Re: [Blackbelly] Pricing
Depends on your area and the general demand. I'm in central California and they vary quite a bit. I have bought some nice young rams (that are now beautiful) for as little as $50.00 each and sold some nice young ones for $150.00. I do see them nice older rams listed from around $80.00 to $250.00 around here. I guess you just have to check your area and see if you can get what you think they're worth. If you are happy with what you get for them, you priced them right. Ray --- On Sun, 9/25/11, Curtis cyesc...@peoplepc.com wrote: From: Curtis cyesc...@peoplepc.com Subject: [Blackbelly] Pricing To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Sunday, September 25, 2011, 8:31 AM I tried this before and am unsure if it went through I was wondering how y'all priced you rams for sale, especially those that have really nice horns. Any and all help would be much appreciated Thanks, Curtis ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Need help with identifying a ewe
Hi Natasha, Couldn't open the link, any chance you could send some pics? I'm always curious and usually pretty good about determining the genetics in Blackbellies and Barbados and their crosses. Thanks, Ray --- On Sun, 9/25/11, Natasha Lovell rubystargo...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Natasha Lovell rubystargo...@yahoo.com Subject: [Blackbelly] Need help with identifying a ewe To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Sunday, September 25, 2011, 1:16 PM I was called about rehoming a sheep recently (I have dairy goats, and I'm the local petting zoo goat supplier livestock expert). I went to visit the animal, and she had some intriguing characteristics. ..which prompted a search online and an inquiry to my goat Yahoo groups about her ancestry, with suggestions of Jacob, katahdin, St. Croix or Barbados Blackbelly crosses or Soay. The Soay people says she has no Soay breeding, but definately looks like she's at least 1/2 Barbados. Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2153859638484.2108237.1006225420 She is about the size of a pygmy goat, with a long tail (bushy on the end), a wiry overcoat and wool undercoat (has been clipped sometime after July, grown back to ~1-2). Four teats (two are likely non functional). She has two horn stubs (or polled? I'm not familiar with sheep heads), and a dished, very dainty face (and legs). Her coloring reminds me of the Barbados Blackbelly, with white patches. A vet suggested her age to be less than 3-4yrs; I'm pretty sure she's a 2011 lamb, due to general appearance and hoof growth. She is tame, and seems to have been well handled previously, as she responds well to a head rub. She was purchased from the Enumclaw Sales Pavilion in July from a group of goat-like sheep including a white/cream ram. Her only tag is from the sale barn. I was hoping, since she appears to be a rare/minor breed or cross, that I might be able to trace her origin. If anyone knows her breed(s), approximate age or maybe even a place of origin, I would be delighted to know. I will be bringing her home, if her CL and Johnnes tests are Neg, in Oct. If the FB link won't work for you, I can send the pictures upon request. Thanks! Natasha Lovell Rubystar Nubian Guernsey dairy goats ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] bottle lamb
Have a couple I'm feeding right now myself. Smaller feedings the first week at least, better to keep them wanting a little more than overdoing it with them. I've been fortunate with all the ones I've done (and am doing), that I haven't had to feed them during the night. I do feed thenm very late and I'm at it very early too so that probably helps. Also, you didn't say if the ewe has milk, if she does, you can hold her and let the lamb nurse at least a couple of times a day and supplement with bottles as needed. She may end up taking to the lamb after a few trys. It has worked at times here for me, not all the time unfortunately. Good Luck, Ray --- On Wed, 2/29/12, o johnson jq...@yahoo.com wrote: From: o johnson jq...@yahoo.com Subject: [Blackbelly] bottle lamb To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 11:06 AM Had twins born sunday n lost one. Second one was doing great n tonight/tuesday came home n momma ignoring him n hes just standing in the corner. Brought him home n working on bottle feeding but he is different from any lambs we have bottle fed before. Any ideas, sugestions, etc. Thank u. Oj in ok ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 8, Issue 21
This is a very good point and it made me look at what I've been doing with our bottle lambs. We fed some last year and the beginning of thios year with goat milk replacer (all we could get at the time) and had no problems. Have since been using sav-a-lamb milk replacer and have had some scours. Just a richer mix I guess. --- On Thu, 3/1/12, Jen Lobo-Simpson jenlobo0...@gmail.com wrote: From: Jen Lobo-Simpson jenlobo0...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 8, Issue 21 To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012, 10:55 AM I'm caring for two bottle fed lambs. Was offering feedings roughly six times a day. One was doing great, the other was refusing the bottle. She was losing weight and getting weak, but when I resorted to tube feeding, it would give her terrible scours. After several trips to the vet and scratching my head, we switched from the lamb milk replacer to goat's milk. It seemed to do the trick. The vet says it's rare, but some lambs have reactions to the replacer. She's bouncing back nicely now, started to graze a lot and still taking a little goat's milk 4x a day. Good luck! On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 4:03 PM, blackbelly-requ...