HISTORY OF
LAUDEN ACRES DORSETS
NESTLED IN THE ROLLING HILLS NEAR THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, 40 MILES NORTH OF THE STATE CAPITAL CITY OF HARRISBURG, IS THE 175 ACRE HOME OF LAUDEN ACRES DORSETS. LAUDEN ACRES IS NAMED AFTER THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, LYNN AND DIXIE LAUDENSLAGER.
IN 1970, LYNN AND HIS WIFE DIXIE MOVED BACK TO DALMATIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AFTER BEING OUT OF STATE FOR 6 YEARS. LYNN BECAME A PARTNER IN HIS FATHER-IN-LAW’S BUSINESS, MAHANTONGO GAME FARMS, AND 100 COMMERICAL SHEEP WERE PART OF THE OPERATION. THE SHEEP HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN PURCHASED FROM DIXIE’S GRANDFATHER. HER FATHER DIDN’T REALLY ENJOY THE SHEEP, SO HE TURNED THEM OVER TO LYNN. EWE NUMBERS WERE GRADUALLY INCREASED AND AT ONE TIME WE HAD MORE THAN 350 EWES. THAT NUMBER ONLY LASTED ONE YEAR. THEN 100 WERE SOLD REAL QUICK. GRADUALLY, PURE-BRED SUFFOLKS WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE OPERATION. IN THE EARLY 1980’S, LYNN & DIXIE AND THEIR TWO SONS, TODD AND TROY, SHOWED SHEEP AT COUNTY FAIRS.
IN THE MID 1980’S, LYNN BOUGHT SOME SUFFOLKS IN OHIO FROM TIM HALL, A PAST PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL SUFFOLK ASSOCIATION. LATER HE ASKED TIM IF HE WOULD CONSIDER WORKING ON A GAME FARM. TIM CONSENTED AND IN 1985, MOVED TO PENNSYLVANIA AND BROUGHT ALONG HIS NARROW LANES SUFFOLKS. HE DEVOTED ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF HIS TIME TO THE SHEEP AND ONE-THIRD TO THE GAME FARM. EACH YEAR THE GAME FARM TOOK UP MORE AND MORE OF HIS TIME AND LESS TIME WAS DEVOTED TO THE SHEEP. THE MAJORITY OF THE SUFFOLKS WERE DISPERSED IN THE EARLY 1990’S. PUREBRED MONTADALES WERE ALSO KEPT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS FOLLOWING THE SUFFOLK DISPERSAL
LAUDEN ACRES WERE WITHOUT SHEEP FOR A FEW YEARS UNTIL AROUND 2000 WHEN FORMER PENN STATE SHEPHERD, DICK KUZEMCHAK, BROUGHT DR. JIM AND JOANNE EVANS OF VISION STOCK FARM TO MAHANTONGO TO BUY SOME PHEASANTS. LYNN MISSED HIS SHEEP AND BOUGHT 6 DORSET BROOD EWES FROM VISION STOCK FARM. WE HAVE BEEN EXPANDING THE FLOCK EVER SINCE WITH MORE EWES PURCHASED FROM VISION STOCK AND PENN STATE. MOST RECENTLY, THE BRADFORD DORSET FLOCK WAS PURCHASED IN 2008.
LAUDEN ACRES MAINTAINS APPROXIMATELY 75 BROOD EWES WITH THE MAJORITY LAMBING IN SEPTEMBER AND EARLY OCTOBER. TEASER RAMS ARE USED AND DR. EVANS PREG-CHECKS THE EWES.
THE FALL LAMBERS GRAZE ON GRASS CLOSE TO THE OLD BANK BARN UNTIL LAMBING. WHEN THEY LAMB IN THE WINTER, THE LAMBING AREA IS WARMED BY TWO HANGING LP POULTRY BROODERS. A HEATED OFFICE/SUPPLY ROOM HAS A SINK WITH A LP GAS WATER HEATER THAT HEATS WATER INSTANTLY FOR WASHING HANDS AND EQUIPMENT. A CORRAL SYSTEM SET UP IN THE BARN PROVIDES EASY HANDLING.
