Re: [blackbelly] Sort of new to Barbado's
Hey Dana, Tonight we cooked a deboned rump roast of an American Blackbelly lamb for some friends. They raved over it! After removing the bone, put cut up fresh garlic and chopped parsley in the boned cavity with salt and pepper and then tie the roast with cord to make a cylinder. Put more garlic and parsley into slits cut into the roast. Then cook it in an open roasting pan at 400 degrees until well done and ENJOY. Jerry - Original Message - From: "DANA CLICKENGER" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 12:50 PM Subject: [blackbelly] Sort of new to Barbado's >I live in Southern Idaho and currently have 4 Blackbelly's". I have read > that they are not grown comercially due to their slow growth weight and > since they are "hair" sheep, fiber is out as well. > Are most of you raising them as a hobby? > Thanks for your feedback. > Dana > > > ___ > This message is from the blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] market for sheep skulls
- Original Message - From: "Johnson, Oneta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 10:19 AM Subject: Re: [blackbelly] market for sheep skulls >I use eBay a lot. Get a lot of my horse equipment, college books, etc. > there. I also sell some. I use Papal only to buy and sell. You have a > safety net that way. They will take care of you. I have had to file one > time through pay pal and they got it fixed. I have never sold a skull > though. For one thing, how do you clean it up. I will be butchering one > here pretty soon and was going to let them toss it. Now I will keep it > and the rug too. > > Now my question is. How do I clean the skull and how do I prepare the > hide to ship for tanning. I also need some places that do tanning. I do > not think we have any here in Oklahoma. Everyone I talked to said they > ship or do it themselves. Any ideas. OJ in OK > > Oneta Johnson > McLoud Telephone Company > Data Entry/CSR > > Don't tell GOD what to do, just report for duty! > ___ > This message is from the blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] inbreeding
My little flock now has second generation ewes in it. Does one have to change rams every year? Or can one have two flocks, each with a mature ram, and alternate generations between the two flocks? Thanks for your information, Jerry ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] inbreeding
Carol, Thanks for the article and your help. I see from the tables how that works. However, I assume that table's foundation ewes B, C, D, and E are not related. Mine are all half-sisters. But from your nice article, I can plan how to proceed in a similar manner using the half-sisters (it's just like starting from the second generation in your table with a non-related ram), I think. I will draw up generational tables in like manner. Thanks, Jerry Picayune, MS - Original Message - From: "Carol Elkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 11:23 AM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] inbreeding > Jerry, > > You might want to download a copy of my article "How to Grow Your > Flock with Only One Ram" at > http://www.critterhaven.biz/info/articles/1_ram.htm The American > Livestock Breed Conservancy allowed me to rewrite a chapter in their > Conservation Handbook to make it easier to understand and specific > for blackbelly sheep. It describes how to create three separate > bloodlines using one ram. You may not want to maintain three separate > bloodlines, but the information in the article will help you > understand inbreeding and linebreeding and will give you some options > for how to rotate your ram and his sons through your flock. > > Minimally, one will need space for a ram paddock, a ewe paddock, and > a breeding paddock (not contiguous with either of the other two). The > breeding paddock is where you move the selected ram and ewes for 35 > days to breed. The paddock can revert back to regular sheep space > after breeding. > > Carol > > At 09:19 PM 8/5/2007, you wrote: >>My little flock now has second generation ewes in it. Does one have >>to change rams every year? Or can one have two flocks, each with a >>mature ram, and alternate generations between the two flocks? > > Carol Elkins > Critterhaven--Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep > (no shear, no dock, no fuss) > Pueblo, Colorado > http://www.critterhaven.biz > T-shirts, mugs, caps, and more at the > Barbados Blackbelly Online Store > http://www.cafepress.com/blackbellysheep > > ___ > This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium
I have enjoyed reading all these posts on nutrition, but they make me feel very inadequate. Am I not treating my blackbellies well? I simply put them out to pasture, fertilize once in the summer and again in the late fall when I put out my winter rye. They get granulated mineral ad lib and nothing else. I monitor their droppings for eggs and their load is light so I do not worm them and they lamb every 7 or 8 months, but I have not yet had any twins. I have trained them to a feed bucket and a vocal call, but they get a taste of the feed bucket only maybe once a month. They are a joy to have and to watch but require very little maintenance in my part of the country, if one is satisfied with single births. Jerry Picayune, Mississippi - Original Message - From: "Barb Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 7:05 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium > Thanks Shel! > > This sounds like a keen interest for you too! > > Our sulphur levels in the feed are averaging around 0.11 mg. I am > going > to be adding a horse product called "Gen-A-Horse" to the sheeps' feed > which is biotin, another sulphur bearing compound, and zinc > methionine. > I may have the sulphur dilemma nailed! > > Reading more, I guess that sulphur isn't a common supplement because a > lot of drinking water contains sulphates and some byproduct type feeds > are also high in sulphur, so apparently excess is more of a problem > than > deficiency. > > Barb > > - Original Message - > From: "Asylum Farm" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: > Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 4:08 PM > Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium > > >> Barb- if I remember correctly, to supplement sulfur you should >> ideally >> add methionine. And the requirements were that 0.4mg was an >> acceptable level. >> >> Shel >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Looking for last minute shopping deals? >> Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. >> http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping >> >> ___ >> This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list >> Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info >> >> > > > ___ > This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium
