A qualityregistered lamb will bring triple the fat lamb price. ground, swell. The influence of the Wiltshire Horn was later diminished as selection against horns was imposed . Prolific hair sheep, adapted to humid-hot climates, parasite resistant. The St Croix sheep are also very calm, have good flocking instinct and show little aggression to the dogs. Wondering whether to add Dorper or Katahdin sheep to your homestead? The carcass weight on a pure St. Croix sheep is not suitable for commercial (meat sales) production. (Weve heard them all.). wool. you want lots of sheep in a short period of time and have a lot of For example, we consider time spent worming, shearing, docking and trimming hooves as merely maintaining an operation. To be successful, you must sell quality, and I stress quality animals; send anything else to slaughter. The ewes can breed up to twice a year and have an abundance of good quality milk high in butter fat content. The St. Croix are a medium sized hair breed sheep with a moderate frame size and long body and legs. havea regular customer who has a fruit orchardin CA. Pros and cons of Katahdin sheep. - They breed like List of the Pros of Living in St. Thomas. The St. Croix are used to train working dogs and are used in sheep dog trials. Kingshill, St. Croix,, Virgin Islands 00850. Fourteen years ago my wife got into the sheep business when she purchased three registered Katahdin ewes, a ram, and later, three Romanov ewes. As we disperse all our crossbreeds, weve found the crossbred cull ewes with a wool coat have sold for 50-75percentof what comparable weight hair ewes bring. We are interested purchasing Katahdin sheep and found this article very helpful. I am looking for a true beachfront condo unit with full beachfront views. On the other hand, living in St Croix has its cons such as the threat of natural disasters, the high cost of shipping to the island and no direct international flights. People converting to hair sheep breeds all notice certain things. Photographs: Dr. Jerry Fitch, Extension Sheep Specialist . I would love to get in touch with the author personally. Even though I feed well, they will always Akbash. Katahdins are a cross between the hair sheep (St. Croix) that Piel imported from the Caribbean and the British sheep breeds (primarily Suffolk) that he had on his farm. By Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius raising St. Croix hair sheep? Two breeds, the Barbados Blackbelly and the St. Croix,are also found in North America. The Teeswater sheep breed is a hardy sheep breed that can withstand most climatic and environmental conditions. Croix SheepDeworming sheepPros and ConsDorper vs. St. Croix SheepLow maintenance sheep breeds--------------------------------------\"Buy me a Coffee\" to Support my Channel: https://bit.ly/ShphrdssCOFFEE READ MY BLOG: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessBLOG SHOP MY MERCH: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessMERCH#sheep #Dorpers #farming #ranching ----------------------------- About this Channel: This channel chronicles my journey as a sheep farmer from the very beginning. In colder areas, they grow a heavy winter coat of wool and hair that is shed in the spring. The hair coat, which eliminates the need for shearing, is part of this adaptation. 1,800 sheep (same AUs) will bring in $300,000. finally got fed up with the labor-intensiveness of my wool breeds. Breeders often use less-expensive Katahdin ewes to initiate an upgrading program with registered Dorper as the final goal. St. Croix sheep are known for high fertility, and ewe lambs become fertile at about six months of age. We prefer using forage to produce lambs rather than wool. They are extremely aggressive foragers towards brush . They like large groups of lambs on each farm, prefer solid colors, registered and must be enrolled in the scrapie program. We both work off thefarm; therefore time is a commodity in short supply. November/December 2003 and regularly vetted for accuracy. On the Island of St. Croix, they come in shades of brown, white and black. Thank you for joining the journey! Aust pulls out all the stops and brings in Accountant Mike to develop a comprehensive pro/con list to investigate this completely new venture for the homestead. Dorper sheep are exceptionally popular amongst both hobbyists and commercial homesteads. Save 20 days of your life you would otherwise spend plucking chickens! While I cant speak for other hair breeds, Katahdin sheep are tough, hardy animals with eating habits more like that of a goat. Myth #1: They're too small to be of commercial value. Slight of build, with the narrow, lean carcass typical of some of the ancient British breeds, they are immediately noticeable due to their black and white fleeces and prominent horns. Dorper Vs Katadhin Sheep: Which is better for your homestead? Report inappropriate . Dorper lambs have amazing growth rates when young. If you're a former "wooly" producer, you (Grabbing a Romanov thats been walking through cockleburs is like wrestling with a 130-pound cocklebur.). Answer (1 of 2): I was a resident of St. Thomas for four (4) years beginning in 2004. 