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none of the Barbados Blackbelly breeders can offer you papers with champion pedigees because these sheep are not shown. I don't know a single breeder that sells their stock for more than $200 each. I just bought 4 registered ewe lambs for $50 each! This is a very rare breed that is making a comeback from near extinction. The breeders are working hard to make that happen. Keeping track of the pedigree is important....not so you can brag about it, but so you can know whick bloodkines youThe American Blackbelly are a mixed breed, created by crossing Barbados Blackbelly sheep with several other breeds, including one wild one. The american blackbelly have huge horns (making the rams much more dangerous) and a more wild temperment. I chose the Barbados blackbelly because of it's history, the fact that it is naturally polled and the hardiness of it. Look through the breeders list and see if someone in your area has some lambs for sale. Give them a call....you may be plesantly surprised. http://www.blackbellysheep.org/directory.html
Guess the ones I've been talking to were calling those 'pedigrees' their papers. I know several made sure I knew in the first few minutes of the phone calls they had a "registered" herd. Course some of these I asked about scrapie and they said they'd never had it. But they didn't go into any details about it either. They bragged on papers, figured they'd brag about being scrapie-clean as well. They didn't. I knew American Blackbellies were mixed, but what isn't. I can trace my horses' papers back to the Godolphin Arabian too, but they sure don't look like him. I'm counting on that vigor and strength. That temper in the rams may be why they nearly went under, but I expect it's just because they didn't get raised commercially.
When a breed goes commercial the breeders start changing them by selective breeding. It makes a real mess of them sometimes. Then you can't find decent breeding animals to keep them going. It's the problem I having finding grazing hog breeds like Hereford and Berkshire. There are a few Tamworth breeders around I'm trying to contact, but I really like Berkshire and Old Spots better.
We also have a lot of people around here just out of Boer-madness so many turned to sheep. I have a neighbor with probably 150 wooly ewes, but I have no clue as to their breed. To me there just white sheep, but he sells his lambs and never has any left when the season is over.
My vendetta is Pilgrim geese. They aren't too big, aren't nearly as mean or noisy as Chinese Weeders, and sex-link so you can tell the geese from the ganders. Couldn't do that when I raised Toulouse. I finally got a good gander and four girls. Next year I hope to be able to sell some breeding pairs. My husband sits and drools on my keyboard looking at the big GQF Incubators. We'll need one if this weather pattern stays. It's been very wet and the temp keeps going up and down by 30 degrees between daylight and dark. I've got a goose on about 12 eggs now, but if they hatch will be a big question as the gander that was with them was a crossbred. If none hatch, it could be the weather or him being a mule. I don't know all that's in him, but part of it is African as he's line-necked, he's got a mottled knob, and a slight dewlap. We'll just wait and see what happens.
Ya'll keep me in mind lookin' for those Blackbellies. I'd appreciate it. I just need them close enough to drive and get them as I don't ship animals.
none of the Barbados Blackbelly breeders can offer you papers with champion pedigees because these sheep are not shown. I don't know a single breeder that sells their stock for more than $200 each. I just bought 4 registered ewe lambs for $50 each! This is a very rare breed that is making a comeback from near extinction. The breeders are working hard to make that happen. Keeping track of the pedigree is important....not so you can brag about it, but so you can know whick bloodkines youThe American Blackbelly are a mixed breed, created by crossing Barbados Blackbelly sheep with several other breeds, including one wild one. The american blackbelly have huge horns (making the rams much more dangerous) and a more wild temperment. I chose the Barbados blackbelly because of it's history, the fact that it is naturally polled and the hardiness of it. Look through the breeders list and see if someone in your area has some lambs for sale. Give them a call....you may be plesantly surprised. http://www.blackbellysheep.org/directory.html
Guess the ones I've been talking to were calling those 'pedigrees' their papers. I know several made sure I knew in the first few minutes of the phone calls they had a "registered" herd. Course some of these I asked about scrapie and they said they'd never had it. But they didn't go into any details about it either. They bragged on papers, figured they'd brag about being scrapie-clean as well. They didn't. I knew American Blackbellies were mixed, but what isn't. I can trace my horses' papers back to the Godolphin Arabian too, but they sure don't look like him. I'm counting on that vigor and strength. That temper in the rams may be why they nearly went under, but I expect it's just because they didn't get raised commercially.
When a breed goes commercial the breeders start changing them by selective breeding. It makes a real mess of them sometimes. Then you can't find decent breeding animals to keep them going. It's the problem I having finding grazing hog breeds like Hereford and Berkshire. There are a few Tamworth breeders around I'm trying to contact, but I really like Berkshire and Old Spots better.
We also have a lot of people around here just out of Boer-madness so many turned to sheep. I have a neighbor with probably 150 wooly ewes, but I have no clue as to their breed. To me there just white sheep, but he sells his lambs and never has any left when the season is over.
My vendetta is Pilgrim geese. They aren't too big, aren't nearly as mean or noisy as Chinese Weeders, and sex-link so you can tell the geese from the ganders. Couldn't do that when I raised Toulouse. I finally got a good gander and four girls. Next year I hope to be able to sell some breeding pairs. My husband sits and drools on my keyboard looking at the big GQF Incubators. We'll need one if this weather pattern stays. It's been very wet and the temp keeps going up and down by 30 degrees between daylight and dark. I've got a goose on about 12 eggs now, but if they hatch will be a big question as the gander that was with them was a crossbred. If none hatch, it could be the weather or him being a mule. I don't know all that's in him, but part of it is African as he's line-necked, he's got a mottled knob, and a slight dewlap. We'll just wait and see what happens.
Ya'll keep me in mind lookin' for those Blackbellies. I'd appreciate it. I just need them close enough to drive and get them as I don't ship animals.