Stephanie, I use a relative count for eggs. I use one cover slip to count from a solution made with 3 grams of droppings (fiascofarm.com). I count only that one cover slip portion and usually find 8 - 15 eggs of various types. I look for diarrhea and listen for coughing and general appearance and behavior. Not a serious examination, but I just look at them several times a day as I go about my business on the farm (we farm blueberries). We do rotate pasture and we try to keep the grass rather high (about 3 inches) but we cannot always do that when we have periods of drought. We will occasionally put a cow in the vacant pasture, but only to get the cow (we have one longhorn) out of a pasture we are working on. We have only had our blackbellies for two and one half years and been through three lambings. There have been no problems with the sheep. We currently have 14 sheep on about 3 acres of pasture. After another round of lambing we will open up another 4 acres of pasture for them. Being inexperienced with sheep, I really don't know what are proper animal/pasture ratios with our crude type of pasture management (not at all scientific...just a what does it look like? type of analysis). My plan is to increase the flock to a size where either (1) we can easily just keep the grass up or (2) we can just sell enough lambs to maintain the flock size, whichever comes first. Aside from the winter rye, our pasture grass is what came up naturally after we cut and dug out the pines. Maybe we are having just dumb luck so far. Jerry Picayune, MS - Original Message - From: "Stephanie Parrish" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 10:06 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium > Jerry, > > To what do you attribute your sheeps' low fecal egg counts? Are the > sheep grazed with other species? Do you rotate their pastures? Are > there just a few animals on a lot of pasture? I'd love to know how > you > manage this, as most people in the SE tend to have more problems with > parasites in their sheep. I know that we have had a few more problems > with parasites here in SC than we did further north in MD. > > Stephanie Parrish > Westminster, SC > > On Dec 15, 2007, at 8:34 PM, blueberryfarm wrote: > >> I have enjoyed reading all these posts on nutrition, but they make me >> feel very inadequate. Am I not treating my blackbellies well? I >> simply >> put them out to pasture, fertilize once in the summer and again in >> the >> late fall when I put out my winter rye. They get granulated mineral >> ad >> lib and nothing else. I monitor their droppings for eggs and their >> load >> is light so I do not worm them and they lamb every 7 or 8 months, but >> I >> have not yet had any twins. I have trained them to a feed bucket >> and >> a >> vocal call, but they get a taste of the feed bucket only maybe once a >> month. They are a joy to have and to watch but require very little >> maintenance in my part of the country, if one is satisfied with >> single >> births. >> >> Jerry >> Picayune, Mississippi >> >> - Original Message - >> From: "Barb Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: >> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 7:05 PM >> Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium >> >> >>> Thanks Shel! >>> >>> This sounds like a keen interest for you too! >>> >>> Our sulphur levels in the feed are averaging around 0.11 mg. I am >>> going >>> to be adding a horse product called "Gen-A-Horse" to the sheeps' >>> feed >>> which is biotin, another sulphur bearing compound, and zinc >>> methionine. >>> I may have the sulphur dilemma nailed! >>> >>> Reading more, I guess that sulphur isn't a common supplement because >>> a >>> lot of drinking water contains sulphates and some byproduct type >>> feeds >>> are also high in sulphur, so apparently excess is more of a problem >>> than >>> deficiency. >>> >>> Barb >>> >>> - Original Message - >>> From: "Asylum Farm" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> To: >>> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 4:08 PM >>> Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Selenium >>> >>> >>>> Barb- if I remember correctly, to supplement sulfur you should >>>> ideally >>>> add methionine. And the requirements were that 0.4mg was an >>>> acceptable level. >>>> >>>> Shel >>>> >>>
[Blackbelly] Jumping Sheep
How high can these critters jump? We have had severe weather the last few days with much thunder and lightning. One young ewe (7 months) has appeared outside my fence 3 times in the last two days (the same ewe on each occasion). The last time, there was no weather disturbance that might have scared her. I walked the entire fence and find no holes. There is one section of the fence that is only about 3 feet high, the rest being 5 feet. Do I have a particularly athletic ewe? Jerry Picayune, MS - Original Message - From: "The Wintermutes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 8:34 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Lamb Thieves >I have lost about 15 lambs. A coyote might account for a couple of >those. > There is no way I can look at around 200 lambs and tell that one is > missing. > I believe they are being stolen late at night roughly once a month. > > Mark > > > > > Mark, > > Holy cow...that's awful and it would be so easy for someone to make > off with > > one or two and it would be hard to notice. > > We have watch dogs on all sides of the sheep, plus motion detector > lights > and elec fencing. In your case I would ad video cameras if possible. > > Happy New Year to you, too. > > Beth Stamper > Sierra Luna Blackbelly Sheep > Powell Butte, OR > > > > ___ > This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Can anyone HELP me with my new Lamb?
