WhiteMountainsRanch Kidding/Journal Thread; Summer Update

[bonbean01]

Firstly...welcome to the wonderful world of being a Sheeple! You've chosen one of the wilder breeds of hair sheep, but they look awesome!

That is one huge honkin incubator!!!! Good thing mine is a little cheapie version...as it is, will be needing to build on for more chicks and chickens

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Firstly...welcome to the wonderful world of being a Sheeple! You've chosen one of the wilder breeds of hair sheep, but they look awesome!

That is one huge honkin incubator!!!! Good thing mine is a little cheapie version...as it is, will be needing to build on for more chicks and chickens

Thanks Bonbean! I've always liked the looks of Barbados and when my neighbor practically begged me to take them I couldn't pass them up! I guess you could say they chose me! I really didn't think I was going to be a sheep owner anytime soon!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Oh and I found out some really interesting facts about the Barbados today...

So there are only 2400 registered purebred Barbados in the United States, and there are NO breeders of them in California. If you see a "Barbados" for sale in Cali, it's really an American Blackbelly (mine included). And a starter flock of purebred Barbados runs about $2400. Oh a girl can dream can't she!!!

 

[perchie.girl]

Hi

I know I asked to share the thread but I jumped in and found it..... LOL

Congrats on the Sheep I wanna get some some day and am looking forward to following your journey.

deb

 

[boykin2010]

Oh and I found out some really interesting facts about the Barbados today...

So there are only 2400 registered purebred Barbados in the United States, and there are NO breeders of them in California. If you see a "Barbados" for sale in Cali, it's really an American Blackbelly (mine included). And a starter flock of purebred Barbados runs about $2400. Oh a girl can dream can't she!!!

It is like that everywhere. People mistakenly call them Barbados. True Barbados are extremely hard to come by - I have looked. I would guess that over 90% are American Blackbelly or American Blackbelly cross in the US. They look so similar it is easy to call them something they are not

 

[alsea1]

LOL. Aren't black belly sheep fun.
They are def. not an in your pocket bunch.
As for maintaining feet and whatnot I'm thinking you will need a catch pen and a chute. At least that's the conclusion I have come to with my bunch.
The big white one looks like a katahdin ram. Would love to see more pics of your bunch.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

LOL. Aren't black belly sheep fun.
They are def. not an in your pocket bunch.
As for maintaining feet and whatnot I'm thinking you will need a catch pen and a chute. At least that's the conclusion I have come to with my bunch.
The big white one looks like a katahdin ram. Would love to see more pics of your bunch.

Yes I definitely need a catch pen. Right now we are ussing Lassos. Like in the old times.

Now that they are settled in I need to catch them one by one and deworm, vaccinate, and trim hooves. Maybe a project for this weekend.

Yes I do believe that the ram is a Katahdin. The lady I got them from said Barbados/ Painted Desert.... but I highly doubt that! I'll get more pics now that they are calmer.

 

[autumnprairie]

They are beautiful,

 

[Mossy Stone Farm]

They are Beautiful.......

 

[BHOBCFarms]

LOL. Aren't black belly sheep fun.
They are def. not an in your pocket bunch.
As for maintaining feet and whatnot I'm thinking you will need a catch pen and a chute. At least that's the conclusion I have come to with my bunch.
The big white one looks like a katahdin ram. Would love to see more pics of your bunch.

Yes I definitely need a catch pen. Right now we are ussing Lassos. Like in the old times.

Now that they are settled in I need to catch them one by one and deworm, vaccinate, and trim hooves. Maybe a project for this weekend.

Yes I do believe that the ram is a Katahdin. The lady I got them from said Barbados/ Painted Desert.... but I highly doubt that! I'll get more pics now that they are calmer.

I'm glad you are having fun with your new sheep. I really enjoy mine, and in the past 2 months I have gotten to know each one of mine. I have one that is a nervous wreck, another who will come up to anyone she wants, especially if she things that there is a chance you have grain, and an old mama who knows enough to be slightly suspicious of me. My ram challenged my neighbor's dog through the fence yesterday (I am planning on putting up a sheep fence inside or our perimeter fence) and the dog went to nip Brownie, and Brownie rammed the dog right on his nose! - Dog didn't try that again, but I mentioned to Brownie that it might not have gone as well if that dog was on our side of the fence... I don't trust my nieghbors dogs, I know they have killed at least one of her goat kids in the past, and one is a Pyrenees! My parent's English Bull Terrier doesn't mess with livestock or chickens at all, and people would think he would from the breed's history and the way he looks, but he's not like that.

I got my sheep's hooves done last month, but now I have to shear, and not looking forward to that, I am looking forward to having fiber for spinning, though, so that kind of motivates me. I have taught my new sheep to go into the catch pen/fold on command, which is pretty cool, I didn't think I could train them, but they listen to me (no one else though). At first I had to give them grain, but now I can just tell them to go in and they will. I still ramdomly re-enforce the idea that they will get food sometimes by every few times they go in I give them some COB.