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Les Moutons de Viande
 New
BREED GUIDEBOOK
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It's
that time of year again - get the ram you want by choosing early.
Katahdin Sheep "a low maintenance meat
sheep".
Moutons de race Katahdin: Un
mouton de viande a peu d'entretien
The Katahdin is a well-muscled,
medium sized, easy-care meat type sheep.
They exhibit a natural tolerance of climatic extremes and are capable of
high performance in areas that vary in geography, temperature, and
humidity, as well as feed and forage.
Katahdins usually have a docile and quiet disposition with good flocking
tendencies - a temperament
which contributes to easy handling. The coat can be any colour from
white to brown, black or spots thereof. Polled animals are
preferred; scurred or horned animals are recorded as such.
The purpose of the breed is to efficiently and
economically produce MEAT.
Katahdin ewes do not, as a rule, require much assistance at lambing, exhibiting strong maternal instincts with
sufficient milk supply to raise twins or triplets. With good
nutrition and management there is a high survival rate with the lamb
crop. With the belly area being clean it is not
necessary to pre-lamb shear. Katahdin ewes with such excellent maternal traits could be used in a
cross breeding program to enhance survival rates with less stress at
lambing time.
The shedding coat of the Katahdin does not require
shearing.
They mature early and have strong
fertility traits so early separation of intact rams is advisable.
Small at birth, lambs grow and mature rapidly to an acceptable market
weight using a good forage based management or with grain supplementation.
Katahdin produces a lean carcass with
a mild flavour.
Some producers have experienced very little taste variation in the
Katahdin meat even at a mature age, therefore maintaining a marketable
product past the "lamb" stage. |
