Brenda, I am in Central Texas near Clifton. My grass is now dormant too. I have not bought any hay yet, but I soon will. Last year I bought two round bales for 24 sheep, and they ate it with out any hesitation. I do not know what kind of grass , but I suspect it was coastal. I feed them some sheep & goat feed by Purina once per week. I really can not call the checkers a supplement, it is more of a treat so I can get them in a pen where I can do a head count. Compared to others on this list, I am very "hands-off" on my approach to raising sheep. I count on them to make do with the forage on 30 acres, and I do not assist them with any birthing. They have produced 11 new lambs in the past two weeks. I guess that is one of the good things about these sheep is that you can do as much for them or as little (to a certain extent) as you want.
Carr -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Wayne Harding Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2003 5:59 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [blackbelly] Requesting advice re winter supplemental feeding Hi. My husband and I have a small 60-acre ranch in the beautiful hill country of Fredericksburg, Texas, and are raising a small, but growing, flock (19) of BBB sheep. Since obtaining the sheep in early spring this year, they have fed solely on pasture grass, with bi-weekly supplements of 3/8" sheep pellets. They have been content and healthy. However, now that winter has set in (does Texas REALLY have a winter, I ask you, or is that a joke?), and our pasture grass is dormant and without nutritional value, we recently attempted to feed them coastal hay, but these little guys must have more discriminate palates than, say, donkeys, as our BBB's are turning their little black noses up at the presence of this unsophisticated food as if we have inflicted the ultimate insult upon them. While I would like to believe that if they are hungry enough, they will eat even simple coastal hay, I'm not convinced of that, and I do not wish for them to suddenly become starved and unhealthy. I have been unable to reach the rancher from whom I purchased my BBB's, and believe that he is likely out of the country for the holiday season. Therefore, I am requesting advice from all of the knowledgeable BBB owners and members who contribute so much to my enjoyment and learning of this wonderful breed via this helpful mailing list. Will someone please tell me what I should be feeding my BBB's during the winter months in Texas? Help...ASAP, please. Brenda =============================================== 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 =============================================== 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
