Re: [Blackbelly] Times change and it is time to close the Listserv
Thank you Carol, you were a wonderful inspiration! In my mind your name will always be synonymous with Barbados Blackbelly Sheep! Rick Krach -- via iPhone On Sep 20, 2017, at 4:19 PM, Carol Elkins <celk...@critterhaven.biz<mailto:celk...@critterhaven.biz>> wrote: Dear Listserv members, The Blackbelly Listserv was first created in 2001, and it has served a vital role in helping stabilize both the Barbados Blackbelly and American Blackbelly sheep breeds. It has provided a meeting place for a friendly community of breeders to discuss problems, answer questions, and generally provide support to each other. Messages have decreased considerably during the last two years, largely due to newer social media tools such as Facebook that can better serve member needs. This is as it should be---after all, this Listserv was born because in 2001 the only resource available to breeders was a clunky bulletin board. It is time to move on, so I will be shutting the Blackbelly Listserv down on October 1, 2017. You will always be able to search the group's archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info/ It has been a privilege working with the oldtimers who have contributed their time by responding to list messages and the newbies who were courageous enough to ask questions. It has been a joy working with such a great group of friendly and helpful people. We have never had a serious disagreement; no one has ever been flamed or gotten out of line. What a great group of people you are! So my heartfelt thank you to each of the 265 current members in this list. I wish you continued success with your blackbelly sheep. There is no more beautiful sheep in this world than a blackbelly sheep--regardless of which blackbelly breed it is. Carol Elkins List owner ___ 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
[Blackbelly] The Blackbelly FB page
Last week I put some pictures on the Blackbelly Facebook page of a ewe which looked sick. I had some responses indicating worms so I did give some Valbazen to her and her 3 week old lambs. I would like your opinion and you could look at the Facebook page to see what was said. The ewe had a somewhat bloated appearance and he was not eating or nursing for 2 days. I also saw her struggle for several minutes to get some pee out, which was thick and strangely colored. One lamb died that day. One day after the Valbazen (yesterday) she was acting more normal and today she is completely normal. Her bloated body is gone, she is much thinner. Could this have just been too much stress for her trying to feed three lambs considering her small stature. I find it a little weird that worming medication could help her in only one day? Rick Krach -- via iPhone ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] fighting rams
Wow, this was a really great video. Now that you show it again, I remember the original, but I didn't remember how LARGE all three rams were. What in the world do you do to get such big sheep? My American Blackbellies are much thinner, so that I cross them with Dorpers to get larger lambs! Rick Krach in Auburn, CA > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2016 14:06:06 -0700 > From: Michael Smith > To: blackbelly > Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] need photo of horned rams fighting > Message-ID: > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > no lambs this year--so not much news, but so far I seem to have treated the > couple of sheep that were real thin and might have been suffering from > Coryne, using gobs of penicillin ( my local vets recommendation). > > here's a movie that might have some frames you can grab that are decent. I > might have the master movie at work, could try to get a cleaner version of > a frame or two, there > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnAw_zVofm8 > > -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies > ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] quick halters
I came across a seemingly good piece of information but I CANNOT UNDERSTAND it: Mona in VA. once upon a time said: "When I need to tie a sheep to the fence, I just take a soft cotton rope and make my own halter. I make a loop in the end big enough to fit around your sheep's nose to about two inches below the eyes, then I take the tail of the rope and bring it around the back of the sheep's head and then through the loop around the sheep's nose -- instant halter. This works because there is nothing around the neck to choke the sheep." I cannot figure this out because unless the sheep has horns there is nothing "around the back of the sheep's head." I know there are simple tricks to making a quick, rope halter, so if someone can describe one to me, thanks. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Koi food
Liz, I know that chickens will eat anything and everything so would probably enjoy the koi food. The reason for my question was the package statement, Not for human consumption. And we eat our chickens, too. Look at the label and tell me if you see any ingredients one should not eat? Thanks, Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Message: 2 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:54:52 -0700 From: Elizabeth Radi To: Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Koi food Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Rick, I personally would not feed Koi food to my sheep. Folks got into allot of trouble feeding ruminants animal parts in the past. It probably is illegal also. Think of Mad Cow. I would think it would be ok to feed to chickens, because they eat just about anything. Also, the protein content would be pretty high I would imagine. I really do not think that fish food would be plant based, but mostly animal or fish source. Just some rambling thoughts. Liz Radi Nubian goats Nunn, Colorado --- rickkr...@hotmail.com wrote: From: Rick Krach To: blackbelly Blackbelly List Subject: [Blackbelly] Koi food Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:06:35 -0700 I know that pig food cannot be given to sheep, but I wonder about Koi food. Someone has given me 50 lbs of Koi food which their fish will not eat. Does anyone have any idea as to whether it'd be safe to give this to my sheep, chickens, pigs, whoever would eat it? My question is because the package does say, Not for human consumption. Thanks, Rick Krach in Auburn, CA? ___ ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 11, Issue 44
Liz, look at this label and tell me if you see anything that sheep should not eat: Fish meal, plant protein products, animal protein products, dried yeast culture, fish oil, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, d-biotin, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous sulfate, potassium iodate, ethylenediamine dihydrodide, ascorbic acid, Not for Human Consumption. Meets FDA requirements regarding restrictions on mammalian protein sources. Thanks, Rick Krach in Auburn, CA From: Elizabeth Radi To: Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Koi food Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Rick, I personally would not feed Koi food to my sheep. Folks got into allot of trouble feeding ruminants animal parts in the past. It probably is illegal also. Think of Mad Cow. I would think it would be ok to feed to chickens, because they eat just about anything. Also, the protein content would be pretty high I would imagine. I really do not think that fish food would be plant based, but mostly animal or fish source. Just some rambling thoughts. Liz Radi Nubian goats Nunn, Colorado --- rickkr...@hotmail.com wrote: From: Rick Krach To: blackbelly Blackbelly List Subject: [Blackbelly] Koi food Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:06:35 -0700 I know that pig food cannot be given to sheep, but I wonder about Koi food. ?Someone has given me 50 lbs of Koi food which their fish will not eat. ?Does anyone have any idea as to whether it'd be safe to give this to my sheep, chickens, pigs, whoever would eat it? ?My question is because the package does say, Not for human consumption. ?Thanks, Rick Krach in Auburn, CA? ___ ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Koi food
I know that pig food cannot be given to sheep, but I wonder about Koi food. Someone has given me 50 lbs of Koi food which their fish will not eat. Does anyone have any idea as to whether it'd be safe to give this to my sheep, chickens, pigs, whoever would eat it? My question is because the package does say, Not for human consumption. Thanks, Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] fencing
Carol, any kind of electric fence can only work inside of steel fencing, so as to keep animals in specific places. Any panicking sheep will go through electric fences in a second! None of the serious sheep raisers I know will use electric only. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Message: 1 Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2015 13:13:25 -0600 From: Carol J. Elkins celk...@awrittenword.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] fencing for blackbelly sheep Message-ID: 20150716191316.15d9c48...@diego.dreamhost.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed I often receive calls from people wanting to know what type of fencing is best for blackbelly sheep. I always tell them that 2x4 or 4x4 48-in.-high field fencing is preferred. But sometimes they ask what I think about 5-6 strand electric wire or tape. I have no experience with this type of fencing but have read that it isn't good for sheep. That may be true for wooled sheep, but I thought I'd ask you guys if it works for hair sheep. For those who use this type of fencing, what has been your experience? Carol ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] dispatching gun
Thanks to all the people helping with gun info. I will definitely find another gun than my .22. I do agree with the curiousness of the avma website because to shoot an animal on the top of the head, one would have to be holding it; and if that were the case, I would just slit its throat. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA 1. Re: dispatching gun (Steve) On 3/30/2015 11:23 AM, Stephan A Wildeus wrote: Here is a link to the AVMA guidelines on euthanasia in animals: https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf The description on sheep and goats starts on page 55, and includes a diagram on where and at what angle the gunshot should be placed, along with a quick discussion on pros and cons on different types of guns and ammunition to be used. Regards, Stephan Stephan Wildeus, Ph.D., PAS, Dipl. ACAP Research Professor ? Small Ruminants Box 9061 Agricultural Research Station Virginia State University Petersburg, VA 23806 e-mail: swild...@vsu.edu Ph.: 804-524-6716 Fax: 804-524-5186 -Original Message- From: Blackbelly [mailto:blackbelly-boun...@lists.blackbellysheep.info] On Behalf Of Steve Sent: Monday, March 30, 2015 12:30 AM To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] dispatching gun This is one of the better diagrams I have seen. Since this shows where the brain is, and how small it is. It also gives you some sight lines to follow. However for Blackbellies, think about how thick their foreheads must be from all the head butting. I would never attempt a frontal line, especially with a small caliber round. -Steve ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 11, Issue 20
Carol, was there a video here? I couldn't see it. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Today's Topics: 1. hoof trimming tutorial (Carol Elkins) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 12:50:04 -0600 From: Carol Elkins To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info, blackbelly_consort...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Blackbelly] hoof trimming tutorial Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed My buddy Joe over at raisingsheep.net has created a really good tutorial on how to trim sheep hooves. Have a look at http://www.raisingsheep.net/how-to-trim-sheep-hooves.html I've asked him to ditch the drop-shadows in the steps that explain the procedure, but other than that minor annoyance, his photos and explanations are great. Anyone who is still timid about trimming their sheep's hooves will find it a great tool. And don't forget to watch the video. There is nothing like seeing someone else do it close up to give you confidence that you can do it yourself. Carol ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] dispatching gun
Members, I have used 22 long rifle bullets to kill my lambs for many years, but they're a little small and I have to carefully hit the animal right behind the ear. Therefore, I'm looking for a larger caliber rifle. What do you use? Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Tiana's post
Thanks, Tiana, I do not weigh my lambs. I just see them as large or small and this one boy was surprisingly small for being a single and his mom having looked so large. She always in the past has had twins, and last year triplets. So I was surprised. Curiously, four of my five ewes had singles this year, a rarity! Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Message: 2 Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 08:42:50 -0800 From: Tiana Franklin To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] lamb birth Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Thanks for sharing. I just love new life on the farm. That's a nice size lamb. Did you get a weight on it? Ram or ewe? One of my girls gave birth to a 9.4 lbs ewe lamb the day of the parade so now I'm trying to come up with a Chinese name for her. Any ideas are welcomed :) On Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 9:26 PM, Rick Krach wrote: I love your pictures, Tiana. Here are some I took at my place this morning: http://youtu.be/HXqOVSP9sDw Rick Krachin Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] lamb birth
