Sheepfarmer22 ~ My Sheep and I

[Sheepfarmer22]

Hello. I guess I'm starting a journal!
I am 11 years old and have nine sheep as of 6/11/2025. In Louisiana, I grew up on a farm of chickens and produce as a small boy. I physically (with a little help when caring for the "wild ones") and financially maintain my flock. I started off with a Barbados Blackbelly ram as a pet a few years ago. A neighbor with Katahdins made a deal with me in 2024 and gave me a ewe to return the second lamb off of her. At that moment I knew that I was getting into the sheep business. I ended up getting another young ewe the following Winter. This past January, I had gotten a bottle baby that showed up three-days-old rejected by her mother. I nursed her back to health and she will probably be old enough to breed in Fall. On March 12th, 2025, I had my first lambing experience with the ewe I received through the deal. Days later, I was given a young ram (Katahdin) the same age as my lamb. The sire to that ram is litterialy the size of a miniature pony! I am planning to breed him with my ewe. I have received a couple more very young ewes since then.
I am in 4-H and enjoy it. I placed 1st in record keeping and 5th/6th in the Broiler Project as well as other things. I also work with a nearby farmer in his garden. I hope to continue in my journal here!

 

[Baymule]

Keeping a journal will help you keep up with what you are doing and it's fun to go back to read later. We have a member here, @Poka_Doodle that has "grown up" here from childhood to finishing college. She has shared her journey here with us and we encouraged her along the way.

I raise Katahdins, I love them! I am enrolled in their breed up program. I had some nice ewes, bred them to a registered ram. First generation is recorded as 50%. Breed first generation to a registered ram and that offspring can be recorded as 75%. Breed the second generation to a registered ram and that offspring is 87.5% and is eligible for full registration at 1 year old, providing it passes the hair coat inspection. That requires for that sheep to shed out naturally, no helping by pulling off winter wool. I have a ewe that was a year old last year, but the baby fuzz stubbornly hung on! I recorded her as 87,5% but could not register her. So this year she is shedding out beautifully plus has a ewe lamb. So once i get Beauty registered, I can register her lamb and I'll have 2 registered ewes! I'm excited about that. I have two other 75% ewes that had ewe lambs, so excited to watch those lambs grow up!

KHSI, Katahdin Hair Sheep International.
www.katahdins.org

Texas Katahdins

www.texaskatahdins.com

there is also a South Central Katahdin Association club. www.hair-sheep.com

TexKats has a yearly meeting in the spring. There are speakers, demonstrations and lots to learn. It is held in Gatesville. We have members that live in Louisiana, so feel free to come if you can.

At this year's TexKats meeting a class was offered or hair coat inspection. I passed the test and am now certified to inspect my own sheep. After two years I will be eligible to take a class and test again to become certified to become an inspector for anyone. There was also a hoof trimming demonstration and a blood draw demonstration.

If you are going to raise Katahdins, I suggest that you join these clubs, there is lots of information that will help you. I've raised Katahdins 10 years, started with commercial sheep and slowly started moving over to registered sheep. Counting the ewes I'm keeping from this year's lambs, next year I'll have 39 breeding ewes and I have 3 rams.

I wish you the best with your sheep!

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

Keeping a journal will help you keep up with what you are doing and it's fun to go back to read later. We have a member here, @Poka_Doodle that has "grown up" here from childhood to finishing college. She has shared her journey here with us and we encouraged her along the way.

I raise Katahdins, I love them! I am enrolled in their breed up program. I had some nice ewes, bred them to a registered ram. First generation is recorded as 50%. Breed first generation to a registered ram and that offspring can be recorded as 75%. Breed the second generation to a registered ram and that offspring is 87.5% and is eligible for full registration at 1 year old, providing it passes the hair coat inspection. That requires for that sheep to shed out naturally, no helping by pulling off winter wool. I have a ewe that was a year old last year, but the baby fuzz stubbornly hung on! I recorded her as 87,5% but could not register her. So this year she is shedding out beautifully plus has a ewe lamb. So once i get Beauty registered, I can register her lamb and I'll have 2 registered ewes! I'm excited about that. I have two other 75% ewes that had ewe lambs, so excited to watch those lambs grow up!