Hey Jody, You have a real Blackbelly on your hands. They are very flighty and can jump quite high if spooked. But if you start with a bucket of sweet feed, you can win her over in due time. Always use the same bucket or bucket style and your sheep will come to it when they see. If you will call your sheep while you feed them and show them the bucket, soon they will come at your call, if you use a distinctive call every time. I call "Yoohoo sheep, yoohoo sheep!" now, without the bucket and they will come running and I can lead them to a new paddock or pasture with ease. Good luck with your ewe and her crew. You will enjoy them, both in the field and on the table. Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, MS - Original Message - From: "GARLAND STAMPER" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 2:55 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Can anyone HELP me with my new Lamb? Hi Jody, Don't despair...you new little one will just take some patience on your part. If possible, put the goat and lamb in a very small enclosure or stall for a couple of weeks so you can interact with Lammie. I tamed my very first 4 month old ram that way. He lived in the chicken house til we acquired some sheep to go with him later. I'd just sit on a bucket and watch him eat his hay and then started tempting him with kale leaves and cut grasses. It didn't take too long to win him over. Amazingly, he was always respectful, even later as a mature ram. Almost all of my sheep are bucket trained now. I can let them out of their pen and they will follow me wherever I want by just following the little bucket of grain. Believe me...it comes in handy to have them do this when you need to catch the whole flock for shots or to trim feet. We do all of that in an enclosed stall or barn isle. Just be careful always with blackbelly sheep or any of the primitive breeds. I think they should be called "flying sheep"!! Beth in central OR Sierra Luna Am. Blackbelly Sheep Powell Butte, OR PS You might want to get Lammie another lamb friend down the road as they are such strong flockers. Just tame the first one first. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Blackbellies Settling In
- Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 3:28 PM Subject: [Blackbelly] Blackbellies Settling In Hello everyone, Thanks for the warm welcome. My little flock is settling in nicely. They are calmer today and not so scared. Their arrival at our farm Sunday night was uneventful, as we just left them on board the truck (with water & they had rode home on a bale of hay)until Monday morning. The newcomers caused all of the livestock around the house to stir though, as soon as they were unloaded and penned. It was very comical on both sides of the fences. The lambs had certainly not seen anything but other sheep, herding dogs and a cat before. They we scared. Immediately they had to be inspected upclose by our dairy(nurse)cow and her three calves. Then our horses caught sight of them, and they had to come in from the field for an upclose look. I am glad that Jack and I and my son had followed Carol's advice and laid cattle panels over both ends of their pens...the poor babies thought they would be eaten for sure when those three giant horses came to look over the fence at them. It was really a funny thing to witness, we all laughed out loud! The flock will be exposed to all kinds of animals here! We have about 130 cow/calf pairs, steers, weanling calves, bottle babies, chickens, dogs (only one herding), cats (outside kitty has gone inside their pen numerous times to check them out up close), 3 horses and soon they will get their very own gelded donkey for a guardian. I am rambling on...sorry. They are all doing fine though and have settled down nicely! Thanks again for the welcome! Shawna ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Coyotes
We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes
Thanks for the info! Jerry - Original Message - From: "Harmon Belgard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:48 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Coyotes Sorry to hear about your ewe. I have been raising sheep for a number of years in an area where there are a lot of coyotes. I have never lost one of my sheep to a coyote. I use the Great Pyrenees. I would suggest that you get a well bred dog from working stock. The ram will not provide any protection. --- On Wed, 9/10/08, blueberryfarm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: blueberryfarm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Blackbelly] Coyotes To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 11:19 AM We are primarily blueberry farmers, but started with American Blackbellies about two years ago and have two small flocks of about a dozen animals each. Coyotes have been stealing my neighbor's chickens one by one. A couple of weeks ago we found a dead ewe with her rear eaten out. We are regularly seeing and hearing the coyotes now and a neighbor saw a couple of pups a few days ago. The word around here is that the fox hunting club brought in some coyotes to hunt and they are now running all over the county; we had not seen or heard of any until this year. I have 4 foot field fencing around all five of my small sheep pastures, each about one+ acres. I understand that a coyote can sail over a four foot fence, but I have not yet seen one in any of the pastures. I have read that donkeys, llamas, and Great Pyrenees dogs are good at protecting the sheep. What are your experiences with any of these? Is an adult ram a good protector? I have a young ram (about 10 months) in with the flock where the ewe was killed and adult ram with the other flock. Your advice in dealing with coyotes and guardian animals or other protection methods will be most apprciated. Eat more blueberries! Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] lamb died right after birth