ANOTHER OLD BANK BARN ON THE FARM ALSO HAS A CORRAL. OTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SHEEP OPERATION HAVE BEEN A RAM BARN WITH ADDED ROOM FOR VARIOUS SHEEP GROUPS, AND THE SHOW BARN THAT WAS BUILT ON ONE OF OUR NEARBY GAME FARMS.
THE DORSETS ARE CURRENTLY FITTED AND SHOWN BY OTHERS INCLUDING KEVIN & SARA KUYKENDALL AND JOHN (SPEEDY) FOUGHT.
TIM’S ROLE HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS FROM FLOCK MANAGER TO FLOCK CONSULTANT. HE ALSO HELPS WITH LAMBING, SORTING AND VACCINATING. IN ADDITION, TIM PLAYS A ROLE IN MERCHANDISING, MAKING BREEDING DECISIONS AND SELECTING REPLACEMENTS AND SALE SHEEP. FORMER PENN STATE SHEPHERD, DICK KUZEMCHAK, ALSO IS A CONSULTANT FOR LAUDEN ACRES. “THOSE TWO FELLOWS PLAY A VERY VALUABLE PART IN OUR FLOCK,” LYNN SAYS.
SHEEP ARE SELECTED FOR EYE APPEAL, BREED TYPE AND PERFORMANCE. DETAILED RECORDS ARE KEPT ON EACH ANIMAL. LAUDEN ACRES OBJECTIVE IS TO ONLY SELL THOSE ANIMALS THAT WILL BE FLOCK IMPROVERS FOR EACH CUSTOMER’S NEEDS. PERFORMANCE AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
LAUDEN ACRES STARTED CONSIGNING TO NATIONAL SALES IN 2003. THIS YEAR, WE WILL ATTEND THE OHIO DORESET SALE, AND THE MIDWEST STUD RAM SALE.
TIM STARTED NARROW LANES DORSETS WITH BREEDING FROM LAUDEN ACRES AND PENN STATE. HE RECENTLY BECAME A CERTIFIED DORPER JUDGE. TIM ALSO JUDGES CATTLE, HOGS, AND SHEEP AT THE COUNTY LEVEL AND SHEEP AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, WHEN HE CAN TAKE TIME OFF FROM HIS BUSY SCHEDULE ON THE GAME FARM.
MAHANTONGO GAME FARMS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST FAMILY OWNED GAME FARMS IN THE COUNTRY, STARTED IN 1935 BY DIXIE’S GREAT UNCLE. HER FATHER PURCHSED THE FARM IN 1959. LYNN BECAME A PARTNER IN 1970, AND THEN BOUGHT HIS FATHER-IN-LAW OUT IN 1988. LYNN WAS ACTIVE IN THE NORTH AMERICAN GAME BIRD ASSOCIATION AND SERVED AS THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT. IN 2003, LYNN RETIRED WHEN HIS SONS, TODD AND TROY, PURCHASED THE GAME FARM. DIXIE STILL WORKS IN THE OFFICE PART- TIME.
LAST YEAR THE GAME FARM, WITH NINE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, HAD 15,500 BREEDER PHEASANTS AND 10,000 BREEDER CHUKAR PARTRIDGES THAT PRODUCED 1,600,000 EGGS. EGGS AND CHICKS ARE SHIPPED TO OTHER GAME FARMS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. THE BREEDERS ARE USED FOR ONE YEAR AND THEN SOLD. THE FARM ALSO RAISES TO MATURITY APPROXIMATELY 155,000 PHEASANTS AND 85,000 CHUKARS A YEAR.
DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT DICK, TIM OR LYNN, IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SHEEP OR GAMEBIRD OPERATION.
