In 2001, my father and I looked for a few brush goats to help clear a blueberry patch and some overgrown pasture on the new farm we had purchased as a young family in Somerville, Alabama. We acquired a few Tennessee fainting goats and it was a huge help. We soon discovered hair sheep and quickly became intrigued. We purchased a few ewes and a registered ram from a local farm. Soon we were up to about 20 ewes and sustained that number up until 2010. We always used registered breeding rams but never registered any of the offspring.
Our first big step up was purchasing a few livestock from Mark Dennis. This was only the beginning. In the fall of 2014, we acquired a few more ewes from Silver Maple Sheep farm and Country Oak Ranch through Oak Hill Katahdins in Calhoun, GA. We were lucky to also purchase Oak Hill Katahdin's outstanding ram from Thousand Oak Ranch (TOR 13243). In the spring of 2015, we obtained eight more ewe lambs with Hunt Road Katahdin genetics. Currenttly, we a have many recorded and registered breeding stock with a goal to reach 120 quality ewes. We cull hard and focus on quality over quantity.
We are increasing productivity of our flocks by collecting as much data as we can to make informed decisions during selection of replacement ewes. This means frequent weighing, FAMACHA scoring, and conformation evaluation. Even though I have an engineering background, animal husbandry, genetics, and veterinary medicine has always been a strong passion of mine. Raising sheep is a constant learning experience!
Our first big step up was purchasing a few livestock from Mark Dennis. This was only the beginning. In the fall of 2014, we acquired a few more ewes from Silver Maple Sheep farm and Country Oak Ranch through Oak Hill Katahdins in Calhoun, GA. We were lucky to also purchase Oak Hill Katahdin's outstanding ram from Thousand Oak Ranch (TOR 13243). In the spring of 2015, we obtained eight more ewe lambs with Hunt Road Katahdin genetics. Currenttly, we a have many recorded and registered breeding stock with a goal to reach 120 quality ewes. We cull hard and focus on quality over quantity.
We are increasing productivity of our flocks by collecting as much data as we can to make informed decisions during selection of replacement ewes. This means frequent weighing, FAMACHA scoring, and conformation evaluation. Even though I have an engineering background, animal husbandry, genetics, and veterinary medicine has always been a strong passion of mine. Raising sheep is a constant learning experience!