I watched a young ewe give birth to her first lamb a couple of days ago. It took her over an hour. To my inexperienced eye, everything seemed to go OK: ewe pushing hard, head first birth, momma licking all the mucus from her lamb, lamb struggling to get up, but then less and less struggling and finally death. The little ewe lived about 45 minutes after birth and never made it to her feet. Is there something I could/should have done? Did I miss some clue? Should I have lifted her to her feet? I watched the whole affair from about 100 feet with binoculars. Relative with my experience with dogs, it all seemed quite normal. All my other lambs have been born without complications and out of my sight. I would appreciate any suggestions. Jerry Pearl River County in south Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] lamb died right after birth
Thanks everyone for the advice. Next time I help the ewe. Jerry - Original Message - From: "Bonnie Chandler" To: Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 2:47 AM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] lamb died right after birth Another thing you can do is if it is too weak to drink milk on its own you should get something warm into it, either milk some colostrum from the mother and tube feed it or use one of those lamb picker-uppers like Nutridrench. You can also dry it with a hair dryer and/or put it under a heat lamp to help it get warm faster. If it was weak to start with, it is less able to deal with being cold. My sheep don't mind my helping at all, even the ones that are quite shy. Right after lambing they become very amenable and don't try to run away. Bonnie - Original Message - From: "The Wintermutes" To: ; Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 8:44 AM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] lamb died right after birth I agree with Cecil, delivery should have been faster. Most of my sheep deliver their lambs without my presence. But if I am around and they go into labor I assist (unless my help is very obviously not needed). They usually do not like my being there but to bad! When I see hooves I move in and pull the lamb gently out and downward. Then I clean the nose off well and leave as quickly as possible. If there is are twins/triplets they should be coming out within 30 minutes or so. Usually the twins/triplets do not need help once the first lamb has been born. There are always exceptions. There are also going to be lambs that just are not going to survive. For example, if your lamb was very small it might have been pre-mature with underdeveloped lungs. If you have a ewe laying down straining for any length of time after the water bag has broken it is time to reach into the ewe and help the lamb out. This is where it gets complicated: Is it a breach, is that a nose, is that a tail, do these two hooves go to the same lamb, I have a head but where are the legs??? Mark If the lamb was struggling in the birth canal for an hour that is too long. Assistance was required. My ewes will have triplets in less than 30 minutes. I would think the lamb died from stress/exhaustion. Sorry. Cecil in OKla blueberryfarm wrote: I watched a young ewe give birth to her first lamb a couple of days ago. It took her over an hour. To my inexperienced eye, everything seemed to go OK: ewe pushing hard, head first birth, momma licking all the mucus from her lamb, lamb struggling to get up, but then less and less struggling and finally death. The little ewe lived about 45 minutes after birth and never made it to her feet. Is there something I could/should have done? Did I miss some clue? Should I have lifted her to her feet? I watched the whole affair from about 100 feet with binoculars. Relative with my experience with dogs, it all seemed quite normal. All my other lambs have been born without complications and out of my sight. I would appreciate any suggestions. Jerry Pearl River County in south Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.1/1961 - Release Date: 02/19/09 18:45:00 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] lambs can't or won't suckle
A two year old ewe had twins night before last. She was enormous with bulging sides and a huge bag. I watched yesterday in the pasture and never saw the lambs suckle. I put them in the sheep barn last night and this morning she seems to avoid them. One of the lambs does not make any effort but both appear normal: they move well and follow momma. I watched for about 1/2 hour this morning and saw no suckling. Her udder is MUCH larger than any of the other ewes with twins. It looks very tight, as if it should be painful, but the ewe appears normal. As a neophyte, I don't know what to do. Should I try to express some milk? Should I restrain momma and try to get the lambs to suckle? I tried attaching a couple of photos for you to have a look, but the moderator kicked that back. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Jerry Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] more on Blackbelly lambs can't or won't suckle