3 years ago. to speed this process up, but like my Mother always said, "If it ain't Most hair sheep breeds will lamb out of season without resorting to hormone therapy. of Grants Pass. While there are far fewer cons than there are pros for keeping Dorper sheep, you do need to consider the potential downsides. Barbados Blackbelly and St. Croix sheep. Two weeks later, the ewes hadnt lost any body condition. I am planning to retire to St. Croix in the next year or so. Purebred lambs can reach a weight of 19.9 kgs at 8 weeks old. Anymore (at least in Missouri) its the carcass quality that sets the price. Better vigor. Over time, Caribbean Hair sheep became well adapted to the heat and humidity of their environment. Is there anything more suburban than lawnmowers? You can find out more about lambing Dorper sheep through the American Dorper Sheep Breeders Society. Sheep provide two sources of cash income: lamb and wool. Consider the pros and cons featured above before making your decision. Contact a breeder in your area about St. Croix hair sheep. Ewes usually have twin lambs but triplets are not unusual. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. - They will eat #5 Company Street, Christiansted, VI 00820. info@remax-stcroix.com | 340.773.1048 | 855.909.9152 | Fax: 340.773.1917. Some breeders cross with heavier hair sheep breeds document.write(OT); Add to our blog community by sharingthat step in the comments! they don't jump on you, run over you, or jump on cars and over fences. raising St. Croix hair sheep? Little mowing. naturally longer list, and remember, this is from. might be hesitant about getting back into. My email is van@cavenet.com and my phone number is 541-592-3444. After living in the city, we found a town where we could afford enough land (not a farm, just a big yard) to start experimenting with homesteading. Image via Shutterstock. Since Missouri has more Katahdin sheep than any other state, the majority of export animals come from here. Your email address will not be published. I know there is a good market for hair sheep lambs as well. Great for a homestead, as I have witnessed first hand over a 3 year period. There is also the possibility of shearing sheep and selling wool. Today I am going to talk about why I raise Dorper sheep instead of St. Croix sheep, despite the fact that St. Croix would seem to be a better fit for my climate. I live in a small condo and armed by nothing but dreams and curiosity. They produce excellent fertilizer. The list of pros and cons is certainly long as it would be for buying a house in any location. If We are currently running 130 registered ewes with 10 commercial ewes that will be dispersed this year. Sheep help control weeds. They were bred with other hard footed, shedding, Continue reading "Wiltipoll" For registered breeding stock, permanent wooly fibers are a no-no. A mature Dorper . The sheep and I I wish to sign up to your exclusive club but I dont think that it is much needed at this point as I dont have a farm or even a garden yet. just want to exchange thoughts, I'd love to chat. St Thomas is 32 square miles and is Centre of commerce and trade for the US Virgin Islands. Passion for eating whole, fresh food. Where to stay . Raising Sheep For Profit: Let's Look At Some Numbers is an article I wrote going over the budget for your sheep, including how . The breed was developed in the mid-1950s by crossing imported St. Croix Sheep and several other breeds, including the Suffolk Sheep.They are raised predominantly as meat animals in the U.S. and have become enormously popular in recent years due to high . I grew up on a 100-acre sheep farm in Maine, was an active member in 4H, and I showed my flock across New England and at the national show in Louisville, Kentucky. No need for shearing and tail-docking. Here are a few of the not so great things about sheep that you should know about. uncommonly resistant to foot rot, prolapse, and parasites. These sheep are typically white in color, though there are known variations such as light brown, tan and black or white with black or brown spots. Yes, Quality: Good tanned hides have been likened to a deer skin quality. What Needle Felting Supplies Do You Use for Sculpting? My wife and I feel theres no best breed, but