I love your pictures, Tiana. Here are some I took at my place this morning: http://youtu.be/HXqOVSP9sDw Rick Krachin Auburn, CA Today's Topics: 1. Chinese Lunar New Year Parade (Tiana Franklin) -- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2015 13:37:28 -0800 From: Tiana Franklin tian...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] Chinese Lunar New Year Parade Message-ID: CAMf2muX4=hxx5ze-pm27+wpu8bkrvdtunb6lxwcyepfgsex...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Hi Everyone, Well the walking of our ram, Shooter, in the Chinese Lunar New Year parade in San Francisco was a success. Shooter was so well mannered. As soon as we brought him out of the trailer he was the center of attention. Everyone wanted to pet him, touch his horns and take pictures with him. There was also a horned dorset and navajo churro ram there and they did wonderfully as well. Shooter became a little ramy when he saw the other two rams but settled in after a little while. There were a lot of fire crackers, drums and dancing dragons and he just took it all in. When the mayor put a necklace thing around his neck we were surrounded by cameras and he was very well mannered. During the mayor's speech Shooter had a little girl massaging his ears the whole time. Once the speech was over we went back to the trailers and we once again surrounded by people wanted pictures with the rams. We finally had to tell people no more so that we could leave and Shooter was quit exhausted by the whole thing. I would love to know what he thought about the whole experience and what he told the other sheep when we got back :) If I would have had more notice I would have made up cards with information about the breed that I could have passed out because everyone was interested in more information but we were so busy that we didn't have the time to spend with each person. Here some pictures. Enjoy. https://plus.google.com/photos/105557857002706950119/albums/6118783555126117329 -- Tiana Franklin ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] barn material
A while back I asked about suitable barn-building materials that would stand up the continual ramming of my sheep, and I thank those of you who responded. The most likely choice that I am considering is a cement block wall for the base of my 30' x 20' enclosure. I presume this wall will need to be about 3' high so if blocks are 8 that means between 4 and 5 layers of block. Anyone have an opinion for me -- exactly how high this wall NEEDS TO BE and if there are other considerations that I'm not thinking of in building a barn out of blocks? Perhaps I'll need a crosswise inside wall also, at least for the center supports. Thanks, Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Barn siding/building material
David, I have corrugated steel siding on my current, antique barn and it is all smashed in. I have no steel rails, however. Nearly 100% of all barns are made of wood; I've never seen anything else, and that's why I'm asking what most of you do about rams butting into your walls and wearing them down. Any more suggestions? I can imagine the lower 3 feet made with cement blocks, but I don't think that'll look good and I've seen no barns like that either. My barn was originally build with the beautiful, inch thick barn-wood planks which were replaced with corrugated steel as they wore out. Now the steel panels are smashed, too. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:24:17 -0700 From: Rick Krach rickkr...@hotmail.com To: blackbelly Blackbelly List blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] barn siding/building material Message-ID: bay175-w1244e266a9b72861f57f65af...@phx.gbl Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I'm beginning the process of refurbishing a 70 year old barn whose walls have been destroyed in recent years by my American Blackbelly rams. ?I need to know what kind of material, wall thickness, and building construction has worked for the others of you for your barns? ?All my sheep, 6 adults (1ram) and each year's lambs live in this barn during cold and rainy times.? Rick Krach in Auburn, CA? -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:39:37 -0400 From: David Sussman david.gadog...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] barn siding/building material Message-ID: cagqr2qpzr05raxeyftrqdyxlcndfoiee+t4xoeodhdgb8hs...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Steel siding on 2 steel rails works for us... ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] barn siding/building material
I'm beginning the process of refurbishing a 70 year old barn whose walls have been destroyed in recent years by my American Blackbelly rams. I need to know what kind of material, wall thickness, and building construction has worked for the others of you for your barns? All my sheep, 6 adults (1ram) and each year's lambs live in this barn during cold and rainy times. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Carol, plants, solar
Carol, that is great news for you to share! I had a friend with a mutton recipe he wanted to try on an older sheep of mine so I'll share this with him. I have a general question for everyone. Do any of you grow any trees or bushes inside your pastures which the sheep will not and do not like to eat? I have put a set of solar panels inside the pasture about 4' off the ground and so far they've not bothered them. I know if I had goats they'd be jumping all over them! But for the sheep, so far, they simply enjoy the added place of shade. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA 1. Results of my old sheep experiment (Carol Elkins) I decided to butcher my old ewe Troublesome as soon as she weaned the one triplet that she was able to nurse. After two years of bottle lambs, her half udder was no longer something I was willing to deal with. Troublesome was 11 years old. As an experiment, I decided to have all of her meat turned into ground mutton. I figured worse case, if it tasted bad, I could give it to the dogs. Troublesome weighed about 100 lb. (I didn't get a live weight on her because with her udder I couldn't get her into the weighing sling.) I got 25 lb of ground mutton off her carcass, which is 25% yield. One can expect a 50% yield when bones are left in the cuts, and I wasn't sure what to expect with all ground. The butcher told me that although she was very lean (as all BB sheep are), there was enough fat on her so that he didn't need to add any pork or beef fat to make a good ground meat. Her meat is just marvelous. I would never know that I was eating 11-year-old mutton. Being ground eliminated any possibility of toughness. So now I know that I can slaughter for table any BB sheep, regardless of age. Thought this information might be useful to the rest of you. 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
Re: [Blackbelly] taste of lamb
