About Us
Katahdin hair sheep, a sustainable land management solution!
Our story began in 2018 as we brainstormed ideas for sustainable land management options for additional purchased acreage. After researching different livestock options we were drawn to and decided upon Katahdin Hair Sheep for their:
- Ease of care (no shearing)
- Great mothering attributes
- Prolificacy rates
- Breed versatility
- Parasite resistance
- Hardiness
We were captivated!
We then purchased 10 middle-aged bred ewes from a central Kentucky FFA member. These ewes were experienced at lambing and great mothers which eased our learning curve as we began our Sonlight Ridge farm Katahdin Hair Sheep journey. In 2019 & 2020, we purchased two smaller groups of ewes as well as continued to keep back the superior lambs from our own lines for strategic genetic improvement. Katahdins have proven to be everything we desired for our farm and for us as shepherds.
Ewe management
We have deliberately grown our flock by keeping superior ewe lambs to meet our breeding and production standards. This growth has been a slow process as we have continued to maintain a primarily closed flock, allowing us to increase quality while ensuring their health and safety.
Ram management
When we add a new ram to the flock we keep back replacement ewes to ensure sound genetics in breeding. Through this process, we prevent inbreeding, which is breeding closely related sheep, and reduces the likelihood of compounding negative traits being added to the offspring. Additionally, when selecting a ram to add to the flock, we are very deliberate in our evaluation for correct structure, height, length, thickness, muscling, and growth rates.
Pasture management
At this time, we have roughly twelve acres in fenced pasture. These fields are divided into smaller pastures which permit us to use a rotational grazing strategy. This allows us to pasture our flock on a relatively small amount of acres. Fortunately, we had additional un-fenced pasture fields that we have been able to temporarily fence as a stockpile for when the fenced pasture growth slowed. This stockpiled pasture has reduced the need for supplemental hay leading up to lambing. We are currently working on adding additional pastures that will allow for expansion of our flock and reduction in hay usage during lambing.