The Wintermutes
Tue, 26 Jul 2005 14:17:43 -0700
Hello everybody! The question seems to be how Blackbelly sheep are different from other hair sheep. I raise my Barbados Blackbelly sheep with ewes that are Katahdin or Dorper influenced genetically. The distinct differences are on how and what the Blackbelly sheep eat. How they handle their environment. And their intelligence, lower growth rate and smaller size compared to other breeds. My Blackbelly sheep browse as much as they graze. They would probably browse (reach up eating leaves from trees, vines and such) more than they graze if they could. They typically eliminate foliage from all trees as high as they can reach. I enjoy watching a ewe pregnant with twins balanced on her hind legs perfectly vertical selecting which leaf she will eat next! They will test almost every plant to see if it is edible. They will eat a small portion of any new plant for several days in a row. If it agrees with them a few days later all edible portions of the plant will be eaten. Examples of this in my pasture are milkweed and thistles. Both these plants are noxious. The milkweed they eat a little every day until gone. They eat the thistles leaves leaving stems, blossoms and any old growth (daring the plant to pop out any new leaves). During the winter they enjoy eating cedar trees until there is no bark or needles left. They will also eat the bark off any young tree they can reach. My Blackbelly sheep are more aware of the weather. They seek shade from the sun and shelter from the rain earlier than my other sheep. They are quicker at getting their new born babies safe from the cold and moisture. The more rugged and challenging the environment the more appropriate the Blackbelly sheep become. This is most apparent when the flock comes in from pasture. The other breeds go straight to the water and gulp it down. The Blackbelly sheep eventually take a drink but not near as much. They also are alert to and respond to danger quickly. Almost all of my sheep will run from a strange or new dog (including my Blackbelly). The only sheep I have seen attack a dog has been my Blackbelly ewes protecting their babies. It is very interesting to observe a small Blackbelly ewe stand her ground stomping her foot while sheep twice her size are running away. It is even more interesting to see her knock the crap out of a dog that is at least as big her! Blackbelly sheep are smart. This is a good and bad thing. Blackbelly sheep think a lot! They think about how to get to the hay, the grain, that leaf on the other side of the fence, and that string or hook holding the gate closed. If they are allowed to get away with anything inappropriate they will soon have taught everyone in the barnyard the same thing! They also can learn their individual name if worked with enough. Is it intelligence or personality that makes them stand out? The Blackbelly are born with a will to live not die! They will fight to survive illness and wounds other sheep die from. This trait has been passed on to my cross breed sheep from my Blackbelly rams. I had a lamb whose hind leg knee joint was crushed. It became infected and lost all muscle mass. It was horrible and I debated when I should just put him down. Everyday I caught him and treated the wound. Everyday "Three legger" would out maneuver me better than a NFL running back. I cannot tell you how much I respect the attitude of "I'm not dead yet!!!". I let "Three legger" live and his leg healed and regained muscle. He runs on four legs now and looks like all the other wethers. Blackbelly sheep are strong willed and can be defiant but they survive. I am building a commercial flock of Barbados Blackbelly sheep. I am still hoping to make money selling lambs for meat. I aim for a 90 pound lamb in eight months or less. I supplement pasture with grain to raise the lambs. Realizing the Blackbelly lambs have a slower growth rate I feed no more than 1 pound of grain per animal per day. I believe that the amount of grain I feed to achieve a 90 pound lamb is less than fed to a woolly feedlot lamb to achieve the same weight in half the time. I do not know if this formula will prove to be successful, time will tell. My Blackbelly sheep have not proven to be more resistant to parasites than my other sheep. My farm is very challenged by parasites! Over time I hope to build a flock from those individuals that thrive where others don't. I raise Barbados Blackbelly sheep because they are a unique breed deserving the effort to survive for future generations to know. Mark Wintermute _______________________________________________ This message is from the Blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info mailing list Visit the list's homepage at Blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info