Stupid question-- what would happen if...

[theawesomefowl]

You bred a Finnsheep and a Katahdin. Would you get multiple births and good meat quality? I am planning on getting Katahdin ewes and breeding them for meat lambs. Thanks!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Well I've never done the cross, but I would guess you'd want to breed a Dorper ram (tend to be a little meatier than Katahdins) to a Finn ewe. Most likely the Finn would have multiples, but the resulting offspring wouldn't be as meaty as a pure Dorper or Katahdin. If you did want to have some Finn blood in your meat flock, I'd go with a smaller percentage, like perhaps a ewe with 25% Finn blood. BUT, my friend raises Dorpers and Katahdins and her ewes regularly have triplets. I think any more than 3 lambs is asking for trouble (it'll increase the number of bottle lambs and each lamb will probably have smaller weaning weight). I personally think a Dorper ram X Katahdin ewe would make a nice cross.

And it's not a stupid question.

 

[theawesomefowl]

Okay. Just an idea....I'll probably use an Dorper or Katahdin, whichever works out, on the ewes. I'm probably going to buy them in Feb. or March as lambs, since that is when lambing season for the breeder's flock starts.
Does anyone have opionions on breeding ewes as lambs versus waiting till thye are a year or so? I would love to have lambs sooner but don't want to risk the ewes, or risk having an diffiecult birth. Does anyone do this and reccomend it? If I choose to breed them younger I will see if I can help out at a lambing first with someone else's flock, for experience.

 

[Bossroo]

I would cross a Dorper ram on the Katahdin ewe since wool has very little value and the cost of shearing is too high to even be worth shearing these days. Dorper lambs are born on the smaller side, but are very active and grow very fast, so it would be up to you if you want to breed the ewes on the younger side. Plus the Dorper x lambs will finish several weeks earlier and weigh @ 10-15 lbs. more than a straight Katahdin. Just consider what your expected grass growth will be in the Spring. In Cal. the lambs are already over a month old as the new grass starts to grow in late Nov. first Dec. with the arrival of the winter rains.

 

[theawesomefowl]

I'll find a Dorper ram in my area then. Thank you!