LAMBS, AMERICAN STYLE

The Katahdin is a native sheep breed that requires only little maintenance and is easy to care for.

- MASHA DOUGHERTY

For the independent homesteader, Katahdins have everything! The breed was developed in Maine during the 1950s by sheep farmer and amateur geneticist Michael Piel, who named his new breed after the tallest mountain in his state: Mount Katahdin. The hardy Katahdin combines excellent meat production and a rapid growth rate with vigorous reproduction, a self-shedding hair coat and the overall hardiness expected of an American production. Katahdins are also naturally parasite-resistant and produce abundant meat and milk on pasture.

In the 10 years since I began raising Katahdins, I have fallen in love with these fluffy, stubborn, sweet-tempered animals. Their hardiness and pasture-wisdom are just the qualities to recommend them to beginners as well as experienced shepherds. Smart, tough sheep that thrive on whatever happens to be growing — what’s not to like?

AN EXTRAORDINARY OVINE 

Katahdins have some great things to offer. They thrive on forage alone and make outstanding use of even very rough pasture and unimproved grazing land. They’re the best tool we know for reclaiming overgrown hillsides and waste fields or cleaning the understory of a forest.

They also love weeds. Goldenrod, Queen Anne’s lace and blackberry briars are all favorite forages of the Katahdin — the more fibrous, the better. Even shrubs and bushes are food for this tough breed. So if you have pastures you want to improve naturally, bring on Katahdins.