2024-2025 Sheep Showing

Baymule

Herd Master
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
35,685
Reaction score
110,275
Points
893
Location
East Texas
I considered Royal White before choosing Black Head Dorper. Once having a Dorper ram, I changed my mind to Katahdins and never looked back. I never found out about docking tails on Royal White. Is that a breed standard or is that just for show?
 

Margali

Herd Master
Joined
Apr 23, 2011
Messages
2,270
Reaction score
9,793
Points
498
Location
Fort Worth, TX area
I considered Royal White before choosing Black Head Dorper. Once having a Dorper ram, I changed my mind to Katahdins and never looked back. I never found out about docking tails on Royal White. Is that a breed standard or is that just for show?
It was just for show I guess reading the official page. Mr Hoag in 1995 had good marketing skills I guess. A Royal White is just a St. Croix + White Dorper.

Biggest difference is the closed registry which I consider a negative and only white allowed. I don't see how they can avoid inbreeding issues with only a single generator flock.
 
Last edited:

Ridgetop

Herd Master
Joined
Mar 13, 2015
Messages
7,380
Reaction score
25,784
Points
743
Location
Shadow Hills, CA
The White Dorper give Royal Whites the muscle, the St. Croix is already a component of the White Dorper breed and gives parasite resistance. Main difference is in the wool patterning in White Dorpers vs the completely hair coat of the Royal Whites. Not a lot of Royal Whites outside of Texas and Oklahoma. They are very similar to White Dorpers in body structure - I think they are slighty taller than WDs.

You can certainly change your feeding program to try to put on ore mscle, but remember that most Katahdins are a more gracile and slender framed sheep. You need to breed for the muscle you want. Since you have a small ewe flock, the best way to do that is to bring in thicker rams that produce more meat.

When is the market lamb show next year? I might have a lamb for her depending on the date of the show. We will be lambing mid January through February. You will want the lamb to be about 5-6 months old at show time. A single ram lamb castrated around 3 months, kept on its mother, and supplemented with a good grower ration can make 100 lbs. at 4 months so I think that may be best. Check for the required show weights at weigh in, so I know how much the lamb should weigh at weaning to do well for her.
 
Top