@lists.blackbellysheep.info wrote: Send Blackbelly mailing list submissions to blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to blackbelly-requ...@lists.blackbellysheep.info You can reach the person managing the list at blackbelly-ow...@lists.blackbellysheep.info When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of Blackbelly digest... Today's Topics: 1. bottle lamb (o johnson) 2. Re: bottle lamb (Michael Smith) 3. Re: bottle lamb (RAY DE SA) -- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:06:16 -0800 (PST) From: o johnson jq...@yahoo.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] bottle lamb Message-ID: 1330542376.99365.yahoomailclas...@web113612.mail.gq1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Had twins born sunday n lost one. Second one was doing great n tonight/tuesday came home n momma ignoring him n hes just standing in the corner. Brought him home n working on bottle feeding but he is different from any lambs we have bottle fed before. Any ideas, sugestions, etc. Thank u. Oj in ok ? -- Message: 2 Date: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:11:38 -0800 From: Michael Smith mwsmotorspo...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] bottle lamb Message-ID: CAHiKykgZQGHUOd-JjAyJ7kDtKR_gpqppQNbJwqdMO7H3ndU=v...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 One thing I learned the hard way is: don't try to get away with stuffing a lamb's belly with as much milk as they can drink and think you can then do less feedings per day. I learned this from a goat breeder. Her bottle babies always had scours. Feeding them like that, and they will end up with scours, and you'll waste time treating it with probiotics, Corid, Albion, all sorts of stuff, rather than just feeding them properly. Lots of small feedings and you should probably get up in the middle of the night and feed as well, at least till they start to put on some weight. -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies. On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 11:06 AM, o johnson jq...@yahoo.com wrote: Had twins born sunday n lost one. Second one was doing great n tonight/tuesday came home n momma ignoring him n hes just standing in the corner. Brought him home n working on bottle feeding but he is different from any lambs we have bottle fed before. Any ideas, sugestions, etc. Thank u. Oj in ok ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info -- Message: 3 Date: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:51:12 -0800 (PST) From: RAY DE SA ray.d...@sbcglobal.net To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] bottle lamb Message-ID: 1330545072.92758.yahoomailclas...@web181320.mail.ne1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Have a couple I'm feeding right now myself. Smaller feedings the first week at least, better to keep them wanting a little more than overdoing it with them. I've been fortunate with all the ones I've done (and am doing), that I haven't had to feed them during the night. I do feed thenm very late and I'm at it very early too so that probably helps. Also, you didn't say if the ewe has milk, if she does, you can hold her and let the lamb nurse at least a couple of times a day
Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse
Hi Natasha, It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. Ray --- On Tue, 4/10/12, Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com wrote: From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com Subject: [Blackbelly] Prolapse To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 9:14 AM Greeting All! I am a pacing, nail biting wreck right now. We keep thinking one of our ewes is going to go but nothing - she's HUGE. My total life experience in lambing is watching one ewe deliver last year, the other did fine on her own without my seeing it. So. Yesterday one ewe was looking like she was having contractions every five minutes, she'd even baaa in pain occasionally. Her belly was tightening, she'd push, look miserable, make faces, the whole nine yards...I took a peek and thought I saw feet. Her water hadn't broken that I'd seen. When I looked closer it wasn't feet but a ping pong ball size veiny thing. I'm thinking that it's her uterus. It comes in and out. A yearling ewe also has the same thing. This yearling looks so tight that she just might explode. I know she's not yet ready to go by looking at her bag and teats. Her vulva makes her look like a baboon in heat! I know I'm over thinking and worrying. We had our own Easter vigil watching these girls with nothing. How worried do I need to be with this mild prolapsing? I am assuming the pressure is so great that is why I can see it. This did not happen last year. Is this normal? Can I stop worrying? Any words of wisdom? Will they be okay? Back to being a nervous Nellie. Thanks for your thoughts and experience, Natasha ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse
Weve been raising them for a few years now and I still have a lot to learn. I've been a cattleman all my life and they are still a little easier for me to read than the Blackbellies. Calling the vet is usually my last resort, but the problem with these Blackbellies is by then it can be too late. Glad she's looking OK now and hope you can relax a bit. Keep us posted on how she's doing. Ray --- On Tue, 4/10/12, Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com wrote: From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 12:54 PM Thanks Ray, The woman who sold me the one ewe came out to look at her. She didn't think she was ready to lamb yet. She didn't know why she appeared to be having contractions yesterday - do sheep get Braxton Hicks? She didn't think her udder was big enough and it didn't look like she had dropped. Although last year, I couldn't tell if she had dropped or not. My ewe is happily eating and nothing is happening with her today. I haven't seen any prolapse today at all. My friend figures she's going to have triplets and she has also seen with her sheep slight prolapses a day or two before lambing. I guess I wait with bated breath and see what happens. That said, I have no hesitation to call the vet if I need to. She didn't think I needed to call the vet yet. I just don't have all the experience under my belt to know when to panic and when to mellow out. I would hate to lose her as she's such a lovely, friendly, gentle creature. Thanks for your reply. Natasha It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Mountain Lion
Wow tough situation. I can tell you it will continue to come back as long as there is such an easy food source. If it's not carrying them off it is probably a young male. They often kill for sport when getting started on their own. Females will usually take them back their den. Not sure where you are located but for problem animals like this you can often get Fish and Game involved to help trap or eliminate them. I've used some small strobe type lights at night that seemed to help some but normally it's a matter of elimination. Wish I had more to offer, good luck. Ray --- On Tue, 6/19/12, Elaine Wilson elaine_wil...@earthlink.net wrote: From: Elaine Wilson elaine_wil...@earthlink.net Subject: [Blackbelly] Mountain Lion To: Blackbelly Newsletter blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 7:50 AM We seem to have a mountain lion that has discovered one of our pens of sheep. There were 40 in that one, but that was one-and-a-half weeks ago. As of this morning, down to 35. Just over a week ago, not realizing what I was looking at, I saw the predator and actually thought it was a victim being carved away from the herd by a coyote. I have seen countless coyotes here and thought it was rather strange-looking - it was sandy brown, almost as tall as the tallest sheep, about the same body size. What I thought was the potential victim looked at the herd that was heading for their pen, looked at another herd of our sheep in another pasture, then saw me (I was getting ready to leave and coming back to my truck from closing the gate at the end of our driveway) and trotted north, away from the sheep and promptly and effortlessly hopped over the top of a four- to five-foot fence onto my neighbor's property. After doing some internet searches, I am positive it is a mountain lion. Once they have found an easy food source (in this case, our sheep) they will do something called surplus killing. Repeated killing in the same area, not necessarily consuming the entire animal. The nature of the kill is rip out the guts, then eat the lungs, heart and liver. That is how this morning's kill was found. The last kills we have experienced have been: Day 1 - eviscerate the sheep; Day 2 (the next day) - eat almost everything. Also wondering if this is a female with cubs that she is teaching to hunt. Theorizing that she may be coming in the first night for the prime pieces, then bringing in the others to feed more thoroughly the next night. I have set up a game camera almost every night, but have gotten no pictures. I am not sure exactly which fence it is hopping over to get in this particular pen, so have moved the camera almost nightly. The pen is coyote-proof, so I am sure they are not the current predators. We tried putting a tractor with the bucket in up-position in the pen last week and it deterred the second-night kill for one night. Came in for the kill with the tractor moved to a different position with a down-day between kills. Have read that scarecrows, bright lights (we have a motion sensor light on the sheep shelter, obviously not a problem for this mountain lion), tapes of loud music or barking dogs may help repel mountain lions, but I think this animal has no fear of any of those at this point in time. Have also read that the mountain lion probably wouldn't have a problem taking down a dog guarding the flock in order to get to the prey. Does anyone have an opinion on my next concern: The larger herd, a pasture over from the one currently under attack, has been eyed by this mountain lion but so far has not been attacked. . . when it is finished consuming the herd it has fixated on (unfortunately, I think it will wipe out the herd unless we are able to kill it before then . . . and we have and will continue to try, though timing is everything) is there a good chance that it will move on to the herd of 89? I am so frustrated and feel such a loss of control in this situation, any suggestions would be appreciated. I would trade this mountain lion for the coyotes any day, and we have had our share of problems with them as well. At least the coyotes eat the bulk of the sheep, this mountain lion is picking and choosing the pieces it wants to consume. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] herding dogs -- was Re: Can we trim horns