I tried to express milk but could not. Her udder is neither firm nor lumpy and it doesn't appear inflammed. She did not seem senitive to palpation of the udder and she is active and feeding well. She has diarhhea. I gave her 300,000 units of penicillin. I will have to bottle feed the lambs. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help. Jerry Mississippi - Original Message - From: "The Wintermutes" To: Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:41 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] lambs can't or won't suckle Definitely try to express some milk. Also check her bag to make sure it is not unusually hard. It could be that that huge milk bag has no milk! We recently talked about OPP and "Hard Bag" here. This could be an example (or not). If the momma is rejecting the lambs then a stanchion to restrain her would be helpful. Just make sure the milk bag is proper. It could be that the momma knows that she is unable to care for these lambs. Mark Wintermute A two year old ewe had twins night before last. She was enormous with bulging sides and a huge bag. I watched yesterday in the pasture and never saw the lambs suckle. I put them in the sheep barn last night and this morning she seems to avoid them. One of the lambs does not make any effort but both appear normal: they move well and follow momma. I watched for about 1/2 hour this morning and saw no suckling. Her udder is MUCH larger than any of the other ewes with twins. It looks very tight, as if it should be painful, but the ewe appears normal. As a neophyte, I don't know what to do. Should I try to express some milk? Should I restrain momma and try to get the lambs to suckle? I tried attaching a couple of photos for you to have a look, but the moderator kicked that back. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Jerry Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] lambs won't or can't suckle
Thanks very much Mark, Bonnie, and Oneta for your ideas. I tried milk replacement yesterday and last night with a little success. I searched for a fetus (nothing), palapated the udder (no lumps or pain), tried to express milk (no luck), gave moma a penicilin shot (diarhhea), fed her fresh clover (she loved it), and prayed. This morning the lambs are bright and cheery, take a little bottle milk, and then they go and suckle moma! Go figure! Maybe this ewe just has an extraordinarily large udder and despite long observation I never saw any udder action until this morning. And maybe I am just a paronoid shepherd. I put them all out to pasture with the others. Thanks everyone. What a great forum. Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] band saw for meat
I use a hack saw (about $3), deicated to meat, to butcher my lambs. Being manual, it is difficult to hurt yourself. It cuts through bone with ease. Jerry Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, MS 39466 blueberryf...@bellsouth.net - Original Message - From: "Carla Amonson" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 6:50 PM Subject: [Blackbelly] band saw for meat We are switching to a raw meat and grain diet, I can forward the recipe if anyone would like it, but one thing that I was told was if you are going to feed raw meat, be sure to freeze it for 21 days to kill any worms, especially lamb/mutton as there are worms that are transferable from sheep to dog. We feed everyone raw bones, keeps them occupied over the winter. We hunt too, so they get moose, deer and elk and that is mostly what we are grinding for the dogs to eat-trimmings and waste off the wild meat. We use the sawall lots for cutting wild meat, works like a dream, and we de-bone everything, lamb as well, meat stores longer, takes up less freezer room and the meat doesn't get the funny taste from bone in that it can when frozen. (wild meat anyhow, we don't eat much domestic meat unless it is rabbit, homegrown chicken or lamb.) C Carla Amonson We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Guard Dogs
We lost a ewe this spring to coyotes so we bought an eight week old Great Pyrenees. I have been taking her (Greta) to the shed where I feed the sheep occasionally (they are pasture sheep) to acquaint her to the animals. I stand in the corner and let her hide behind me if she wants. The sheep are very interested in her and stare at her She will usually venture out after a few minutes and a couple of sheep will come up to her and touch noses. The first few times Greta licked the faces of several of them. But today one of the ewes ran up to her and butted her. I hope that didn't ruin her for guarding. She is now ten weeks old. I am training her to the usual commands (come, sit, stay). My question is about the transition process from puppy to adult guard dog. We have no grown guard dog to nurture her. Am I starting too early? Is there an established practice for the transition? I have looked on the web but so far found little help. Thanks for any advice. Jerry Kirby Windmill Farms Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Guard Dogs
