Katahdin body styles...

[Ridgetop]

Wolfemama: I looove the length on that ram! The loin is where the money is. Thick, wide and meaty is the wining proposition. Weight and size don't mean anything unless they are carrying the muscle and thickness for meat.

As to the lamb, they go through such crazy stages - gorgeous one day and the next you are ashamed to admit they are yours! LOL I bought a very young registered ram lamb last year. He was a quad, out of a fabulous ram and bloodlines, only 3 months old, but so wide and long. The last lot in the sale and I got him for the minimum bid. I did not bother with him last year since he was too young to breed to my ewes and I had a lovely ram I was using. This year I was excited to use him but when I pulled him out of the ram pen and put him in with his chosen girls, I thought he was soooo ugly - scrawny looking without the thickness he should have had from those lines! I decided to use him anyway and see what he produced, then I would dump him at the auction. His lambs are breathtaking! I put him back in the ram pen still ugly and scrawny, thinking maybe he was one of those peculiar studs that are ugly themselves but produce magic. That was several months ago. The other day I visited the rams to check them out. What a difference! All of a sudden in just 3-4 months he was beautiful. He had always been super long, but now he was thick and wide too! He had grown into himself and is definitely not auction fodder! LOL

Definitely I vote for Type A Katahdins. A good market animal should look like they are full of meat.

 

[WolfeMomma]

Wolfemama: I looove the length on that ram! The loin is where the money is. Thick, wide and meaty is the wining proposition. Weight and size don't mean anything unless they are carrying the muscle and thickness for meat.

As to the lamb, they go through such crazy stages - gorgeous one day and the next you are ashamed to admit they are yours! LOL I bought a very young registered ram lamb last year. He was a quad, out of a fabulous ram and bloodlines, only 3 months old, but so wide and long. The last lot in the sale and I got him for the minimum bid. I did not bother with him last year since he was too young to breed to my ewes and I had a lovely ram I was using. This year I was excited to use him but when I pulled him out of the ram pen and put him in with his chosen girls, I thought he was soooo ugly - scrawny looking without the thickness he should have had from those lines! I decided to use him anyway and see what he produced, then I would dump him at the auction. His lambs are breathtaking! I put him back in the ram pen still ugly and scrawny, thinking maybe he was one of those peculiar studs that are ugly themselves but produce magic. That was several months ago. The other day I visited the rams to check them out. What a difference! All of a sudden in just 3-4 months he was beautiful. He had always been super long, but now he was thick and wide too! He had grown into himself and is definitely not auction fodder! LOL

Definitely I vote for Type A Katahdins. A good market animal should look like they are full of meat.

I agree! Long and thick/well muscled. Height is just an added bonus since that seems to be desirable in the show ring right now.
My rams sire is amazing and pretty much perfect, and his show record speaks of that. If my guy can be half as good as his sire I will be happy. I wasn't sure about him for a while there, but he is putting on a lot more thickness fingers crossed he keeps heading in this direction.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

@Ridgetop, I believe to start a thread you go to the dark brown bar and on the right it says thread starter...I THINK you should find it on your journal .... (at least that is where I found it ) 🐑

 

[Beekissed]

How do I start a new thread? I will try now but it make take some time since I am not very good at this. I really don't like hijacking other people's threads like that. What should I call it?

I don't mind a hijack.....I LOVE a good hijack! But info as detailed as yours really needs a good title and thread so others looking for the same good information can find it easily. If you go to the forum of "Sheep", you find different categories and the one you'll want is this one: https://www.backyardherds.com/forums/breeds-breeding-sheep.41/

When you click on that page you'll find a brown button near the top, on the right, labeled "post thread"....that will open a page for starting a new thread, with a place to write the title, the body of the first post and also some tags at the bottom so that folks searching for it can find the type of content. For tagging you just type in a word like "breeding sheep" and hit enter on your computer/phone. You can create up to 10 tags per thread, I do believe. They should likely include words like Katahdins, online auction, registered Katahdin, breeding, ram, flock, sheep husbandry, etc.

For a title, I don't know.....anyone have some good ideas? @Baymule, @Sheepshape , @Mike CHS , @The Old Ram-Australia , @mustang

 

[Ridgetop]

Thank you for the instructions - I will try to get a oost up and a new thread running. I took a photo of the instructions with my ohone so I can print it out - I can't always remember or find instructions again! LOL

I have no interest in registering stock....I've seen registered Katahdins in my state and in the next and in all cases they didn't even resemble Katahdins. They looked like miniature sheep, cow hocked, slender in the rump and chest, hay bellies, etc. I don't know where they were getting their "registered Katahdins" but they were the most poor representation of the breed I've seen! To me that says being registered doesn't hold the significance that it should...if just any animal can be registered, I have no interest in being in that category.

There are no auctions of just Katahdins in my area and likely not for a good long distance. I have found, on the other hand, just a few breeders here and there who have developed flocks in conjunction with some state universities and Poly Tech that show great promise~one of which I bought some great looking ewe lambs recently and from which I'll likely buy my next ram. She had the most uniform stock I'd seen and almost all were exactly what I was looking for in conformation.

