Instead of heavy wool coats that need shearing, Katahdin have outer hair fibers in their coats. They grow a thicker "hair" coat in fall and winter and shed in spring. At that point, their hair is short and look like sheep that have been sheared. Sometimes they’ll retain little tufts on their body but for the most part they look pretty sleek. The sheep are docile and most of the time very easily handled and tamed. We actually had on lamb that our daughter had bottle raised, who lived in the house for a time. She actually slept in the bed, was puppy pad trained, would lay on the couch to watch tv, and thought she was a dog. The sheep tolerate heat and humidity fairly well as long as there is a good supply of water and shade. With good management they require only minimal parasite treatment. We usually put ours through a worming rotation of every 21 days, but we run them with goats and other livestock, so prevention is the best treatment in our case. We rarely have an outbreak, or wormloads. Katahdin ewes and rams reach puberty quickly, approximately 6 months old, and have a long and productive life. Our oldest ewe is 15 years old, and just yesterday, gave us beautiful and healthy ewe lambs. Mature ewes generally produce twins each year. We have some that have never had less than twins. Occasionally, they will have triplets or quadruplets. We had one ewe who gave us triplets every single breeding season. Flocks that are well-managed and made up of carefully selected sheep should produce a 200% crop each year. It has taken us years of rotating stock, holding back ewe lambs, changing out rams, and careful selection to get the herd we have now. A herd we can be proud of. Ewes usually have exceptional mothering instincts and lamb easily. Those who don't, should usually be rotated out and sold. Lambs are vigorous and alert at birth. Typically on their feet and feeding in no time. Within hours, they're curious and checking out their surroundings. Rams are aggressive breeders and generally fertile year round. The breed is ideal for pasture lambing and grass/forage-based management systems, though in high predator areas, should be watched closely during lambing season. Depending on the management style, Katahdins can lamb at anytime during the year, though in winter months, should be given a warm enclosure to lamb in to prevent freezing. Lambs produce a high quality, well-muscled carcass that is naturally lean and consistently offers a very mild flavor. Their meat is valued in specialty markets and lambs are sold at weights as low as 95 pounds.