Carol, I am taking offense to your remarks about "dumping" my sheep for $50 to $75. I raise Barbado. Not Blackbellies. The area I am in is saturated with mixed Barbado sheep. This a what the market brings in this area for a meat quality sheep. Also, the community is a little repressed economically.
I could drive 60 to 75 miles to Phoenix and market my sheep, but I simply don't have the time for that. My sheep are raised for my personal use. The extra's pay the breeding stock's way in life. I would love to get $200 for a sheep. But if I asked prices like that, I would have a couple hundred sheep roaming around out here. I am certain that your sheep being polled wouldn't bring any more in this area. The head is cut off, no one cares if they have horns or not. Just dinner. This is why I haven't pursued buying any polled stock. I selling my over flow at the best prices that the market in MY area will handle. I sell alot of sheep because I don't use chemicals and feed only Alfalfa. So they are pure and chemical free. This brings me business that would have simply gone to the weekly auction and bought sheep there for $15 to $20 a head. My neighbor raises pure Dorpher sheep. She gets the same for her lambs. Occasionally, she will be "offered" more for breeding stock. She paid over $300 for her sire ram. Took his entire first lambing to make it back. So, you have to realize that the region has alot to do with the price of lamb on the hoof. Now, I am sure in Colorado your market is totally different. Your economic level is different. Your ethnic persuasion is different. And availability and market saturation is different. This allows you to command a prime price for your product. As a note, I was offered $350 for my herd sire. Only because he is now 4 years old and has one heck of a rack of horns. But, I just couldn't see him hanging on someone's wall. Bobbie http://www.rams-head-ranch.net =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list (http://www.awrittenword.com/listserv/index.html). 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 To search the archives, go to http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
