Katahdin sheep for sale Texas

Dorpcroix X Katahdin lambs for sale Texas

Hair sheep ewe and ram lambs

Hair sheep breeding stock for sale. Below are prices for our sheep and lambs and when they are available.

Type of sheep/lamb                                           Price per animal

Ewe lambs, weaned, avail. August thru Oct.                                   $125.00

Ewes heavy bred,    available April and May.                                    $275.00
Ewes exposed to rams,  avail. Dec. thru Feb.                                    $200.00

Ewes open (not bred)  Avail. May thru Oct.                                        $150.00

Ram lambs, weaned, avail. August thru. Nov.                                      $125.00
Rams and ram lambs, breeding age                                                $150.00 - $500.00

Live butcher lambs, typically avail. year 'round, (price varies with size)         $85.00 to $125.00

Processed/packaged butcher lambs, frozen, freezer ready                          $185.00 fall  $225.00 spring

Quantity discounts may apply to flock purchases of 25 or more head. 

 Prices quoted are for lambs picked up at our farm in Northeast Texas. Price does not include any health papers or vet inspection. Health certificates are available at an additional fee and may be required by if you are out of state - check with your state veterinarian.

 If you need live butcher lambs, check out butcher lamb page.

If you have heard a lot about Katahdin sheep and want to know the facts about this breed, visit www.katahdins.org and click on breed standards.

Processed lamb prices -  $185.00 for whole lambs (light, early lambs) processed October - December.   Spring lambs are available in April and May.  Spring lambs are heavier and cost $225.00. Grass-fed lamb orders can be secured year 'round with the actual processing taking place in spring and fall. To secure your lamb, complete the custom-cut lamb form here.

Our Program of Keeping Katahdin and Katahdin - Dorpcroix Hair Sheep

We keep sheep to produce lamb for consumption by our farm customers.   All our lamb is sold directly to farm customers desiring clean, nutritious and great tasting lamb. Our butcher lambs are 100% grass-fed on open pastures.  We believe hair sheep are a great choice for our needs.  Our Dorpcroix and Katahdin sheep and crosses are low maintenance and easy keepers on our program.

 The  ewe flock is forage based and grazes all year.  We provide hay free choice when needed. Sheep mineral is kept available year 'round.  We rotate pastures and use FAMANCHA methods for parasite control.  Our ewes have access to a barn but most lamb out on pasture in the spring. Lambs are raised on grass pastures and hay (after weaning) and are not grain fed. Protection from predation is afforded by livestock guardian dogs.

We have a very diverse farm enterprise with conservation of labor being an important factor.  Keeping a  ewe flock of  Katahdin sheep and Katahdin/Dorpcroix crosses has worked best for our needs.  If you are considering shepherding, a hair sheep breed may work for you.   For more Katahdin info. visit www.katahdins.org  

Sheep are nice critters that mind their own business, happily clearing your fields of broad-leaf weeds, shrubs and poison ivy. They leave the grass for last.  This makes them nice grazing companions to cattle and horses. Cattle and horses love the grass but tend to leave the "weeds" alone, thus resulting in an uneven pasture. Keeping a few hair sheep for weed control will prove beneficial. You don't have to breed them, just have a few wethers (castrated males) for an easy care flock.  It is a waste of time and money (not to mention fossil fuels and machinery) to mow grass and/or weeds or spray toxic weed killers. Co-species grazing helps with parasite control. Grazing a few sheep with your cattle and/or horses is a positive contribution to pasture management. Sheep can turn grass, weeds, leaves, hay and grain in to great tasting, nutritious lamb !   The taste of lamb from tropical breeds of hair sheep is a gourmet treat. Click here for more information on packaged lamb meat.

Breed Origin (from http://www.katahdins.org/)

The development of the breed began in the late 1950's with the importation of a small number of haired sheep from the Caribbean by Michael Piel of Maine. The Piel Farm had several thousand sheep at the time and Piel felt that "progress in selection for traits important to the production of meat would be greatly enhanced by the elimination of wool as a major factor for selection." His goal was to combine the hair coat, prolificacy, and hardiness of the Virgin Island sheep with the meat conformation and rate of growth of wool breeds. He began to experiment with crosses between the hair sheep and various British breeds, especially Suffolk. After almost 20 years of crossing the resulting hybrids "in every conceivable combination" and selecting the individuals with the desired combination of traits, Piel eventually collected a flock of ewes he called KATAHDINS, named after Mt. Katahdin in Maine. During the mid 1970's the Wiltshire Horn, a shedding breed from England, was incorporated into the flock to add size and improve carcass quality.

http://www.wiltshirehorn.org.uk/home/  for info on the Wiltshire Horn shedding sheep

http://www.stcroixsheep.org/  for info on the St. Croix hair sheep

Both the above breeds (as well as others) were used in the "creation" of the original Katahdin breed (Mr. Piel's flock).   This breeds' registry (Katahdin Hair Sheep International) allows for upgrading (cross-breeding) with other breeds of sheep.  Depending on the breeder, Katahdins can be a composition of almost any breed and thus, have a great deal of variety.  After proper upgrading and recordation, the resulting sheep can be registered Katahdins.  According to the Katahdin breed registry - a Katahdin sheep can be any color (from solid black, brown, red, white to spotted and/or speckled  versions of  any color) or combination of colors.  They can be horned or polled.  Katahdins can have A, B or C coats (graded on how well they shed). 

What breeders were to strive for is a low maintenance, hair (no wool to shear) sheep that produces market (meat) lambs.   If you have heard a lot about Katahdin sheep and want to know the facts about this breed, visit www.katahdins.org and click on breed standards.