Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Useful Information Regarding Katahdin Sheep For Sale

By Arthur Harris


Katahdins are a special breed of sheep that came from the state of Maine in the United States. They were developed at the foot of Mount Katahdin, which made them to be named after the mountain. Although initially confined in the state of Maine, their superior quality and characteristics have made them an international breed. They can be found anywhere in the world today. This is worth knowing about Katahdin sheep for sale.

To mention a few of their traits, katahdins are highly adaptable just as they are extremely hardy. A combination of these two traits is what enables them to survive in all kinds of environmental and weather conditions with no difficulties. Part of their adaptability includes growing a thick coat when the weather is cold so that they can survive. The thick coat is then shed in the summer in order to avoid overheating under the sun.

These animals have higher tolerance to humidity and heat. They also exhibit high tolerance to external and internal parasites. In comparison to wooled sheep, they show higher tolerance to a wide range of both external and internal parasites. Under good care, they will require minimal parasite treatment.

Katahdins exhibit docility, which makes them very easy to handle. Unlike other breeds of sheep and animals, it is easy to get them to move from one area to another with minimum disturbance. This is made much easier with the fact that they also exhibit moderate flocking instinct. The flocking instinct is one of the major characteristics that the developer of this breed was aiming for. This was achieved by crossbreeding animals that have the trait.

These sheep grow into weighty animals. The available evidence shows that they are among the biggest breeds of sheep currently in existence. One should expect a weight rang of 125 to 185 pounds from a ewe that is well taken care of. Mature rams on the other hand have the ability of achieving a weight range of 250 and 180 pounds. At birth, most twins usually average 8 pounds in terms of weight.

These animals have a very lengthy reproductive life since they reach puberty early in their life. The ewes normally reproduce twins in most of the cases. Nevertheless, it is very common to find them reproducing triplets and quadruplets in other instances. The lamb crop in a flock which is well managed is at 200 percent. The rams portray high aggression level in breeding. They are also fertile the whole year.

The length and texture of the hair usually varies from one individual to another. The coat can be of any color, with a combination of colors also being possible. The coat is composed of two layers, with the inner layer being soft and wooly, while the outer one is rough. The length of the coat varies with the prevailing weather conditions too.

Today, the demand for these sheep is very high. Most people acquire them for the purposes of keeping a flock or using them for meat. Also, people are using them in crossbreeding programs. In such cases, the aim is usually to get breeds of sheep with have superior qualities.




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