KHSI, Katahdin Hair Sheep International.
www.katahdins.org

Texas Katahdins

www.texaskatahdins.com

there is also a South Central Katahdin Association club. www.hair-sheep.com

TexKats has a yearly meeting in the spring. There are speakers, demonstrations and lots to learn. It is held in Gatesville. We have members that live in Louisiana, so feel free to come if you can.

At this year's TexKats meeting a class was offered or hair coat inspection. I passed the test and am now certified to inspect my own sheep. After two years I will be eligible to take a class and test again to become certified to become an inspector for anyone. There was also a hoof trimming demonstration and a blood draw demonstration.

If you are going to raise Katahdins, I suggest that you join these clubs, there is lots of information that will help you. I've raised Katahdins 10 years, started with commercial sheep and slowly started moving over to registered sheep. Counting the ewes I'm keeping from this year's lambs, next year I'll have 39 breeding ewes and I have 3 rams.

I wish you the best with your sheep!

Wow! I am already fumilliar with KHSI. I plan to move on to registered sheep sooner or later (probably early next year). After some research, Katahdins make a nice breed with the Barbados Blackbellies (not to be mistakened with the American Blackbellies, which are horned). The meat quality of the Katahdin is excellent. However, they are poorly designed to resist certain deseises and hoof rot. That's where the Barbados comes in. Originated in the island of Barbados, they have high desiese resistance and typically don't get hoof rot unless it snows (which is uncommon in southern states like us)! The Barbados Blackbelly has what most people say a more game/wild taste to it, which I personally like. In the mix breed, the meat taste more like Katahdin meat. I plan to show the Katahdin/Barbados 50% mix ewe lamb in 4-H in commercial ewe division. So training her (and myself) will be a Summer project this year.

 

[Baymule]

Join KHSI if you haven’t already. If you like the Barbados then incorporate them into your breeding program. A registered ram can get you on your way to a registered flock. You can use a ram for 2 years and can breed father to daughter, but no more than that. Change rams every 2 years and build a registered flock.

 

[4-Hgirl]

do you show your chickens?

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

do you show your chickens?

Yes. That is what the Broiler Project is. "Broilers" are a meat bird crossed between a Standard White Cornish and White Rock.

 

[4-Hgirl]

do you only have meat birds?

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

I have other pasture birds but I do not own them. I do not show other birds

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

Join KHSI if you haven’t already. If you like the Barbados then incorporate them into your breeding program. A registered ram can get you on your way to a registered flock. You can use a ram for 2 years and can breed father to daughter, but no more than that. Change rams every 2 years and build a registered flock.

What benifits do I receive in joining KHSI?

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

Anyways, I have nine sheep right now:

Mark- Male Barbados that I received as a pet in the Summer of 2023. Then, I had no passion of having a flock of sheep and he was my only one for nearly a year. The breeder offered to castrate him but my mother refused, "you never know what might happen!" I recently noticed he is limping, so I will be checking on him this eveneing.

Laney- Female Katahdin that I received upon a deal during the Spring of 2024. The breeder made a deal with me that I may have her if I returned the second lamb off of her. He told me about how the Barbados/Katahdin cross is such a good breed, as before mentioned. She has had a history of wounds on her leg from mosquitoes and hoof rot, which I have posted about. I had my first lambing experience this past March with her.

Noel- Female Katahdin from last December. I traded something else (not sheep) in return for her. I am planning to breed her for a Spring lamb.

Petunia- Female Katahdin I rescued at three days old. She was bottle fed and nearly died of starving. She had a disability from the narrow birth canal pressurizing on her head. As a result, she didn't suck and the mother left her. She is about 5 months old now. She is my favorite.

Reba- My first lamb born on my farm on March 12, 2025. The ewe is VERY healthy and meaty (I might be able to get a picture here in the future). I plan to show her in 4-H this Fall. 50% Katahdin/Barbados

Buster- Katahdin ram born the same day as Reba that I had gotten days later. I tried to make him nurse with Reba and her mother but Laney, the mother, didn't like that a lot. He ended up being a bottle baby... I hope he doesn't get mean as I know you aren't supposed to interact with him much at a young age.

Cinnamon- Female Katahdin that showed up very small/petite. I don't know how old she is and I'm trying to find a new home for her. She is kinda on the line with social/wild.

Mystery- Female mystery... I am not sure if she is a Barbados Blackbelly or an American Blackbelly. There is a difference between the breed and I want Barbados. If she ends up being that, I will keep her to breed with my Barbados ram. If she is an American, then I will just sell her as there is good money in those.