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MUSSER FARM KATAHDINS
We are in the center of Pennsylvania just 12 minutes from the Penn State University. Sheep have been on the Musser Farm since the 1840's. We have great soil, good stream, make our own hay and the sheep enjoy good pasture. We started in the sheep business in 1997.
How and Why we went from Dorsets into Katahdins:
We did get a good starter group of Dorsets and were lambing between 30 and 40 ewe's.We lambed in Jan. & Feb. in the bitter cold. We always had a lambing percentage of over 200%. We ran a very intensive operation and did not lose a single lamb in over three years. Great feed, creeps, intensive jugging, cuddeling, hair dryers and working for the mother ewe produced superb and great looking market lambs at 8 weeks of age. We worked for the sheep. They loved it. The Shepherds were exhausted with that 24/7 routine. We then heard of Katahdins.
THE TRIAL OF THE 10 KATAHDINS
We purchased 10 Katahdin ewe's and a ram and they were scheduled to lamb after the Dorsets in March. On our fist barn trip at daybreak we saw in the snow out in the field a Katahdin ewe with two lambs at her side, vibrant, up, sucking and in great shape. At that point the remaining 9 ewe's were left in the general sheep poulation to have their lambs, no juggs, no special care, no hair dryers, assist, etc. The performance of these Katahdins was a clear mandate. Katahdins work for you, you are not workig for the sheep. 10 Katahdins, 21 lambs.
WHAT DO WE DO NOW WITH LAMBING?
We now have our ewe's drop Mid-April and May, on pasture. Ewe lambs are expected to drop a single lamb at 11 to 13 months of age. Failure to breed is reason to cull at that age. We did 63 first timers on pasture the first year we switched to this type of lambing. If a ewe walks away from her lamb, does not mother it, feeds herself first there is no second chance. Rarely do second chances work out for the Shepherd. We will soon be 100% Katahdins. We don't ever look back.
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IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU'RE ALREADY THERE !!!!!!
We strive to produce a medium size nicely muscled sheep. A uniform appearance, thick legs with good overall balance is what we want to achieve. We do not want our ewe's to take on the show look, tall, hour glass figure, perhaps magestic in appearance. We like them a little short, blue collar and with a little belly to be able to consume enough forage to feed themselves and their lambs they are carrying and raising.
All sheep are eventually ending up in the terminal market. Shape, size and meeting buyers expectations are important goals.
Buyers don't care if it was a triple, rr or its Daddy was the Grand Champion of the Mid-Something or another Show.
We have no QQ sheep, use only RR rams. All QQ sheep have departed the farm. We hope to meet our goals of raising an easy care sheep-----we know where we are going ------we hope to ultimately be there.
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FALL SEASON 2008 AT MUSSER FAR
We have had a successful season and have provided some farms with great starter flocks and rams spanning four states. We are very appreciative of our buyers putting their faith and money into our sheep. Musser Farm strives to offer exceptional stock, no zingers, no vertically or horizonally challenged breeding stock. We are proud of any ewe,lamb or ram that have left Musser Farm and feel that those animals have what it takes to be a productive, profitable and relatively easy care sheep. We price fairly --do not want to be the highest or lowest price on the market but strive to offer at a fair price superb stock. Contact us for any needs you have on Katahdins. We never have a clearance sales to other farms on our sheep. Those sale items end up at Camp New Holland, Pa.
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Katahdin