Ruminating On New Ruminates

Our family has been in the possession of Jacob sheep for several years. This primitive breed, full of history, and very resilient to disease, also wears a thick coat of wool which needs to be sheared every spring. Even with only ten sheep, our modest experience of shearing causes it to take a lot of time, work and effort. Therefore, Dad decided to get a few new ruminates that come from the hair sheep family.

Khatadins are a hardy, adaptable, efficient breed, originating from the Caribbean and British Isles. Though not as disease tolerant as our Jacobs, this breed is significantly more resistant than other varieties of wool sheep. With a minimal amount of parasite treatment, it was the perfect choice for our farm. Thankfully, we found an establishment that sells this strain of sheep only forty-five minutes away from us.

The two ewes and ram that we purchased were a bit wary of us at first. After a few days of sitting in the pen with them and feeding them grain from our hands, they showed their normal docile natures. This new addition to our flock has allowed us to gain new experiences. As these animals do not don horns, we have learned to use a shepherd’s hook for catching purposes.

Female Katahdin sheep generally produce twins, and sometimes deliver triplets or quadruplets. First time mamas though, usually have a single lamb, which was the case with our ewes, Scarlet and Esmeralda. 

Leo, our ram has been fairly gentle. He is not one you have to be afraid to turn your back on, unlike some of our other rams in the past.

It will be interesting to see what our small flock merges into in the years to come. This low maintenance grazer will be much more efficient for our family. Now, with hairless sheep, our flock can increase without the workload expanding as much. Katahdin sheep have been the perfect fit for Providence Prairie.

~Halayah