hAVE A FEW BARBADAL SHEEP.jUST WONDERING IF ANY ONE KNOWS WHAT AGE THEY START BREEDING.i HAVE HEARD THEY BREED ALL THRUGH THE YEAR.bUT JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT AGE THEY START.tHANKS ALL.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 05, 2002

Answers

I can't exactly answer you, although we also raise Barbados sheep. We assume that the ewe lambs should be protected from breeding too young, like our goats, so keep them away from a ram starting at about 3 months. I'll be looking to see if someone can answer you, as I would like to learn too.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), January 05, 2002.

I have a barbados ewe and have worked with barbados sheep for several years. The breeder that the sheep originally came from recommended breeding them in the fall, putting them with the ram no later than Thanksgiving. At the farm where I worked, the ewes were kept in with the ram and the only time they would breed was in the fall, the same as the other sheep. This could be due to the fact that the lambs were left with the ewes until fall and these ewes are excellent mothers, nursing lambs until they are as large as themselves! (Note: the ewes were separated from the flock for lambing, but were put back in when the lambs were well mobile and able to take the snowy weather.)

The breeder where the sheep originally came from also said that these sheep tend to be late bloomers and should not be bred as yearlings. I have always stuck to that advice because they seem to be slow growers compared to the wool breeds. Also, since I have had to use wool breed or katahdin rams, all of which are larger than the barbados, I want a well-grown ewe so she can hold the weight of the larger ram.

I prefer this breed to the wool breed for a couple reasons. First of all, I hate shearing with a passion! Second of all, the meat from the hair breeds tends to be much lower in cholesterol than the meat from the wool breeds. I have had a high cholesterol level in the past and this is one of the measures I took to lower it.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), January 05, 2002.

Do you have the Barbados or the Barbados Blackbelly?

Barbados Blackbelly is a breed of sheep that, has a variety of color phases varying from basic black and tan color through black, yellow, and variegated pinto patterns. The black color covers the under parts completely in the basal pattern and extends up the neck with black extending down the inside of the legs, on the plank and back of the thighs. Barbados Blackbelly sheep, both rams and ewes, are polled (have no horns).

The term "Barbado" is a breed of sheep that's described as any sheep similar in color to the Barbados Blackbelly sheep but being of mixed breed and having horns. They do not require the Barbado to have a black belly. The term "Corsican" is also used to refer to Barbado sheep.

Barbados Blackbelly ewes are not seasonal breeders. That means that they can breed any time of the year. They are receptive to a ram about every 17 days. It is common to have a ewe go through lambing twice in one year.

The ewes can come into their first heat at 8-9 months old.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), January 05, 2002.

Barbados Blackbelly is a breed of sheep that, has a variety of color phases varying from basic black and tan color through black, yellow, and variegated pinto patterns. The black color covers the under parts completely in the basal pattern and extends up the neck with black extending down the inside of the legs, on the plank and back of the thighs. Barbados Blackbelly sheep, both rams and ewes, are polled (have no horns).this is what they look like ,but they told me they were not true black belly barbadalreally but they are barbadal,We also have one ram that looks like what you said,that has horns,also one white that has brown spots they told me he is called spoted barbadal these two ram we just got and have not used them but plan on it.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 05, 2002.

Rogo the message above was my message to you,just forgot to put your name sorry.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 05, 2002.

PASTOR HUGHES, WE RAISE BARBADOES YOU CAN ONLY GET 2 BIRTHS A YEAR IF YOU TAKE THE

LAMBS AWAY TO WEAN SAY 2-3MONTHS. LAST YEAR WE LOST A SET OF

TWINS BECARSE OF A MOVING SITUATION, THAT WAS IN DECEMBER AND SHE

REBIRTHED IN JULY. USUALLY THOUGH UNLESS YOU SEPARATE THE EWES FROM

THE LAMBS THEY WILL NURSE FOR SIX MONTHS OR SO AND WILL NOT USUALLY

COME INTO HEAT UNTIL THE LAMBS ARE WEANED. BUT IF YOU SEPARATE AT

BIRTH AND BOTTLE FEED THE LAMBS YOU COULD BE SURE OF GETTING 2

BIRTHS A YEAR.

THEY DO SEEM TO MATURE SLOWER THAN OTHER SHEEP BREDS. WE HAVE ALWAYS LET EVERYONE RUN TOGETHER. THE YEARLINGS USUALLY BIRTH IN EARLY SUMMER WITH NO PROBLEMS. THIS WOULD MAKE THEM ABOUT 15 OR 16

MONTHS OLD WHEN BIRTHING DEPENDING ABOUT WHEN THEY WERE BORN. EVEN

THOSE BORN IN JUNE WOULD BIRTH THE NEXT EARLY SUMMER SO THEY WOULD

ONLY BE ABOUT 23 MONTHS AT THE TIME.

LINDA

-- Linda (awesomegodchristianministries@yahoo.com), January 06, 2002.

Don't breed the first year. I bred my ewe lambs last year and out of 6 lambs only two were able to lamb unassisted. I even lost a ewe in the delivery. All my older ewes had no problems so I don't think it was infections or an abortion storm or something like that. I do not have the same type of sheep but someone near me does and they wait until their yearlings for breeding too.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), January 06, 2002.

First let me congratulate you on your excellent choice of sheep. I raise registered Barbados Blackbelly way up here near the Alaska panhandle and though these sheep are slower to mature they still come into heat at about 7 months if well fed. They have no problems carrying and delivering very healthy hardy little ones that are up and nursing in no time flat. The only thing different about raising tropical sheep this far north is that they do not cycle ever 17 days due to us having 20+ hours of daylight for 3 months. They start cycling about Oct and continue thru to April and that's it. I time my lambings for the warmer month of March, April and May that way they don't have to battle the cold as well as snow(which we still have on the ground til mid=April). You will enjoy the antics of these sheep since they have personality like goats and are a joy to raise with no docking no shearing and very little worming since they are more resistant then woolies(which I had and got rid in a hurry after the first lambibg nightmare, sorry but I think the majority of wool sheep are born stupid and with a will to die). Good luck and have fun. Anne Bennett Glacier Falls Barbados Smithers BC

-- Anne (gabennett@bulkley.net), January 06, 2002.

Unless one really knows what s/he is doing, I would second the recommendation to not breed ewe lambs. Wait until they are at *least* a year old. Just as teenage human girls have more trouble with pregnancies and births than women in their 20s (or older), ewe lambs are usually too young to not have some problems, compared to their older sisters.

I have heard of some sheep breeders who do breed the youngsters, but they 1) know how to handle tough lambing problems; 2) have very early lambs (born in Jan.) and breed them late (Nov. or Dec.) so that the lambs are as old as possible, and 3) only breed big, heavy ewe lambs. Come to think of it, they don't raise Barbs anyway...

Definitely keep some strong fencing between the rams and ewes so you can keep things under (mostly) control. Good luck to you.

-- sheepish (the_original_sheepish@Hotmail.com), January 06, 2002.