Sheep
Commercial and Registered Katahdin sheep: We feed no grain to the main flock, and almost never creep feed grain to lambs. We lamb on pasture and graze 12 months of the year. We cull heavily, using Tom Lasiter’s criteria only slightly modified for sheep: We cull for disposition / ewe must come close when we hold the day old lambs; for fertility (any ewe that does not lamb at a year of age, have AND RAISE twins (first timers MAY get one more chance if they have a single and raise a nice single)(if triplets, they must RAISE and wean triplets and one can not be a runt); for weight of lambs raised; any ewe that ever has any problem of any type is culled from feet to lambing. For years we culled any animal that needed worming more often than the rest of the flock (lambs 1 to 2x a year, adults 1x a year). In 2018 we started using NSIP.org EBV’s for worm resistance; as of 2025 no animal on the place has been wormed more than once in the last 4 years, a few animals have never been wormed in their life. We use FAMACHA scores to selectively worm if needed. We keep about 45 ewes. Currently we SELECT on weights (you SELL pounds of lamb) and worm resistance (they have to live and thrive) first. Then on milking ability (need milk to grow) and on the EBV for lambs weaned GREATER than the EBV for lambs born.
Need to learn about sheep ? This quick guide is the best I have seen: https://sheepthings.com/shop/all-sheep/general-books-stickers/quick-reference-guide-for-shepherds/
Since 2018 all rams have been purebred Katahdin rams enrolled in NSIP (except a terminal sire). Ideally we breed all first lambing ewes to a terminal sire where all lambs are slaughtered.
For 2025:
“Zimmie” – Yearling ram from Stuart Zimmerman, NISP: 6401822024SRZ069 is high in weaned worm resistance, will be bred to Tom daughters with high post weaning worm resistance. Growth and Milk too!
+1.98 for MWWT (milk/mothering = 99th pct. for US !
+ 5.17Kb (11.4#) for PWWT (post wean wt.) is over 85th pct. in the US.
-82 for WFEC is over 90th pct.
-63 for PFEC is over 70th pct. for worms.
15.4% Lambs weaned > 11.2% born is over 75%.
Picture below:
For 2025:
“Stuie” – NSIP: 6400602021RMK159 is a proven ram we will be using this year. At 270 pounds we are looking for size.
+21.6% for NLW (number of lambs weaned), is over 90th pct. in the US!
+.735 for MWWT (milk and mothering) is about 55th pct. for the US.
+4.05Kg (8.9#) for PWWT (post weaning wt.) is over 70th pct. in the US.
Decent numbers for worm resistance (still over 50% pct., not what we like to see but should be fine bred to our ewes with -70 to -90’s.
More importantly, +21.5% NLW is still greater than +20.6% NLB (as you get higher numbers, there will be less spread)
All data can be accessed at NSIP dot ORG
Picture below:
Tom HAS BEEN SOLD, used last 3 years. MINUS 91% for worms puts him at 97th percentile for the whole US ! BUT, all the rest of his numbers dropped to about neutral with moving from Maine and grain fed to SW Missouri brush and fescue pastures. Still positive for post weaned weight of 1.8 pounds. Positive for number of lambs born (6%) but even better is 12% for number of lambs WEANED.
NSIP: 6400052020WVF906
SOLD – SOLD – SOLD
Picture to come.
Ram lamb from Cody Cave who took over David Copelan’s flock.
NSIP: 6400312025bcr221.
+1.3 for MWWT (milk/mothering = whisker under 90th pct. in the US.
+ 5.9Kg (12.98#) for PWWT is over 95% pct. in the US.
-56 for WFEC is over 75% pct.
-67 for PFEC is just under 80th pct.
19.9% lambs weaned > 18.8% born is over 85% pct. in the US.
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We love hard data, and NSIP is the best data available, but is NOT the whole picture. We want long productive lives (our oldest ewes are 14 years ago and still raising twins) and there is no EBV for that.
Few Thoughts:
The HAIR index is a great single number to select sheep, IF you lamb in jugs/barn and feed grain. The SRC$ Index may be a much better single number for farms that do not feed grain. BEST is to select for top 1 or 2 traits that your ewes are weakest in.
I ignore NLB (number of lambs born) as 80-90% of what determines how many lambs are born is NOT GENETICS! Do really like to see lambs that SURVIVE, if so you want NLW>LNB!!!
Read posts at the Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins: https://easternalliancekatahdins.com/
Most hair sheep in the US are Katahdin’s, lots of info at Katahdin Hair Sheep International: https://easternalliancekatahdins.com/
FOR SALE: We kept one commercial ram lamb (75%) back for sale this fall. Waiting on Genetic testing report and results of fecal egg counts (which may change the following numbers – hopefully for the better on FEC’s) before listing for sale, but his current EBV’s:
PWWT (Post Weaning Wt.) of 4.59 Kg (10.1 pounds) puts him over 80th percentile for the US
MWWT (milk/mothering) of 1.241 puts him over the 85th percentile for the US
WFEC (weaning fecal egg counts) of -47.5 puts him over the 60th percentile for the US
PFEC (post weaning fecal egg counts) of -39 still puts him over the 60th percentile for the US
NLW (number of lambs weaned) of 9.7% is significantly greater than number of lambs born (NLB) of 5.1% – remember unless you want a lot of triplets and feed grain you do NOT want super high numbers here, although 80% of number of lambs born is environment and not genetic.