# Anyone Heard of...?



## BriteChicken (Jun 11, 2010)

Cascade Farmstead sheep?

I've been reading about them online but can't seem to find them anywhere but the NW U.S.  Does anybody know if they would be suited to NE Alabama?  and if not what would be?

P.s. I just joined and am looking into this for down the road not right now.

So thanks for any advice!


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## patandchickens (Jun 11, 2010)

BriteChicken said:
			
		

> I've been reading about them online but can't seem to find them anywhere but the NW U.S.  Does anybody know if they would be suited to NE Alabama?  and if not what would be?


I've never heard of them, but from the "breed" associaton's website they appear to be a Soay-Icelandic cross of very very recent origin (rather than having been well-stabilized as a breed) and I would venture to guess priced-up above what you could find if you just looked for other sheep of similar background but no 'brand name'.

What'd suit you depends on what you want the sheep for, and what your priorities are (what they need to be very good at, what things you can live with them being higher-maintenance at). Could you tell us a little more what you're after?

Pat


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## BriteChicken (Jun 11, 2010)

I'm looking for low maintenace wool and meat sheep that can be grassfed supplemented with hay in the winter. And I also would like them to be easy to handle these being my first sheep and all   Plus being good mothers...

Thanks Pat!


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 11, 2010)

BriteChicken said:
			
		

> I'm looking for low maintenace wool and meat sheep that can be grassfed supplemented with hay in the winter. And I also would like them to be easy to handle these being my first sheep and all   Plus being good mothers...
> 
> Thanks Pat!


You might want to do some research on Montadales, Romneys, or Dorsets (not the best wool).   I have a Romney ewe and LOVE her. She's a hard-core grazer.  I feed free choice hay along with the pasture, and my Romney ewe is the LAST one to come in and eat hay.  She'd rather graze all day long than eat a bite of hay.  Her lamb is the same way.  They're supposed to have great carcass quality and they're fairly easy to handle.  They're also good moms.  I've worked with Montadales as well, but I prefer the Romneys.  Romneys also have very good feet and are pretty foot rot resistant.


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## goodhors (Jun 11, 2010)

Are you on a time schedule for getting the lambs to market?  Something where they NEED to be gone by a certain time in late summer or fall?  Does sheep size make a difference to you in handling?  For market lambs, bigger is better, but they should gain the weight within a reasonable time frame, even if only on grass.  The USDA wants market lambs averaging 130 pounds.  

States in the Eastern US, tend to have better grazing in the summer season, so gain is faster than western states with less rain.

When we did only grass fed, lambs came in April, May, using mutt sheep.  One was a freebie, and very odd looking.  Others were a total mix, Hamp, Suffolk, Finn, and other breeds, but nice and gained well.  A local guy was experimenting, sheep were inexpensive, nice sized, always lambed mulitiples after the first breeding.  Twins AND triplets.  So we figured a good return on investment.

We ran them all together in pasture, didn't wean, but the mothers did it themselves later in the summer.  We didn't take lambs in to process until almost New Years, when grazing was gone and they needed snow shelter.  Those years winter came late, around Christmas, not Oct like the last couple seasons!  Lambs got a little corn and oats the last month, weighed at least 150# with most above that.  Wool was nothing special, harsh and shorter coated, easy to shear, these were meat sheep.  We have pretty good grazing all summer and late into the fall.  We only planned to carry the ewes over winter, did not buy hay to keep lambs.

Selling lambs, you just don't get much return on small lambs that weigh 100 pounds or less.  All the cuts are tiny, 50cent piece sized chops, little bitty roasts.  Unless you kill and process the lambs yourself, the price at the meat shop is the same for 100 or 150 pound animal, with more meat returned on the big one.  I think we get 70-90 pounds back on 130-150 pound live lamb.  Big loss of poundage with the smaller lamb, equalling 50% or more of live weight.  Little quantity in what you get back for the freezer or to your customers, but costs the same to have processed.  Breed size of finished lamb is absolutely something to consider when choosing sheep to raise for meat.  Dorset lambs we saw were done at 100 pounds, any more was all fat.

If you plan this as a business project, you need to think of doing things like a production business.  Pet sheep with an occasional sale of lambs is different.  I passed when a friend offered us Cheviot lambs from their flock, live weight was only 70 pounds!  We didn't have lambs then, but it wasn't worth sending him in for processing.  Friend's wife is a spinner, the Cheviots have great wool for her, but just too tiny for eating unless you are doing lamb roasts.  We suggested that to him, and he did have success selling lambs that way to some ethnic folks who do their own processing.  Those little lambs were just perfect for their roasts, so a happy coming together of seller and buyer was created!

Sometimes you can create your own market niche.  Offer lambs for sale at Farmer's Markets, or sell lambs now, for pickup when finished in the fall.

Learn what is desirable for YOUR area in marketing.  Ethnic folks do LOVE their lamb, but have interesting demands for size, tails on, other special requests.  Or maybe you could do special sales to local resturaunts for meat.  Certain chefs might be willing to work with you for using your animals, GRASS FED specials.

Specialty breeds are expensive to get started in.  You might start with more common breeds, see how that works for you.  Then add on a few of the special ones as time goes on.  This will give you more time to check out unique breeds, how other folks are succeeding with theirs, before investing much.


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## BriteChicken (Jun 13, 2010)

I'm not really looking at it as business more as self sufficiency... I know I'm probably asking for a lot but what I'm looking for is a small hardy breed that doesn't require shearing, are good mothers, resistant to hoof rot, and will have a good carcass for their body size and the time that they grow out.

Like I said this would just be for me and my families self sufficiency and pleasure of knowing where our food comes from.

I'm willing to pay more of an initial investment for a smaller hardier breed  Thanks for all your answers so far I'm looking forward to hearing more!


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## Beekissed (Jun 13, 2010)

You need Katahdins!    Smaller than the other meat breeds but still have a meaty frame and produces great market lambs.  No shearing, hardy and very little hoof problems.  

Some folks cross Katahdins with St. Croix to produce a longer legged ewe for breeding and then cross Dorper over them for a meatier market lamb.  

I really like the build of the Katahdin's over the St. Croix and even the Dorper, though the Dorper is a more popular choice for meat.

There is a new breed out now called Royal White....Dorper/Katahdin breeding, very expensive, but thought to be the best crossing of the two. 

These two are yearlings, ST. Croix/Katahdin ewes:







The one on the right is a pure Katahdin ram:






The one on the left is a yearling Katahdin ewe, bred at 7 mo. and due this month:


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