Thought I'd weigh in on this one. I live in central California and yes dogs can be very expensive here. However, if you are patient you can often find some very good pups from working parents for little to nothing. You won't be getting papered animals, but I'd much rather have the smarts than the papers. I am currently training a year old Queensland Heeler that I have had since about six weeks of age. Though he prefers working the cattle, he has learned to be patient and gentle with the sheep and is really fun to watch. I hadn't used a herding dog in years and I now wonder what I did without one. As far as training goes, I've learned to be patient and not try to overwork him. 10 to 15 minutes a day leaves him wanting to do more and try to please more each day. In short, I guess what I'm saying is you shouldn't be discouraged by what the breeders are asking for their dogs. With a little research you can get a good one and with a little patience you can make him work the way you want him to. Ray DeSa Farms Los Banos Ca --- On Mon, 7/9/12, Carol Elkins celk...@critterhaven.biz wrote: From: Carol Elkins celk...@critterhaven.biz Subject: [Blackbelly] herding dogs -- was Re: Can we trim horns To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Monday, July 9, 2012, 11:06 AM At 10:05 PM 7/7/2012, you wrote: I wonder how in our state, people can actually pay that kind of money and make it pencil out? When I found myself in a situation where I was a single-person flock owner, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a started Border Collie. Best decision I ever made. Yes, he cost $1500, and I traded several sheep to offset the out-of-pocket cash situation a bit. He knew his basic commands. I knew nothing. It was like getting a brand new sports car with no owner manual. The seller did tell me the commands she trained him on, and she spent a couple hours helping me learn to work him. That dog knew more about sheep handling than I'll ever know. I still have no training and I know lie down, get back, come by, away, and you damned dog. The dog, now almost 9, was never elegant, always runs the sheep at top speed when he can get away with it, and pretty much has always done things the way he thinks is best. He was never given any training past his initial commands. But he is the best dog I've ever had. He does exactly what I need him to do, which is to bring the sheep to me or help me move sheep to a different pasture. I could micro-manage him when I needed to put him between me and the ram that wanted to kill me. So the point of my story is that at least for me, getting a started dog was the smart thing to do, and neither he nor I ever learned anything more but we always got the job done. I couldn't have done it without him. He allows me to enjoy my sheep because I can manage them without stressing either them or myself. I can't put a dollar figure to that. The dog was worth every penny (and sheep) I paid for him. Carol Carol Elkins Critterhaven--Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep (no shear, no dock, no fuss) Pueblo, Colorado http://www.critterhaven.biz ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Dead ewe, coyotes? or something else
Michael, you didn#x27;t mention how tall your fence is. Ours is five feet and I#x27;ve watched the coyotes clear it with room to spare. They are thick here in central California right now, I shot four this past weekend on our ranch. Have never had any luck trapping them, the rifle works best for me. Good luck to you. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Dead ewe, coyotes? or something else
Michael, Didn't realize you were in such a densely populated area. Our nearest neighbor is about 1/2 mile away but not in my way at all. My wife got to see a coyote clearing the fence with one of her geese recently which amazed her (ticked her off pretty good too). We just sold most of our flock of Blackbellies and thankfully didn't lose any lambs this year before the coyotes moved in. One thing you might try since you're having night problems is hanging small strobe type lights on the fence at night. They look like eyeballs to predators and have helped us at times keeping them at bay. Ray --- On Thu, 6/6/13, Michael Smith mwsmotorspo...@gmail.com wrote: From: Michael Smith mwsmotorspo...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Dead ewe, coyotes? or something else To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Thursday, June 6, 2013, 11:18 AM Ray, wow! I had no idea. I am surprised then that I have not had issues before. I have 4--sh foot tall fencing, it's the 2'x4 x 4 foot wire fence roll stuff. Good for keeping lamb and kid heads from getting stuck. Even though I am armed, rifle won't work for me since we are basically a neighborhood with 1.5-8 acre ranches on paved grid streets. I can't discharge a weapon like that in the proximity of the other houses. Also, since there's so much human population we only seem to get visited by coyotes at night. No day sightings in 4 years here. I wonder if some tilted barbed wire top edge would help? I always assumed I could fix the low gaps below and be OK. Good to know they can scale the fences. Thanks for that. Elaine and Renee, thanks for your responses as well. Not sure if I plan to set any snares, since I have beneficial feral kitties in the barn in that pasture where the attack occurred. -MWS On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 9:22 AM, RAY DE SA ray.d...@sbcglobal.net wrote: Michael, you didn#x27;t mention how tall your fence is. Ours is five feet and I#x27;ve watched the coyotes clear it with room to spare. They are thick here in central California right now, I shot four this past weekend on our ranch. Have never had any luck trapping them, the rifle works best for me. Good luck to you. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