Beekssed: I have seen a lot of the Katahdin body types you are referring to. One reason why I went with White Dorpers. Until I saw Bay's new ram, Ringo, I really didn't like the look of any Katahdins I saw since they were tall, rangier, short bodied, no width in rump or loin. They had body types more like dairy goats - no meat. The breeders of those sheep said they held their "lambs" to 8-10 months old for a 100 lb. lamb for slaughter but raved about the tenderness of the meat and taste. We even bought some to try figuring to keep an open mind. It was tough and the flavor was nothing special. I have also seen Dorper sheep that looked like those first Katahdins we saw though, so people that do not have an end product in mind will not understand where the meat ont he carcass comes from and be content to produce poor specimens. Breeders need to study carcasses and cuts of meat to really know how to judge meat production livestock. Another thread once I learn how to put it up?!

Finding that local flock that is extremely uniform is wonderful That is what all producers strive for - uniformity of type (good type of course LOL) means they now what they are going for and are being successful in producing it. It sounds like you are well on your way to an excellent flock with a terrific ram and a nucleus of uniform meaty ewes to breed to.

However, do not be too ready to dismiss registration - it is one way to be sure you are getting purebred stock. We all keep records on our flocks, and registration is a good way to be able to trac the genetics back if you want to. Some lines are very prepotent - the original animal stamps all its progeny with certain traits. Valuable information for a breeder. Other great animals only produce junk. Seen it happen a lot, owned animals that were champions and produced only tasty freezer fill, owned others that were not that special that produced champions consistently.

I agree that many of the show people breed and show as a hobby. It is not cheap to buy or import a quality animal, fit it, travel to the show, stay for several days, motels and meals, and you have to have someone home at the ranch caring for the other livestock. FYI: One reason sheep shows are a problem is that unlike dairy goat shows, you can only show animals up to yearlings. Dairy goats do not mature until around 2 years and often get better with future lactations (the udder is 50% of the standard). You usually bring the whole herd since substandard specimens are culled out after first freshening. Especially since there are usually classes for get, produce, and herd, both in and out of milk. Much easier except you have to drag all the milking equipment, the pasteurizers, all the bottle kids since you have their food supply the show LOL, and half the barn with you! LOL You only need someone to come over every day and feed the bucks and dogs. I loved dairy but it is sooo labor intensive.

Back to the show scene sheep breeders. They often have plenty of money and they spend a lot of money on shows, importing stock, and ADVERTISING to get a big name. Then they sell for big money since they usually win and everyone wants one of their winning animals. Let's be honest though, they usually win because they have exceptional animals since they are buying the best stock to breed. Most of us small fry cannot afford one of their high priced animals.

However, you can use that to your advantage by buying animals from other breeders who have bought from the expensive breeders. Those other breeders put out the money, improve their stock, and then sell animals they have bred from the expensive stuff to us. We get the benefit of their investment, knowledge, and skill but pay less than importing something ourselves. Avoid the high priced showmen and buy from the second or third generation breeder down who has the right bloodlines in their flock. That is how I can afford registered ewes from South African and Australian imports, excellent bucks, and am several years ahead on my breeding program. I will never be a big, well known breeder, but I will enjoy looking at the sheep in my pasture, I can guarantee the meat yield to my meat customers,and if I decide to enter a show I will have something to be proud of. Since I have a tiny flock compared to most show people (who also raise large flocks of commercial unregistered sheep for the industry) this works for me. I also have the opportunity to sell registered animals if some one needs one.

You are in West Virginia - is that too far from Mike to get stock? Bay is super happy with her Ringo. He is also breeding for parasite resistance. And I think the large (National?) Katahdin show is in July or August in Tennessee? Correct me here Bay and Mike. A road trip to the show would be a great vacation and you would have the opportunity to talk to judges and exhibitors whose animals you like.

I have had both registered and unregistered stock in many breeds - they all were bought with an eye to meat, and they all tasted good. You just have more scope for sale with registered stock, unless you have a market for club Fair market lambs, which is unlikely with Katahdins unless your fair has a class for hair sheep market lambs.

With your new lot of nice lambs, adding a registered ram means you can register their lambs as percentages, and by adding just a registered ram every couple of years eventually you will have a good registered flock. You will end up as the breeder in West Virginia with the good registered Katahdins that other breeders come to for their stock.

Go Beekissed! I will brag I knew you when! LOL

Going to try to do a thread now - back victorious later for a name! or in tears . . . .

 

[Ridgetop]

I think I did it but couldn't add any tags. Since it was either a new thread or an article I added more information. Now I am exhausted since it took all day in and around all my other chores, dental appointment, etc. LOL

 

[Baymule]

I think I did it but couldn't add any tags. Since it was either a new thread or an article I added more information. Now I am exhausted since it took all day in and around all my other chores, dental appointment, etc. LOL

Found it!

Buying Registered Sheep at Auction

Buying Registered Sheep Ridgetop/BYH November 2019th Special thanks to Beekissed for the instructions on how to do a posting! I posted this on another thread originally, but was recommended to post this information on it's own thread in the hopes that it might be of use to those of us looking...

www.backyardherds.com

 

[Beekissed]

I think I did it but couldn't add any tags. Since it was either a new thread or an article I added more information. Now I am exhausted since it took all day in and around all my other chores, dental appointment, etc. LOL

Can't seem to find your new thread, Ridge.

 

[Beekissed]

Can't seem to find your new thread, Ridge.

Scratch that....found it!!

 

[Ridgetop]

Give me comments - I tend to write a lot - too much?