The start of the development process of Katahdin sheep was in 1950s. Michael Piel of Maine receives the credit for developing the breed. The initial development occurred on the Piel Farm, which had many thousands of sheep at the moment. Other breeders adopted the breed from Piel Farm, and today, its population in the United States keeps growing. Therefore, when in search for Katahdin sheep for sale Kentucky offers a good place to prioritize. Breeders in Kentucky are careful with their breeding practices so that they produce high-quality animals for sale. The breeders offer reasonable prices.
The development of the new breed was motivated by the realization of the fact that to develop the best animals for meat, some changes were needed. The change related with how selection was done so that instead of depending on wool as the main factor for selection, other factors should instead be prioritized. In his endeavor, Piel intended to combine the good characteristics in Virgin Island sheep and those in wool breeds.
Piel found the qualities he wanted in Virgin Island sheep. He wanted animals that possessed hair coat, hardiness, and prolificacy. These qualities were combined with those of wool breeds, which includes meat conformation and fast growth rate. The development kicked off by crossing Suffolk and other British breeds with hair breeds.
The experimentation would go on for almost the next twenty years, involving breeding and selection of animals with the desired combination of traits. After these years, Piel was able to come up with a flock of ewes he named katahdins. The naming was done after Mount Katahdin in the state of Maine. To improve carcass quality and size of the animal, the Wiltshire Horn was introduced into the flock in the 1970s.
Starting with the original flock, Katahdin population in the country and globally has been increased to thousands of animals. Breeding is done after careful selection is done based on hair coat, reproductive efficiency, and carcass quality. In the year 1986, KNSI was created. KNSI was formed to undertake certain duties including registering individual Katahdins, assisting with marketing and promotion, encouraging research and development towards the betterment of the breed, and recording performance.
Animals are registered when they attain the age of one year and have been inspected thorough to ensure that they conform to breed standards. The breeder needs to be a KNSI member in order to put in a request for inspection or to have the animal registered. There is often no need for inspection before registration of lambs with 100 percent purebred parents. Such parents should not have birthdays beyond 1/1/1998.
There are several qualities in katahdins that are way superior over those in other breeds. Compared to other breeds, this breed has been proven to be more resistant to parasitic attacks. Individual maintain good health and growth even in the face of parasitic attack. Similarly, the breed is more heat resistant.
Other qualities that researchers compare among breeds include fertility factors, prolificacy, meat flavor, growth performance, carcass quality, and out-of-season breeding. The breed is particularly known for its superior meat flavor, which is favored by people around the world. The breed produces one of the best meats ever.
The development of the new breed was motivated by the realization of the fact that to develop the best animals for meat, some changes were needed. The change related with how selection was done so that instead of depending on wool as the main factor for selection, other factors should instead be prioritized. In his endeavor, Piel intended to combine the good characteristics in Virgin Island sheep and those in wool breeds.
Piel found the qualities he wanted in Virgin Island sheep. He wanted animals that possessed hair coat, hardiness, and prolificacy. These qualities were combined with those of wool breeds, which includes meat conformation and fast growth rate. The development kicked off by crossing Suffolk and other British breeds with hair breeds.
The experimentation would go on for almost the next twenty years, involving breeding and selection of animals with the desired combination of traits. After these years, Piel was able to come up with a flock of ewes he named katahdins. The naming was done after Mount Katahdin in the state of Maine. To improve carcass quality and size of the animal, the Wiltshire Horn was introduced into the flock in the 1970s.
Starting with the original flock, Katahdin population in the country and globally has been increased to thousands of animals. Breeding is done after careful selection is done based on hair coat, reproductive efficiency, and carcass quality. In the year 1986, KNSI was created. KNSI was formed to undertake certain duties including registering individual Katahdins, assisting with marketing and promotion, encouraging research and development towards the betterment of the breed, and recording performance.
Animals are registered when they attain the age of one year and have been inspected thorough to ensure that they conform to breed standards. The breeder needs to be a KNSI member in order to put in a request for inspection or to have the animal registered. There is often no need for inspection before registration of lambs with 100 percent purebred parents. Such parents should not have birthdays beyond 1/1/1998.
There are several qualities in katahdins that are way superior over those in other breeds. Compared to other breeds, this breed has been proven to be more resistant to parasitic attacks. Individual maintain good health and growth even in the face of parasitic attack. Similarly, the breed is more heat resistant.
Other qualities that researchers compare among breeds include fertility factors, prolificacy, meat flavor, growth performance, carcass quality, and out-of-season breeding. The breed is particularly known for its superior meat flavor, which is favored by people around the world. The breed produces one of the best meats ever.
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