Carol, this is the first time I've heard of a 3-year age put on good-tasting meat. Is that for real cuz I've never tried lamb over 13 months. Secondly, would this only apply to your Barbados Blackbellies or possibly the American Blackbellies, too? And finally, what does the meat taste like after 3 years and a month, surely there is no magic 36 month age? Thanks, Rick Krachin Auburn, CA On my farm, ram lambs grow up to be either breeding rams or freezer lambs, and neither require castration. Unlike other breeds of sheep, blackbelly meat remains mild flavored well past 3 years of age. The only time I castrated a ram lamb was when I had to bottle feed a lamb whose mother had died. I knew I'd never be able to butcher him, and sometimes it's very handy to have a wether around. It never gets easier. Don't let anyone tell you that it does. Carol ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] lamb birth video
I agree about the beauty, Nancy. The mother ewe is 50% Dorper and 50% American Blackbelly. I have mixed my blackbellies with dorpers for quite a while to make the lambs a little bigger, and I get beautiful colors besides. Rick Krachin Auburn, CA -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 20:31:24 -0500 From: Nancy Johnson imgr8a...@comcast.net To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Birth of a lamb in 11 minutes: Message-ID: c527410b-d1db-4d50-b58a-e215e27e9...@comcast.net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Rick, These are beautiful lambs and their mother is very pretty. I am still new to the sheep world, but my sister in law has sheep just like this and they are painted desert sheep, not blackberry's. They are related, their father was a pure-bred blackbelly, but the mother was a painted desert. The ewe who gave birth in these photos, she is a painted desert sheep right, she's not pure blackbelly? On Feb 13, 2014, at 11:45 PM, Rick Krach wrote: Here is the set of pictures I took yesterday morning as this white blackbelly lamb was born. If you look at each picture individually you can see the exact seconds between the birthing steps. The whole process took about 11 minutes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/96352750@N05/sets/72157640940100064/ Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Birth of a lamb in 11 minutes:
Here is the set of pictures I took yesterday morning as this white blackbelly lamb was born. If you look at each picture individually you can see the exact seconds between the birthing steps. The whole process took about 11 minutes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/96352750@N05/sets/72157640940100064/ Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 10, Issue 1
Two questions, Michael: do you really have to keep so many rams together? It seems like sure, eventual death for the weakest of them. Secondly, they all have beautiful, double-curled horns. I don't see that very often so wonder if you find them to be more valuable? Rick Krach in Auburn, CA -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2014 18:17:55 -0800 From: Michael Smith mwsmotorspo...@gmail.com To: blackbelly blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] ABB Rams fighting video Message-ID: CAHiKykiXOhwGDHu=jeejk_joqgc1awllcoeykh+to_1don_...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I'm posting a link to this video I happened to capture, for those of you who don't have multiple rams and have not seen this up close before. While it is awe-inspiring to watch, you can tell by my voice as I record it, I take no pleasure in watching two of my rams fight like this. Ultimately, neither was harmed. The description of what is happening and why, is in the video caption. -Michael Smith, Perino Ranch Blackbellies http://youtu.be/fnAw_zVofm8 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] breeder map
Carol, today it's working fine for me also. Thanks for checking. Not sure why some things just don't connect sometimes. Yesterday the only message I got was cannot connect to this page. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2013 17:09:29 -0700 From: Carol Elkins celk...@critterhaven.biz To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] breeder map Message-ID: 20131225001132.77da448...@diego.dreamhost.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Rick, it seems to be working fine on my end (I'm the person who provides this map). Try again and if you continue to have problems, email me off list and describe the symptoms.. Carol Elkins celk...@critterhaven.biz Listserv Owner At 10:31 PM 12/23/2013, you wrote: Anyone know why this page no longer works? : Blackbelly Listserv Breeder Map People who subscribe to the free email list are invited to post their contact information on this easy-to-use map of the United State (links to Canadian and other International breeders are also provided). Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] breeder map
Anyone know why this page no longer works? : Blackbelly Listserv Breeder Map People who subscribe to the free email list are invited to post their contact information on this easy-to-use map of the United State (links to Canadian and other International breeders are also provided). Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 9, Issue 55
Ellen, I neither plan on nor expect two lambing per year. My ram is with 5 ewes 24/7, year round and they always produce in Jan. or Feb. On only very rare occasions will one ewe birth again in November. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Today's Topics: 1. Re: Breeding young RAMS (Ellen Brouillette) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 20:52:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Ellen Brouillette ellenlyn...@yahoo.com From what I read ABBs can possibly?lamb?out every 7 mouths. We had 3 ewes?lamb out in Sept. when we bought them and lamb out again in April. So we know?it is possible, How consistently have your ABBs done this? Our ewes are in good shape and all lambed out this spring,? We are still wondering about this young ram because as I said before we have not had any lambs this fall.?? Arnold? On Monday, October 14, 2013 1:35 PM, Ellen Brouillette ellenlyn...@yahoo.com wrote: ? I got rid of my old ram last winter. I have a young ram that was a year old this spring. The first I saw him breed was in August. By the looks of our spring lambs I thought he had breed some last fall.?We have no lambs yet this fall.?Am looking for feedback in this aria. Thanks, Arnold -- ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbelly Digest, Vol 9, Issue 29
