threw them in with his regular lambs. He says because of this they didn't get the feed they really needed, and are stunted. He said most likely they are pregnant, and he can show us the papers on the good bloodlines they are from. Is this a good deal? Will the lambs be stunted? The ram that bred them is a really nice registered ram too. Will they produce good lambs we could build up our stock from? Or is this a deal we shouldn't do? Any advice would be appreciated. We are just now getting into sheep. I have been trying to read up on them, and have bought several books.(but there is nothing like advice from people that have sheep)

Another thing that will stunt the growth is a high parasite load as lambs. If this is the case these ewes do not have enough parasite resistance. If you buy these ewes do a fecal. If there are no parasite eggs in the test then do it again in a week. Even with a high parasite load the fecal can be negative for eggs. After moving them within a weeks time the stress of the move will encourage the worms to produce eggs. If they have a low resistance this is a trait that will pass on to their lambs. Be sure to worm these girls right after lambing and keep a close eye on their lambs.

 

[walkonfarms]

The lambs from these ewes should be a normal size when grown. They will have a better chance of reaching the correct size and growth rate if these ewe are in a small flock instead of the stress of a large one.