We lost a ewe this spring to coyotes so we bought an eight week old Great Pyrenees. I have been taking her (Greta) to the shed where I feed the sheep occasionally (they are pasture sheep) to acquaint her to the animals. I stand in the corner and let her hide behind me if she wants. The sheep are very interested in her and stare at her She will usually venture out after a few minutes and a couple of sheep will come up to her and touch noses. The first few times Greta licked the faces of several of them. But today one of the ewes ran up to her and butted her. I hope that didn't ruin her for guarding. She is now ten weeks old. I am training her to the usual commands (come, sit, stay). My question is about the transition process from puppy to adult guard dog. We have no grown guard dog to nurture her. Am I starting too early? Is there an established practice for the transition? I have looked on the web but so far found little help. Thanks for any advice. Jerry Kirby Windmill Farms Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Guard Dogs
Thanks to all who helped me decide how to transition Greta to the sheep. I also searched various web sites and heard a lot of local stories about the pryenees and I must say there was not consensus about how to train her. For better or for worse this is what we are doing. I put her in an 8 by 10 shed/corral with a simple dog house, water, litter, and with a weanling black belly and a tub of low copper all stock feed and hay. I feed Greta twice a day and go in and love on her a couple of other times during the day. She and the weanling are getting on like litter mates. She is now 12 weeks old and how been in the corral for 4 days. In a couple of days I will put another weanling in with them and if all is well in a couple of weeks they will go into a small (1 acre) pasture with a couple more weanlings. Then after a couple of months, they will all go with the main flock. Thanks again for your help and thanks to whoever started the listserve (Carol?). It has been extremely informative and fun for me. Jerry Kirby Windmill Farms Picayune, Mississippi - Original Message - From: "blueberryfarm" To: Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 12:21 PM Subject: [Blackbelly] Guard Dogs We lost a ewe this spring to coyotes so we bought an eight week old Great Pyrenees. I have been taking her (Greta) to the shed where I feed the sheep occasionally (they are pasture sheep) to acquaint her to the animals. I stand in the corner and let her hide behind me if she wants. The sheep are very interested in her and stare at her She will usually venture out after a few minutes and a couple of sheep will come up to her and touch noses. The first few times Greta licked the faces of several of them. But today one of the ewes ran up to her and butted her. I hope that didn't ruin her for guarding. She is now ten weeks old. I am training her to the usual commands (come, sit, stay). My question is about the transition process from puppy to adult guard dog. We have no grown guard dog to nurture her. Am I starting too early? Is there an established practice for the transition? I have looked on the web but so far found little help. Thanks for any advice. Jerry Kirby Windmill Farms Picayune, Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] broken leg
Hey Everyone, A neighbor saw that one of my older ewes had her left front leg hung up in a bush on which she was feeding and when she was released the leg was broken just below the knee.. I splintered it with a padded piece of PVC pipe split longitudinally and wrapped with an Ace bandage. The pipe extends from just below her hoof to about 6 inches above her knee. I put her in a small pen with water, hay, and sweet feed. It has now been 4 weeks since her accident and she looks fine, is eating well but puts no weight on her injured leg. My question is how long should the splint stay on? I am thinking about 6 weeks, then leaving her in the pen for another 2 weeks before releasing her back to the pastures. Thanks for your suggestions. Jerry Windmill Farms Picayune, MS ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Growth Rate for American Blackbelly Sheep
Fellow Shepherds, I have 5 ABB wethers that were born in February. Their weights now range between 34 and 53 pounds. They have always been pasture fed, except for some occasional sweet feed to keep them trained to the bucket. Do you'll experience similar variation in growth weights? Are these weights in the normal range for 9-10 month wethers? I appreciate your comments. Jerry Kirby Windmill Farms LLC Picayune, MS ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] An all black blackbelly lamb
One of our older ewes had twins yesterday. One of them is typically colored, the other, a ram lamb, is completely black except for a patch of dark brown on both shoulders. He is very striking in appearance. I may keep him as a novelty. Do any of you experience an occasional lamb with such markings? Jerry South Mississippi ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