In my humble opinion sheep are farm animals and not pets; therefore, I never give them names. If names are required for registration, then simple numbers like: 13A1,13 for the year, A for the ewe, and 1 for number in the liter. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Today's Topics: 1. Naming schemes for lambs (Carol J. Elkins) 2. Re: Naming schemes for lambs (Elizabeth Radi) Hi everyone, It's been quiet for quite awhile. Everyone must be either flooded out or drying up in the drought! I was just wondering what kind of naming schemes you might use when naming lambs born in your flock. I generally name my lambs based on maternal bloodline. For example, if the ewe is named Betty, then I would name her lambs Beatrice, Beetlejuice, Bonanza, etc. That is good for 26 maternal lines. Another gal I know names all lambs born in a group by something common, for example flowers (Rose, Petunia, Lilly). That way she knows siblings and perhaps year of birth. What naming schemes can YOU think of? Do you use a scheme when naming lambs in your flock? Carol ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] breeding age limit
Thank you, Mary and Nancy. I guess common sense says 14 is too old to produce, any longer. My girl is happy and behaving normally. And like I said, this is the first year she's not given me lambs. Last year she was the last one to lamb. Because I only have 5 ewes altogether, I have no need to get rid of her and she can live out her life as is. I'll assume max age couldn't be much more than 14, either. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA ___ 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 52
To bad you're not in California. Here Fish and Game or the county trapper will come IMMEDIATELY!!! They'll eliminate the lion or whatever it is. Rick Krach in Auburn, CA Today's Topics: 1. Mountain Lion (Elaine Wilson) 2. Re: Mountain Lion (Mary Swindell) 3. Re: Mountain Lion (RAY DE SA) 4. Re: Mountain Lion (Cecil R Bearden) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:50:29 -0500 From: Elaine Wilson elaine_wil...@earthlink.net To: Blackbelly Newsletter blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] Mountain Lion Message-ID: F05A5C01A6E047F2BD9849A651A3F9DD@ElainePC Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original We seem to have a mountain lion that has discovered one of our pens of sheep. ___ 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 19
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:51:21 -0800 From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Giving Birth Message-ID: CALZE0a3vkcByHt8X61c8-KYx8QqtggsH=efokgrf56wbt-1...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 OH MY GOSH!!! ?WHAT A TREAT!!! Yes it was! Thanks so much for sharing :) Do Blackbellies twin? Or are they usually singletons? I couldn't see the video as it didn't load properly for me but I sure enjoyed seeing the show! It turned out my ewes never delivered anything when I was expecting them to. Bummer for me. Hopefully my little ram lamb was able to get to business when I put him with my older ewe lambs. It would be a disappointing year with no little ones around. My other ram was with the ewes from mid May until September - how is it possible there were no babies? They did have young ones at the time, but I had weaned them already. What could prevent them from becoming pregnant? He produced lovely lambs last spring with these ewes. Natasha Natasha, the main reason I've found for ewes not getting pregnant when they're with a ram is because they are still nursing a previous lamb. I also think that Blackbellies sometime get into the habit of only mating at the prescribed time of year -- in the wild, animals usually, must have their babies in the spring! Also, Natasha, adding those 4 videos to my MobileMe album was an accident; I knew that they could not be loaded or seen. If only I could learn how to decrease the size of those hundred MB videos that I take with my phone so that I could put them on Facebook or email them! I have tried again to remove them: http://gallery.me.com/rickkrach#102097 Rick Krach Auburn, CA 95602 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Giving Birth
A few years ago I shared pictures of a ewe giving birth. I got it on film again this week, enjoy: http://gallery.me.com/rickkrach#102097 Rick Krach Auburn, CA 95602 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] pictures
Thanks, Michael. I really love to see pictures like that of other people's ranches!You had frost, we had snow and I got 700 hundred of pictures of it. When I get them limited down to a decent size I'll put that posting here, too. Rick Krach Auburn, CA 95602 So, if anyone else has more pictures of their places, add them to the list, too. ?Thanks, Rick Krach Auburn, CA 95602 Rick, I we had a nice-looking frost yesterday and still some Autumn colors, so here's the small posting. http://web.me.com/mwsmith100/2009_bottle_lambs/Autumn_2009.html all shot with my old Casio Exilm pocket camera. -Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies _ Windows 7: Unclutter your desktop. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/videos-tours.aspx?h=7secslideid=1media=aero-shake-7secondlistid=1stop=1ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_7secdemo:122009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] neutering rams
Hi Paul, It's best to neuter the rams ASAP after birth. As soon as one can see or feel both testicles clearly, you can slip the rubber band around them. It can literally be done right after their birth, if both of them are descended. If you do it in the first few days of their life everything is easier on them and for you. Band-expanders work like a dream on very little animals. You can still hold the boy in one hand and do it with the other one. If you've read many posts, you may be finding that neutering ram lambs might have more cons than pros and the reasons for doing it are few. Rick Krach Auburn California Hi y'all -- This is my first question/posting though I read all the posts and have learned a lot from them. My question is: How and when is it best to neuter young ram lambs? One of my ewes blessed us with twin ram lambs recently and we want to neuter them at just the right time and in just the right way but aren't absolutely sure about either of those things. Is using the banding method best? When -- at what age -- should it be done? Thanks. Paul Quaker's Acre Jamestown, TN _ Hotmail® goes with you. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/Mobile?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_Mobile1_052009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Carla Amonson
Carla, you're right about your website not working yet. I'm anxious to see the mouflon crossed sheep you have because I prefer the wide horns, also. Here's a picture of my ram: http://homepage.mac.com/rickkrach/sheep/ Rick Krach Auburn California 1. new to the list (Carla Amonson) -- Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 15:18:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Carla Amonson Subject: [Blackbelly] new to the list To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Wanted to say hello to everyone, I am new to the list. We live west of Edmonton Alberta and have 40 pure bred ABB ewes and 30 ABB/Mouflon cross ewes. We also have pure bred Soay and Katahdins. We are looking for two rams this year if anyone has purebred ABB rams with excellent conformation and wide mouflon style horns I would love to see some pictures. I imported sheep last year from the US, so am familiar with the process. We are selling breeding stock now, and bred to an ABBram as well as to ABB/Mouflon cross rams (trying to widen the horn). Our website I am struggling with, some links etc won't work in theprogram I used, but when it is, it can be found at rhyantrockfarms.com Hope everyones' lambing went well, we have just started, with a set of twins on the ground in the middle of a blizzard in May! Unbelievable but true-4 inches of snow a day fro two days so far! We did need the moisturemaybe not in a frozen state though. Carla Amonson _ Hotmail® has ever-growing storage! Don’t worry about storage limits. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/Storage?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_Storage1_052009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] wool
Barbara, don't you think it would be better to just butcher your ram? It's important to the improvement of the breed to discard as many of these woolly ones as fast as possible. Rick Krach Auburn California (530) 355-5144 Thanks Cecil, We caught our ram this morning and it took an hour to sheer 1/2 of him. He was entirely mats. I guess the wooley isn't completely outbred yet. The bottle baby whose mom had bot and a real wooley is shedding very nicely. I guess we'll have to do this every year. Aloha a hui hou kaua! (Goodbye until we meet again) Barbara Heavens POB 1869, Kea`au, Hawaii 96749 (808) 968-0814 _ Rediscover Hotmail®: Now available on your iPhone or BlackBerry http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Mobile1_042009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] tanning
Cathy, I always get my hides done at Buck's County Fur in PA. Do you have yours done there, too? If not, where, and what is the cost? Rick Krach Auburn California (530) 355-5144 Beth, I responded directly to Carrie. I have a few and another out for tanning now that she may like. Cathy LeapN Lambs On Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 12:30 PM, GARLAND STAMPER wrote: Hi all, I just received a post from a gal that is looking for a BB hide to buy. We don't have any so thought I'd post her request to the list. I am looking for a summer-coat hide - as dark as possible with BLACK edge lines Contact: Carrie Griffith Thanks, Beth in OR _ Rediscover Hotmail®: Get quick friend updates right in your inbox. http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Updates1_042009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] FW: guts
I discovered a most interesting thing yesterday which may be new info for some of you, too. Butchering a very large 5-year-old ewe (Dorper/St.Croix) which my friend plans to turn into sausage, we kept the small intestine to clean and use. I remembered that our intestines might be twenty some feet long and expected the sheep's to not be that much longer, but we laid it out on the ground and it was almost 30 yards long. Imagine, nearly 90 feet of intestine! Every last inch of it was the same, less than 1/2 inch diameter. No wonder there is so much oppurtunity for digestional trouble -- as the posts have drawn attention to in recent weeks. Rick Krach Auburn California _ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail®. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] registration
Carol, would it really be possible to register a 50% BB ram (American or Barbados). I was surprised to read your comment yesterday. How many years and how many generations would it take to get the horns completely out of the gene pool? Rick Krach Auburn California (530) 355-5144 Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:16:22 -0700 From: Carol J. Elkins Subject: [Blackbelly] polled ram available in Louisiana To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed The following person is selling a polled blackbelly ram. Because this ram was sired by a horned ram, he would have to undergo some fairly extensive progeny testing to ensure he was capable of reliably siring polled ram lambs. The progeny testing would also be required for registering this ram with the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep Association Int'l. If you are interested in trying to work with this ram to establish a new polled BB bloodline, please contact the following person directly: Donna Cloud Sparks Administrative Executive Assistant Louisiana State University Office of Academic Affairs 146 Thomas Boyd Hall Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 225.578.5198 (Office) 225.578.5980 (Fax) dspa...@lsu.edu _ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail®. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] home for lambs
Thanks to everyone who complemented my pictures of the lambs' birth last week. The last three days have brought three more sets of twins, but they were all born at the more usual time for me -- during the night. Couldn't get more pictures that way! I'll need to find homes for some of these lambs if anyone knows anybody close me looking for lambs or even lambs to bottle feed. Rick Krach Auburn California (530) 355-5144 _ Windows Live™: Discover 10 secrets about the new Windows Live. http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!7540.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_ugc_post_022009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] The Birth of American Blackbelly Twins
A year-old ewe of mine, born in February last year, had lambs Friday morning. It was very considerate of her to have them in the morning when I was around to watch, and get some pictures of it. I have put times on them so you can see how the first lamb took some 20 minutes while the second one took only 1 minute. The long time may have just been due to her trying to get away from me and my camera! Here is the web site: http://homepage.mac.com/rickkrach/lambs/ Rick Krach Auburn California (530) 355-5144 _ It’s the same Hotmail®. If by “same” you mean up to 70% faster. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_AE_Same_022009 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] mastitis
