So if I', understanding this, the best way to proceed with my flock is to continue breeding for meat for the next three years, keeping careful breeding records, then potentially registering my best sheep and moving into selling breeding stock? Yes?
I do know that they're horned. The ram lambs I got last spring were horned and the two rams I bought in August are horned, as was the original ram I got. The horns are what make them popular in Montana. I have one ewe that has fairly long horns too. I won't be using her lambs for breeding though. Thanks for the advice. This list really helps. I'm a cattle rancher's daughter and this all new to me. But I love them! Message: 2 From: Heather Sharfeddin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 13:13:34 -0800 Subject: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I was wondering the same about pricing my flock. I got my first six as a gift from my dad who was using them to train his sheep dogs, he got them from a farmer up the road (500+ miles from me) in trade for a couple of puppies, and so the story goes. This past summer I was up visiting him in Montana and found a hobby rancher who was selling off their unmanaged flock. I got ten (8 ewes, 2 rams) for 27.50 each. Some of the ewes are pregnant. The sheep were in good condition, wormed, vaccinated, and well fed. But, they range all over the board for color. I tried to select only blackbellies, no all tan, and absolutely none with white. Now I'm wondering if I should have spent the money for registered. I'm currently raising for meat, but would like to sell breeders. Some of these are very nice looking sheep. They have good composition and color. Should I stick with what I have not knowing the bloodline? And what would be a reasonable price to charge for those I sell? I'm in the Portland, Oregon area. Heather Sharfeddin Knowledge Management, Timberline Software [EMAIL PROTECTED] 503-690-6775 503-439-7211 --__--__-- Message: 3 Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 16:44:41 -0700 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "Carol J. Elkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Heather, As with selling anything, you need to try to get as much as the market will bear. But it is important that you disclose the history of these animals to the people who want to purchase them. I unfortunately lost several years on my breeding plan because someone sold me a "polled" ewe and misrepresented her bloodline. He told me she was from polled stock when in fact every ram lamb she threw had horns, despite being bred to several proven polled rams. This was a serious omission because that ewe was half my breeding stock. I had to cull all lambs off her for three years, and eventually I gave up and sold her, too. But by then, at least I could warrant that she came from a horned bloodline! As a buyer, I need to know if there is any question regarding the animal's bloodline. I may still choose to purchase the animal even if the seller isn't sure, but it needs to be MY decision, not the seller's. Without knowing the bloodline and without several years of breeding records, you cannot represent your stock as either polled or horned. There are plenty of customers out there who don't care, but there are also serious breeders of both horned and polled stock who care very much. The Barbados Blackbelly breed has been so cross-bred with woolie sheep that it is very difficult to determine what their genetic lines are. As a result, the breed is in serious danger of disappearing. Sure, we can register animals who meet the breed standards, but looks aren't everything. When I purchase sheep, I want to know that sheep's family history. To me, a registered animal is not worth any more than an unregistered animal. In contrast, a registered or unregistered ewe that has consistently thrown good-looking polled ram lambs off of different polled sires is worth a whole lot. Serious breeders keep good records and continually work toward improving their flock. You don't necessarily need registered animals, but without knowing the history of the sheep you purchased, I personally would not perceive you flock as having much value to me as a breeder. But three years from now if you can show me records of consistent breeding, then things will be very different. All of us start somewhere at this sheep breeding thing, and most of us are hobby farmers who started off not knowing anything and our flock began as a couple of sheep that may have come from a sale barn. Like so many things in life, it's not so much where you start from, but how you proceed toward meeting your goals. I can't guide you regarding price because it really depends on your local market. Perhaps someone on the list who lives closer to you can help. Carol At 01:13 PM 12/19/2002 -0800, you wrote: >Now I'm wondering >if I should have spent the money for registered. I'm currently raising for >meat, but would like to sell breeders. Some of these are very nice looking >sheep. They have good composition and color. Should I stick with what I have >not knowing the bloodline? And what would be a reasonable price to charge >for those I sell? --__--__-- --__--__-- Message: 5 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 18:06:05 EST To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [blackbelly] Blackbelly sheep prices Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --part1_22.33a47971.2b32595d_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My personal experience around OKC is $75 for a ewe lamb and I just borrow a ram when I need one. Eileen High Hill Farm Jones, Okla --part1_22.33a47971.2b32595d_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">My personal experience around OKC is $75 for a ewe lamb and I just borrow a ram when I need one.<BR> Eileen<BR> High Hill Farm<BR> Jones, Okla</FONT></HTML> --part1_22.33a47971.2b32595d_boundary-- --__--__-- Message: 6 Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 18:16:41 -0800 (PST) From: Teneniel Djo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks Carol, I was just wondering because I just sold my flock sire for $75 and was looking for something to replace him. I found someone who had a young ram (never bred anything) and they wanted $175 for him. I had figured he was about the same quality as the ram I sold, so I declined. Then a few weeks later they said I could have him for $100 plus one of my ewes. I also declined. I had always thought that for breeding stock, females are worth more than males, or at least about the same. Anyway, I have found a different ram now. Thanks for the reply, I really get alot of information from this list! __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com --__--__-- Message: 7 From: "christine handley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 23:23:30 -0800 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Overall it would seem to make more sense that the ewe would be worth more than the ram. Even just for meat stock, as the female is the one that produces the lamb. BUT, the ram is HALF your flock. A ram that has the genetics and passes them on will influence your entire herd. Or ruin it, if he produces faults. It really depends on where your priorities are. Producing meat--you need lots of good ewes. But you also need a good ram. Chris. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Teneniel Djo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 6:16 PM Subject: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices > Thanks Carol, > I was just wondering because I just sold my flock sire > for $75 and was looking for something to replace him. > I found someone who had a young ram (never bred > anything) and they wanted $175 for him. I had figured > he was about the same quality as the ram I sold, so I > declined. Then a few weeks later they said I could > have him for $100 plus one of my ewes. I also > declined. I had always thought that for breeding > stock, females are worth more than males, or at least > about the same. Anyway, I have found a different ram > now. Thanks for the reply, I really get alot of > information from this list! > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. > http://mailplus.yahoo.com > =============================================== > This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list. > To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.384 / Virus Database: 216 - Release Date: 08/22/2002 Message: 11 From: "Sharon Romberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 10:05:29 -0600 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] You got a real good price! He simply wanted to sell out. I've seen prices higher and lower at auction barns in Texas. The question you are dealing with is if you want a meat herd or a registered herd. My herd is raised for meat. I had never heard of registered balckbellies until one polled ram passed across the auction floor. All the auctioneer said was, "He has papers." and he waved them. The first time I had ever seen a polled ram either. Sharon, Holland, TX ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heather Sharfeddin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 3:13 PM Subject: [blackbelly] Re: blackbelly sheep prices > I was wondering the same about pricing my flock. This past summer I was up visiting him in > Montana and found a hobby rancher who was selling off their unmanaged flock. > I got ten (8 ewes, 2 rams) for 27.50 each. Some of the ewes are pregnant. > > The sheep were in good condition, wormed, vaccinated, and well fed. But, > they range all over the board for color. > Heather --__--__-- =============================================== This daily digest is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list. To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly End of Blackbelly Digest =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list. To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly
