KHSI Registration: Katahdin Papers, Flock IDs and NSIP

Katahdin registration goes through Katahdin Hair Sheep International (KHSI), using Digital Katahdin or its current paper application. Before submitting a lamb, check whether its parents’ certificates say registered or recorded; those are different statuses.

Keep the flock tag, parents and supporting papers together before opening the registry form. Creatures records and pedigrees can hold your working animal history, while KHSI makes the official registration decision.

Source check: November 12, 2026. This guide follows KHSI’s current registration page and the application linked there. Use that page for today’s registrar contact and work order.

The Katahdin breed hub connects the breed guides.

Registered and recorded mean different things

KHSI’s registration application and instructions describe two routes. The ordinary registration route is for offspring of two KHSI-registered parents. Registered Katahdins must have a coat that does not require shearing.

Recordation supports an upgrading program. Sheep with at least 50% purebred Katahdin ancestry may be recorded, with each generation documented. At least 87.5% Katahdin ancestry can qualify for registration after the required yearling inspection, provided earlier generations were recorded and the coat is classified A or B. A type C coat remains a recordation case. Percentage alone does not finish that process. Request inspections through the KHSI Operations Office by May 15; inspections take place from March 1 through September 30.

When buying or selling breeding stock, copy the actual certificate status into your animal record. Do not turn a seller’s description of a hair sheep into a claim of KHSI registration. If a parent is missing from the registry, ask the registry office which evidence it needs before promising papers for the lamb.

Assemble the lamb’s evidence before applying

Put the birth record beside the parent certificates and check each entry against the animal. A useful working checklist is:

• The flock tag or tattoo exactly as carried by the lamb.
• Sex, birth date and birth type from the lambing record.
• Sire and dam certificate numbers, plus their flock identifiers.
• Breeding method and any supporting service information.
• The dam’s owner at mating and at lambing, including a change of owner between those dates.
• Any laboratory report used for a genotype entry. Leave untested results blank.

These fields come from the current application. KHSI requires current membership to register sheep and a registered Flock ID; its certificate number does not replace the flock tag physically identifying the sheep. Keep those values in separate fields so a later tag replacement does not erase the old reference.

For the breeding history behind the application, use the sheep breeding guide. The sheep flock record book guide helps organize observations that will matter long after the papers arrive.

Submit through the current KHSI route

Open Register Sheep rather than using an old saved office address. KHSI offers Digital Katahdin and a paper application with a work order. On the work order effective February 1, 2026, checked November 12, 2026, registering or recording a sheep under two years costs $8 through Digital Katahdin or $10 on paper; for sheep over two years the fees are $16 or $20. A transfer filed within 60 days of sale costs $8 online or $10 on paper, rising to $16 or $20 after 60 days. Registration and transfer are separate fees when both are needed.

The same work order lists $45 for a new or renewal voting membership and a $1 charge for a certificate sent to the owner; printing it yourself from Digital Katahdin has no charge. Check the work order for additional services and the total due.

Save a copy of what you submitted and the registry’s reply. A short farm note such as “submitted, waiting for parent correction” is more useful than marking the lamb registered while an application is pending. Once the certificate arrives, compare the flock tag, birth date and parents again before using it in a sale packet.

KHSI’s transfer instructions call for the sale details and seller’s signature on the certificate and recording the ownership change with KHSI. Agree who will submit the transfer, then keep its confirmation. Updating a Creatures profile does not complete a KHSI transfer.

Keep NSIP information with the right animal

The KHSI NSIP page links the National Sheep Improvement Program’s participation resources, Katahdin database and percentile reports. NSIP uses performance and pedigree information for genetic evaluations, including estimated breeding values (EBVs); Katahdins also have genomically enhanced EBVs. Keep the NSIP identity and the dated report with the correct sheep, alongside its registration identity. Creatures can store the supporting record and document, but it does not calculate an NSIP evaluation or submit data to NSIP for you.

Keep the Katahdin paperwork usable on Creatures

Create the sheep’s profile first, then enter the flock identifier and registration information from the certificate. Link the known sire and dam, checking each against the source papers rather than guessing a missing ancestor. The public pedigree chart maker helps lay out known relationships; its chart is not a KHSI certificate.

Add a dated record for the application copy, inspection result when applicable, issued certificate and transfer confirmation. Keep pending corrections visible in your own notes. Adding an animal explains the profile step, and adding a record explains where supporting documents belong. Saving requires a free account.

For paper certificates and flock spreadsheets, sign in and use the import workflow; importing your animals shows the steps. Review every suggested animal match, parent and identifier before saving, and keep the original papers or export. Importing a document does not authenticate its registry status.

Questions breeders ask

Can recorded sheep become registered?

Yes, the upgrading route has ancestry, prior-recordation, inspection and coat requirements. Ask KHSI to confirm the particular sheep’s route before advertising it as eligible. Keep the recorded certificate and later inspection evidence together so the history is understandable.

Does an EBV make a sheep registered?

No. A genetic evaluation and registry status answer different questions. Use the issued KHSI certificate for status and the dated NSIP report for the evaluation.

What should go to a buyer?

Prepare the current certificate, the identifiers the buyer can match to the animal, the agreed transfer arrangements and the records you have agreed to share. For broader buying checks, see where to buy sheep. If you also keep Dorpers, use the separate Dorper registration guide; its categories are not KHSI categories.

Return to the sheep hub for the wider flock guides. If you want buyers to find your breeding program, getting listed in the breeder directory explains the public listing step.

Do this next on Creatures

Start with the animals already in your care. The record form opens for visitors; a free account is needed to save. Public pedigree tools can be tried without an account.

• Add your Katahdin sheep and match its identifiers to your existing papers.
• Add a registration or inspection record with the date and supporting document.
• Add your flock profile when you want a public contact page.
• Save a sheep search alert if you are planning a future addition.
• Browse current sheep listings when you are ready to compare available animals.
• Browse the breeder directory for listed contacts. Inventory and directory coverage vary; check the animal’s paperwork directly with its owner.