Thanks, Mark. Mastitis is the only problem I'd ever heard of involving milk production and I suspected it, but never found any swelling, injury, or lumps. In reading this site: http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/mastitis.html I'm seeing that infection even can come from unclean bedding. I also see that you need to cull sheep with this trouble. So my conclusion is, stick with Blackbellies and forget the Great American breed! If it was a bummer lamb injury, it was the ewe's own lamb because that lamb was so big despite being only a couple of months old. All the other lambs were younger and feeding well with their own moms. Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 Message: 5 Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:08:10 -0500 From: The Wintermutes Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] one udder To: , 'Blackbelly List' Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Rick, What you have described is mastitis. I have had two ewes have this problem where the mastitis killed one side of the bag. I gave a lot of penicillin injections into the bad side of the bag to keep down infection. I also helped the bag come off with some barnyard surgery. The good news is the ewe can still have lambs. Check the remaining side of the udder and make sure it is still good and not hard. If the remaining side is still good and the ewe is a good mother she can still raise twins. It would be a good idea to keep a very close eye on the lambs to make sure they are getting enough milk. Mastitis is hard to keep contained to just one side of an udder but can be done. I found the biggest reason for mastitis is bummer lambs mugging a ewe for a meal. They bite the teat to hang on and the ewe literally drags these lambs around. The teats get injured and then infection sets in leading to mastitis. I have learned the hard way to grab these bummer lambs and separate them away from the moms ASAP. Mark Wintermute _ The other season of giving begins 6/24/08. Check out the i’m Talkathon. http://www.imtalkathon.com?source=TXT_EML_WLH_SeasonOfGiving ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] one udder
I had a somewhat strange thing happen to a ewe this spring. She literally lost an udder. The ewe had been nursing one lamb for a couple of months until one morning when she started acted sluggish and stopped nursing. I couldn't see anything different on her or find any injuries and I looked at her udder carefully. She lay down and didn't move much for nearly a week. She wasn't much interested in food or water either. When she finally started to recover, she had lost a lot of weight, and I could see that one side of her udder had begun to rot away. I figured that was the end of her, but she seems to have survived it. There is a hairless dark patch where the udder used to be, and she is back to normal, along with now being a nice trimmed size. (She was a fat, Great American breed.) Is this at all common for any kind of livestock to have a part of their body rot away and fall off? I am so surprised that I almost want to keep her to see if she can still produce and nurse lambs next year, but maybe that is not the most logical, practical thing to do? Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 _ The other season of giving begins 6/24/08. Check out the i’m Talkathon. http://www.imtalkathon.com?source=TXT_EML_WLH_SeasonOfGiving ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] sheep for sale
Barb, what will that more commercially viable sheep be? And will you continue to keep any blackbellies? Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 The only reason I am selling Dan is because I have made the decision to upgrade my flock to a more commercially viable type of sheep. Dan will be available in early March for $150. Please contact me privately at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks, Barb Lee _ Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] raw meat
Wow, the analogy to the 15 year old coyote is sure a strange one! This sounds as absurd to me as the idea of being sure chickens have clean water! Since time began carnivores have eaten raw meat. And what does the research say about what kids are the healthiest -- those who play in the dirt and pick their noses! Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 Tha analogy he used is How many 15 year old coyotes have you seen? Cecil in OKla _ Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. http://www.windowslive.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] blackbelly Digest, Vol 3, Issue 10
Thank you everyone for the great messages on getting water to the animals. The hard freezes here are finally coming to an end and hopefully we won't have them again for another 8 to 10 years. Chris and Mark, I never heard of frost-proof faucets or freeze-proof levers. How do they work? Did you buy them or make them yourselves? Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 _ Type your favorite song. Get a customized station. Try MSN Radio powered by Pandora. http://radio.msn.com/?icid=T002MSN03A07001 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] water
The starved sheep story makes me ask about water. Not having grown up on a farm when I lived in cold Michigan, as a kid I never paid attention to how farmers got water to their animals in the freezing weather. Now that we've had a couple of weeks of surprisingly cold weather here in northern CA, I'm curious. Do any of you have any ingenious ways of getting water to your animals? I've had to carry it for a week now. Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 From: Stephanie Parrish [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [blackbelly] Starved sheep found on Craig County farm; owner charge To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed No, thank goodness. Although those kinds of stupid people are unfortunately found just about everywhere. Very sad. Stephanie On Jan 18, 2007, at 12:14 PM, Carol J. Elkins wrote: Saw this story on a Web site belonging to KTEN, a television station in Oklahoma. (http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=5954522) Any of you know or live close to this jerk? _ Get Hilary Duffs homepage with her photos, music, and more. http://www.live.com/?addtemplate=hilaryocid=T001MSN30A0701 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] butchering/taste
That's very interesting, Ray. When you were in the sheep business, was it with hair or wool sheep? Yes, I suppose that there is an appropriate method to just slitting animal throats. I think back to the very first animals God used to make clothes for Adam and Eve and have often wondered how the thousands of lambs were efficiently slaughtered by the Hebrews for sacrifices over the years. Animals have been killed for food since the time of Noah. And we've all seen the pictures of early men killing them with spears and rocks. Carol, my American Blackbelly lambs are the absolutely best tasting meat I've ever had. If Barbados Blackbelly can be even better, that would be amazing. Yes, I have a couple of Royal White ewes and if their lambs aren't as good eating, I will give them away. Rick Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 13:56:38 -0600 From: RAYMOND C ZANE [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [blackbelly] taste and butchering To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain A few years back when I was in sheep in Oregon. We had the Aribbra spelling come to are place to buy there sheep and the butcher the right on the place we set it all up for them and they just lay them down and said a belssing over them and cut there throat and bleed them. They gave some to me and it was very good far better than the ones done at slater hauses which sone shot them and some knock them in the head. So I don't know it make to much just depend on what you pefer. Have a good time eatting them they are all good. Ray Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] taste and butchering
