# Decided to sell my sheep and I can't...



## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 18, 2013)

I finally decided to sell all my sheep, American Blackbellies. I have a really nice ram and three ewes and I am only asking $400 for all four and I can't find anyone to buy them!  I don't know what I am doing wrong or what else I should do to find them a home. They are all adults so I don't want them to go for meat and I think at $100 apiece I am already lower than the meat value. I just don't know what to do.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 18, 2013)

don't get mad but why don't you want them to go for meat?


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 18, 2013)

Well they are adults, really nice, and a breeding quad so I would prefer them to go to a breeding home. I just hate seeing the good breeders being used for meat.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 18, 2013)




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## Southern by choice (Nov 18, 2013)

I know, that part is the really hard part. 
What made you decide to sell them?
... or is it the obvious.... you are a 

GOATIE! not a Sheeple!


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## bonbean01 (Nov 18, 2013)

Those are beautiful sheep and the ram is impressive!  Also, that price is a steal for someone wanting to get into this breed.  How far away are you advertising?  I have to agree with Southern, but if you can't sell them for breeding, which would be a shame...you have the option to sell them for meat. And this is coming from a sheeple.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 18, 2013)

LoL, yes I am a Goatie.  I just can't figure out how to make any money with them, my boyfriend doesn't like the taste of lamb (or so he says) and they just aren't friendly like the goats... I can do so much more with the goats- free range them, milk them, eat them (and goat is delicious). Goats are just my first love. I took these on for a retiring friend, but I just can't afford to keep feeding everyone through winter when I am not getting anything back from them. I can barely sell the babies for $50, sheep are just really cheap in my area.  Just been advertising on Craigslist, seems like that's the only place I get any traffic from.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 18, 2013)

Don't you have a grocery store? Wouldn't it be better just to have them processed and sell the meat. Lb for lb lamb isn't  cheap.
Oh yeah... their not lambs. DUH- I need to sleeep. LOL


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 18, 2013)

There are no butchers around us that I have found that will process them for re-sale. There are private ones, but they charge upwards of $200 for each animal... times that by 4 and that's $800 to get rid of them.


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## alsea1 (Nov 19, 2013)

If you were closer I would def. want the ram.  How old is he?
At this point Black Bellies are more of a hobby int. breed.  Most people want the larger commercial breeds for the larger carcass.
This breed is working great for me as they don't harm my small acreage. 
Are they registered?  
You could take them to auction. You may not get much, but if your not int. in eating them at least you won't have to keep feeding them.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 19, 2013)

The ram just turned 3, none are registered though.

I'll have to look and see if we have auctions around this part. I'd just be afraid they'd get eaten , I'm kinda attached!


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## OneFineAcre (Nov 19, 2013)

Well, you could always give them away.  I just gave away 3 goats because I wanted to make sure they went to a good home, and did not want to sell them on CL.  One was one of my original goats, and it turned out that she nor or her offspring were as good as our others.  We had to cut our numbers.  so, I contacted someone who had bought some others from me that I knew had a great place and gave her and 2 kids to her.  Not going to make any money like that, but I feel good about what I did.


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## promiseacres (Nov 19, 2013)

are you trying just locally? If you haven't tried there are some nice nationwide pages on FB (trophy horned hair sheep or trophy hair sheep of america are two I enjoy) many sheep sell on there even without papers (especially for that low price! )  Also BestFarmBuys.com is a good free site.
If you look into an auction check for an exotic animal auction (though be aware that the ram may go to a trophy hunting places at place like that)


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## Roving Jacobs (Nov 21, 2013)

I would start advertising on breed specific sites or facebook groups if you want them to go to breeding homes (if you haven't already, you didn't say what you've tried so far). I've driven quite a ways (6+ hours) to pick up breeding stock I like so don't be afraid to cast a wider net than just your local area.

There's a Livestock For Sale group on facebook that is pretty active too. They're good looking sheep and you've taken lovely pictures of them so that may help sell them better online.


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Nov 27, 2013)

For the same reason you want to sell them (not feed them through winter) is why a lot of people may not be interested.  Not sure what to suggest to you.  I sold mine when I was ready.  I had person offer me peanuts for them and i knew they were goint to take them to auction, so I sold them at auction myself.


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## alsea1 (Nov 30, 2013)

Any luck getting those sheep sold?
A fella from our church saw mine and asked if I sold them. I replied that I had not yet but was open to it.
I'm thinking that he would pale at the price. LOL
Most folks who don't purchase hay and grain are clueless as to the cost of getting something to the butcher shed.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Dec 19, 2013)

I broke them all up into pairs and sold them that way. 2 here, 2 there. Last ones went 2 days ago. I still feel bad for getting rid of my beautiful friendly ram, but it's nice having that pen for my bucks and its nice not having him ramming up my buildings!


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