Smaller sheep lamb more often
Published 1:09 pm Saturday, November 7, 2009
- Craig Reed/For the Capital Press Richard and Kathy Bennett decided to raise St. Croix sheep on their 25-acre ranch near Days Creek, Ore., because of the breedÕs calm personality. The Bennetts have 80 ewes and sell 75 percent of their lamb crop for meat and 25 percent for breeding stock.
Ranchers describe benefits of raising and marketing St. Croix, Dorper breeds
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By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
DAYS CREEK, Ore. — They totally counter the tradition of woolly sheep roaming many parts of the West.
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But St. Croix and Dorper breeds of sheep are slowly finding homes in the region. Steve and Jo Swan of Glide, Ore., brought purebred St. Croix into the area in 1991 and have about 30 ewes. Richard and Kathy Bennett of Days Creek, Ore., started their St. Croix flock a couple of years ago and now have 80 ewes.
Cliff and Marilyn Burke of Oakland, Ore., have 120 Dorpers.
Although St. Croix and Dorpers produce a finished lamb that can be up to 40 pounds lighter than Suffolk and Dorsett breeds, they do have other characteristics that make them appealing. With good forage conditions and good management, St. Croix and Dorper ewes can lamb three times in two years and expect to produce at least six lambs in that time.
“They’re a little slower growing than the modern meat sheep, but they put out more lambs per year,” Jo Swan said. She said they have “good character, they flock together, they don’t jump fences and they don’t get foot rot. They’re easy-care.”
With their earlier start, the Swans were able to sell most of their purebred lambs as breeding stock. Their lambs, both ewes and rams, sold for $200 each. Some of their wethers have gone for meat to local private consumers.
The Bennetts said their market has been about 75 percent for meat and 25 percent for breeding stock. In just two years, they’ve sold breeding stock to about 20 buyers in several Western and Midwestern states.
Before the economy turned downward in late 2008, the Bennetts were getting close to $300 per animal for their purebred breeding stock. Now they’re getting closer to $200.
The Bennetts are receiving $1.05 a pound live weight for their lambs that are going for meat. Their animals weigh 80 pounds at market time if born in the fall and living through the winter or up to 115 pounds if born in the spring and living through the summer.
The Burkes trailer their lambs to Central California and receive $1.15 a pound live weight. The lambs go for meat.
“The specialty markets there in the San Francisco-Oakland area prefer lambs to be smaller, 90 to 95 pounds on the hoof,” said Marilyn Burke. She personally prefers the Dorper meat.
“I’ve eaten lamb for a very, very long time, and I think the Dorper lamb is the mildest lamb I have ever eaten,” she said.
Another breed of sheep with similar characteristics to the St. Croix and Dorpers, but that still lacks recognition, is Katahdin. This breed was developed in Maine, and a Katahdin registry was established in 1985.
Lee and Lori Aman of Oakland, Ore., have 45 Katahdin and Katahdin-Dorper cross ewes.
“We wanted a low-maintenance animal because both my husband and I work full-time,” Lori Aman said.
They received 82 cents a pound live weight for their lambs a year ago from a livestock buyer for the meat market. In an effort to get a better price, they hope to find more local private party buyers for their next crop.
“There’s nothing wrong with trying something new,” Burke said of raising the different breeds.