Thank you, Cecil. What you wrote is what I feared. I have always used a mallet before butchering rabbits and know that others ring their necks. I will surely never attempt to simply bleed an animal to death again. It's a shame I have learned this now from experience and didn't know it ahead of time. Wow, if the meat is tougher, I'll never hear the end of it! Carol, I think I was the one who had the unfortunate experience of attempting to kill a lamb by shooting it in the forehead -- bad advice from a neighbor! I've never done that again. I guess this means that chickens will not run around wildly without their heads if their neck is wrung first. What you described is typical of bleeding to death. The reason for shooting them in the head is that it stops the central nervous system reaction and stuns or paralyzes the animal prior to draining the blood from the body. When you cause the bleeding to death syndrome you allow the adrenaline response to engage and create a very tough meat. Before the use of the powder actuated and later air actuated bolts that penetrate into the brain stem, a large mallet was used, and the animal was knocked out... Cecil Several years ago, one of the subscribers to this list described a horrible experience he had while shooting a ram in the head. Because of the horn plate, a between the eyes shot (or even one from behind the head) resulted in a long, tortuous death, and many additional shots were required to put the animal out of its misery. Carol Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] taste
Hi Carol, You refered to the Dorper as a non-hair sheep breed so I copied the OK State info here which says that they are a hair breed, as are the St. Croix. How come you were thinking differently? And have you really not tasted the American Blackbelly? If what my friend is telling me is the truth, I will go back to pure blackbelly. Regarding the taste of cross-bred blackbellies, I haven't personally tasted anything except Barbados Blackbelly, but the Dorper is not a hair sheep -- it is a wool sheep that sheds. Therefore, I would assume that it might have the stronger flavor that many fine-wooled sheep breeds have. Carol Hair Sheep Breeds: Africana Barbado Barbados Blackbelly Blackhead Persian Brazilian Somali Damara Dorper Katahdin Masai Morada Nova Pelibüey Rabo Largo Sahel-type Santa Inês Somali St. Croix (Virgin Island White) Touabire Uda West African Dwarf Wiltshire Horn Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] taste and butchering
I have a couple of unusual questions today. First one is about butchering lambs, actually the killing of them. For years I have always shot them before cutting their throats, but yesterday I tried just holding the lamb and having a friend slit his throat. I was so surprised to see that it acted like a chicken with its head cut off. It took forever to settle down and I've never seen that happen with an animal which was shot first. Was this just a strange case, or have any of you seen that happen regularly. If it's for real, I wonder what people did when slaughtering animals for six thousand years before guns were invented! Second question: I've not had a chance to taste the animals yet because I've sold all the lambs, but the person I'm selling them to tells me that the lambs which were both 1/2 blackbelly and 3/4 blackbelly just did not taste quite as clean and good as the 100% blackbelly. The other part was Dorper/St. Croix, and I thought I'd been told that that mix would taste pretty much the same! These mixed breed lambs were slightly bigger, however, but if they don't taste the same, I might as well quit raising them. Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] bugs
Has anyone has seen this bug before: I've been finding them in my sweet grain, C.O.B./molasses. They are no bigger than a pin point, and I don't mean a pin head! I would need a microscope to see if they have six or eight legs, but they do crawl. Recently when I picked up the metal coffee can which I keep inside the trash can of feed it felt wet and slimy. Looking closely I see tens of thousands bugs covering the outside of the coffee can. When I put that can in the sun, they just fall off and die. I can't see them inside the feed itself and the sheep still like it. I wonder where it came from and if it's ruining the feed? Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ 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
[blackbelly] bugs
Has anyone has seen this bug before: I've been finding them in my sweet grain, C.O.B./molasses. They are no bigger than a pin point, and I don't mean a pin head! I would need a microscope to see if they have six or eight legs, but they do crawl. Recently when I picked up the metal coffee can which I keep inside the trash can of feed it felt wet and slimy. Looking closely I see tens of thousands bugs covering the outside of the coffee can. When I put that can in the sun, they just fall off and die. I can't see them inside the feed itself and the sheep still like it. I wonder where it came from and if it's ruining the feed? Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ 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
[blackbelly] trimming hooves
Helmut, here in northern CA I don't trim hooves either. Some of my sheep are now six years old. Even my donkey only gets slightly trimmed once a year. I attribute it to part of my pasture being as hard as concrete in the summer where it gets no water. Perhaps those people in soft-ground areas might consider paving part of their area for the sheep to run on! Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 I know of breeders here in the area, they didn't trim a hooves of a BB in six years, similar to Suffolk sheep. It would be interesting to find breeders who have genetics with hard and slow growing hooves ? regards Helmut ___ 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
[blackbelly] salt
I sold an American Blackbelly ram lamb today (thanks Howard) and would like to share the reason for it: The person who got it needed to restart his flock. Over a couple of years he had lost the whole thing, more than a dozen sheep, because of unknowingly giving them salt licks with copper. I know that most members are very aware of this, but perhaps there are some new faces out there who might not have heard this yet. One can never trust everyone in a feed store! Secondly, a piece of info to the blackbelly people: I somehow got into the habit of giving my sheep this spring a grain mixture which was almost 75% corn. I should have remembered someone saying last year that too much corn can give the sheep diarrhea. Well, the only ewe that got diarrhea this week, possibly, from that over-corn-feeding was a white Dorper St. Croix mix! All the blackbellies are dry at least so far. So, one more positive for the breed. Rick Krach Auburn, California (530) 889-1488 ___ 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
