"Sheepless" In Alberta - AVERY's Katahdins is Closed!

Ewes on pasture!

                                 Semen Available on this Ram

                                 AVERY's Katahdin Ram featured on CSBA

Last of our ewes & ewe lambs now living in Boissevain, Manitoba

With the sale of my last two rams to Sunnydale Colony in Saskatchewan, I am officially "Sheepless in Alberta". This has been an amazing breed to raise, manage and provide quality breeding stock. With careful management, they hit all of the Katahdin standards for Maternal, Growth, Shedability, Parasite Resistence, Size & Confirmation. All achieved on a grass based operation, with well managed pastures.

For folks still looking for quality breeding stock, I would refer you to:

Canadian Breeders:
Lisa Wright - Athabasa, Alberta
Carleen & Steve Doerkson - Boissevain, Manitoba
PRK Katahdins - Regina, Saskatchewan

USA Breeders:
Maria & Tom Dosch - Blunt, South Dakota
Karen Kenagy - Canby, Oregon
Aileen Scott - Butte, Montana

Other breeders can be found at CLRC
http://www.clrc.ca/cgi-bin/query.cgi?_association=30

We still have 2 yearlings & one 2 year old ram for sale. Prices have been greatly reduced to get these boys out working, instead of standing around a hay bale. We had folks travel from Manitoba and Ontario to purchase rams of the same quality as these. Please see customer comments below.

DJA220B - 650.00

DJA256C - 550.00

DJA252C - 550.00

It is Official, AVERY's Katahdins have decided to close down our purebred sheep business. All ewes/ewe lambs have been sold. We still have about 7 rams available. They are all top of the line, genetically sound animals. (See post below)

It has been a real pleasure meeting so many awesome sheep people over the last 15 years (In person & On line). Thank You to all of the buyers that have put their trust in our sheep and integrity as breeders. 

The Katahdin was the best breed we could have chosen. No shearing, No tail docking, Parasite resistant, Excellent Maternal traits, Docile temperment & lean mild meat.

Consistency Throughout The Flock

Since we are selling all our rams, some of our proven ewes and the majority of our 2016 ewe lambs, we get asked for pictures of each animal. Well, that is not always possible. What buyers need to know is that we have had a closed flock for 14 years, so our ewes are moms, daughters, granddaughters, great granddaughters because we only kept the most excellent producing lines. Also, we only brought in rams of the same quality.  
With that comes animals that ALL have EXCELLENT: Production, Feet, Teeth, Udders, Shed-ability. 
So asking for a picture of each individual is rather redundant since they are all very consistent.

Here are group pictures of our ewes, our rams & our 2016 lamb crop. Hope this helps folks know they are getting absolutely excellent & consistent genetics when buying Avery's Katahdins Breeding Stock. We don't keep &/or sell sub-standard stock. In fact, we end up butchering top quality stock as that is all we produce.

Ewes & a couple 2015 ewe lambs
 (won't be able to pick them out of the crowd)

Then Our Rams (2014 & 2015)

And our 2016 April Weaned Lambs

Rams For Sale = Registration #'s

This is the last year for AVERY's Katahdin Rams.

Since we have a very strick selection criteria for retaining rams as breeding stock, they quite often look alike. We have only retained/used ewes that produce consistent, well conformed, fast growing lambs. Here are the numbers for the rams we have for sale.

 (Note that Sires ADS0130 & 0131 are not related/siblings)


Up for sale:

4 - 2014 rams = $650.00 (Includes registration & transfer)
8 - 2015 rams = $550.00 (includes registration & transfer)
Prices have been reduced by 200.00/animal

 * 50% deposit required pending pickup

* Semen testing can be done at a 50/50 shared cost


2 Year Olds (All sired by ADS0131Z - Eli - #23807)

DJA220B = Twin = Dam:FLK368T # 19712

DJA222B = Twin =  Dam: DJA92Y #22984
SOLD
(This ram has soft scurs that grow back when knocked off)
(Also, this is the lead ram, he is large & in charge, would not recommend him to a first time ram owner, should be with an experienced shepherd)

DJA226B = Triplet = Dam: DJA38U #22579
SOLD

DJA228B = Triplet = Dam: DJA38U #22579
(This ram is a bit smaller, but was retained because the dam line is one of the best milking/lamb growth)
SOLD

Yearlings (All sired by ADS0130Z - Dakota - #23806)

DJA238C = Twin = Dam: DJA171A #25242
 (This ram lamb is proven and is priced higher)
SOLD

DJA243C = Twin = Dam: DJA170Y #2525
SOLD

DJA244C = Triplet = Dam: DJA106Y #22990

DJA245C = Triplet = Dam: DJA106Y #22990
SOLD

DJA247C = Twin = Dam: DJA203A #25251
SOLD

DJA248C = Twin = Dam: DJA203A #25251
(This is the only ram with color = Black on ears, eyes, nose ,feet)
SOLD

DJA251C = Single = Dam: DJA178A #25247
SOLD

DJA252C = Twin = Dam: DJA196A #25248

DJA253C = Twin = Dam: DJA196A #25248
SOLD

o

2016 Lambs Galore

13 mature ewes have blessed us with 31 lambs (19 rams/12 ewes)
(we have lost 3 of these at/since birth).

Quads and Triplets prevail 
(thus we had bottle lambs this year)

Sire is DJA97Y  
(leased back to us by his current owner).

Lambs are robust and long legged.

Last set of quads weighed 10# each....yes you read that correctly.

12 Ewe lamb all conceived and delivered & are caring for healthy lambs. 3 sets of twins & 9 singles 

(4 ram & 11 ewe lambs)

Bred to DJA238C Dakota Jr

 (he was 6.5 months of age)

Words of Wisdom

Just like People, every SHEEP  is different, every FARM is different & every FARMER is different. There is no cookie cutter approach.

 

The reason I posted this is because I often get asked, especially by folks new to the industry, "What do we do to achieve your success with Katahdins?" My answer is always, "Set your own business goals first. They will be different than mine, thus what you do with your sheep will be different". Start Small and start with Good Quality Stock. Auction animals have left the farm of origin for a reason.

As for basic sheep care, I will advise to use HUMANE TREATMENT, GOOD QUALITY FEED & STANDARD HEALTH CARE.

Lastly, and more specific to Women Shepherds, use your intuition when it comes to caring for ewes and lambs. We are the child bearers of our species, and in my opinion, gives us an intuitiveness into the reproduction process.

Happy Shepherding!

First Lambs for 2016 are due to start April 06th

A Llama in Every Pasture

Miss Callie getting to know her group of pregnant ewes

Jake is a pro at taking care of his ewe lambs

Sammy, being the biggest and oldest gets to be in charge of the rams

Chrissy is still helping Marshall learn the boundaries, both the farm and his behaviors

So far the goats are stuck with a guard cat, and she takes her job seriously