rather which breed best fits your operation. Approved for use in sheep in October 2009, CIDRs are used for synchronization of estrus resulting in out-of-season breeding and larger groups of ewes that can be bred at the same time in order to narrow lambing periods. A ewes wool will pay her winter feed bill. Log in, WHY I DONT RAISE ST. CROIX SHEEP | DORPER vs. ST. CROIX as Meat Breeds. Sheep are easy to handle and generally require little input. They usually carry their heads very upright and are an active alert breed. The Dorset has white wool and the Persian has a black head. They have a long life and the ewes can produce lambs for up to 10 to 12 years of age. Required fields are marked *. I just recentky discovered your Youtube channel and now your blog. and I have. I swears they're the best organic weed eaters he's ever used. available for sale. In terms of lambing, youll find Katahdins mostly give birth to multiple lambs. Hair sheep breeds (Katahdin, St. Croix, Barbados) generally have much greater parasite resistance than wooled breeds, especially after one year of age. Not only do they suffer fewer complications during birthing compared to some other breeds, but they also give birth to multiple lambs. Because of differences in numbers and kinds of hair . It is small, with ewes averaging 120 pounds and rams 165 pounds. Any of the sheep breeds thats considered to be one of the true hair sheep breeds has an advantage in that cockleburs, briars, stick-tights and so forth dont become entangled. Hi, we are looking at beginning a small flock of hair sheep. 1. This spring we had an overall lambing average of 1.9 lambs/ewe born with 1.7 lambs weaned. One of the first major successes was the N'Dama from West Africa, imported to St. Croix in the mid- to late 1800s. The last straw was the increasing Hair sheep are preferred to wool sheep for meat purposes for a number of reasons: More mild-flavored meat. The breed has well-documented parasite resistance, far superior to that found in most other sheep breeds. A Katahdin ewe will average between 140-180 pounds, while Dorper ewes will average 160-200 pounds. Hi Mary. Ewes often produce twins and have plenty of milk to raise them. Now you have a good idea of the pros and cons of both Dorper and Katahdin sheep, which one is right for your homestead? Hair sheep dont bring as much on the slaughter market. Length of breeding season heritability is estimated at about 26%, Dr. Inskeep . However, they have the same sweet faces and disposition of Saanen goats. Barbado sheep have a very small carcass size. Which brings us to the sheep in men's underwear from . Several Polypay owners in the area worm all animals 6-8 times during the summer and still lose animals to stomach worms. If you'd care to discuss Pro's: Seeing the Southern . Locals of the island refer to themselves as Crucians. might be hesitant about getting back into any kind of sheep. While you can make a great profit selling meat, if you are looking for multiple income streams from your flock then the Dorper may not be the right breed for you. - They seem They still dont take a huge amount of time to reach it, but it is something to be aware of if you are looking for fast production. They also tend to be highly mobile, which means they will climb on top of anything. Weve found that while genetics play an important role in weight gains, flock management, parasite control, forage quality and forage availability seem to be more important when it comes to the bottom line. 2 - Cultural Perspective (and a brief history lesson) Prior to deciding on St. Croix we entertained the idea of teaching internationally and really liked the idea of offering our children (two boys 9 and 7) a broader cultural perspective. unavailability of shearers and then having to practically give away the In trying to reverse that trend, the Country Boy and I have grown more cautious and methodical. In my own life, with a family, a job, and multiple interests, needs, and dreams, learning to make decisions has become a necessary skill. ~Ann, Your email address will not be published. As we said in the introduction, if youre looking to earn multiple income streams from your sheep, youll probably find Katahdins to be the better option. 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Year or so on you, run over you, or jump on you, or jump on cars over., with ewes averaging 120 pounds and rams 165 pounds would love to.... Of pros and cons is certainly long as it would be for a... Of 19.9 kgs at 8 weeks old Island refer to themselves as Crucians sheep that you know! For a true beachfront condo unit with full beachfront views little input have...
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