Katahdin sheep are the workhorse of the commercial sheep industry.
They are self-shedding(don’t require shearing), hardy, parasite resistant, excellent moms and have good growth rates. A Katahdin ewe flock with good management can wean a 200% lamb crop with a market weight of 100 pounds by 4-months old!
We strive to raise Katahdins that have good hair coats and body structures, ewes that birth at least twins and can raise all the lambs they birth, rams that are heavy muscled and have good bone structure and lambs that have good rate of gain. We think Katahdins should be the cornerstone of any commercial flock.
We use EBVS (estimated breeding values) to determine which animals will keep us heading in the right direction.
We strive to raise Katahdins that have good hair coats and body structures, ewes that birth at least twins and can raise all the lambs they birth, rams that are heavy muscled and have good bone structure and lambs that have good rate of gain. We think Katahdins should be the cornerstone of any commercial flock.
We use EBVS (estimated breeding values) to determine which animals will keep us heading in the right direction.
Here are the EBV's we use on Katahdins
Number of Lambs Weaned (NLW)
This is a top priority for us. The more lambs that you wean means more lambs to sell which means the more money you make, it’s that simple!
Number of Lambs Born (NLB)
We only look at NLB in relation to NLW. We like to see NLB lower than NLW for that particular animal. This means that the ewes are raising the lambs they birth. A lower NLB than NLW seems like an oxymoron until you consider that it is all based on comparison to the rest of the breed. For example, an average flock of 100 ewes might birth a 200% lamb crop but only wean a 180% lamb crop. Since this is average, the EBV’s would look like this: NLB 0, NLW 0. If I have an ewe that always has twins and raises them (200%) and we compare her to the average, her EBV’s would be NLB 0 NLW 10. This means that she birthed the same number of lambs as the average ewe, but she weaned 10 percent more lambs hence a higher NLW then NLB.
Maternal Weaning Weight (MWWT)
We refer to MWWT by "milk". It indicates the milking ability and maternal instinct of an ewe. Selecting for a higher MWWT will produce ewes that milk better and keep a closer watch on their lambs. This is one trait that has a limit on how high we would like it to go. Ewes that milk heavy will be more susceptible to mastitis and harder to dry off. I think the top limit to this trait is around two. Since it is rare to find an animal that high, (top in the breed is 2.43), this is not a concern at this point.
Weaning Weight (WWT) and Post Weaning Weight (PWT)
These indicate the growth potential of an animal. Since this is a highly inheritable and accurate EBV, we insist on good growth and continue to push these traits upward.
