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Katahdin sheep:  The low maintenance meat sheep

A Katahdin ewe (click to enlarge)

 Katahdins are a medium sized, lean, breed of meat sheep. They were first developed in Maine, USA  and named after    Mount Katahdin.

 They were originally designed by combining the genetics of the St. Croix hair sheep, the Wiltshire horned sheep, the  Suffolk - to add size- and various other breeds 

Our Katahdin sheep are Canadian registered, and before registration, have to meet exacting breed standards regarding conformation, lack of horns, and coat quality. 

•   They are fertile, lamb easily, and make excellent mothers.  They usually have twins or triplets. We usually manage to   average  close  to a 200 percent lamb crop per ewe.
   

•   Katahdins shed their wool in the spring, and so require no shearing or tail-docking.  They do however, produce enough wool for the winter to keep them warm in our cold, snowy, Canadian climate. As they do not have to put so much of their energy into wool production, they are more efficient at converting food into the excellent, lean, meat that they are famous for.        

•   They are alleged to be more parasite tolerant than other sheep breeds. This is due to the fact that external parasites, such as keds, do not thrive well in the short hair of the Katahdin sheep.
   

•   Katahdins may have as much milk as some milk sheep breeds such as Friesians - as much as 5 litres a day, so why not try milking them?

Life Span:                 7 - 12 years

Reproduction rate:    120% to 220%

Gestation period:      145 - 148 days

Birth weight:            6 - 10 pounds

Weaning weight:      40 - 60 lbs

Mature weight:        150 -280 pounds

Breeding season:      May have out of season lambs

Colour:                   Any colour from black, brown, beige, white, paint to spotted

Coat types:             A- sheds winter coat completely
                             B- doesn't shed coat completely
                             C- retains more than 25% of winter coat. 

Cholesterol Content per serving

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For Region 8, Ontario, sheep events and outings  CONTACT us for details. We have everything from business meetings to trips such as farm visits in Quebec, to an annual summer barbecue and Xmas party.

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26/04/2008