[Blackbelly] bottle babies

[Nancy Tom Richardson]

Yes to Barbs love of her bottle baby.!!! I raise around 25 - 30 babies each 
year. Some are blackbelly crosses and some jacobs but all are loveable. Alot 
of them go to homes wanting pets etc. The ones we keep are certainly pest 
according to my husband. He has trouble feeding since they are always under 
foot thinking they should be feed by hand and then loved. They never want to 
let him threw the gates with the truck without getting out and following him 
to the house.  As far as loosing  lambs unexpectedly we did the same last 
winter. My husband hung an uncut bale string over a fence. Next morning he 
found a baby hanging there. Why it climbed up on the fence and got its head 
in the string  is unknown. We normally always cut the strings on the bales 
and put them back in the truck but for some reason this one wasn't.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE OUT THERE!  Nancy  Tom 

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Re: [Blackbelly] Prolific?

[Barb Lee]

Mark,
Thanks for the input...what I'm aiming at is sort of a feeding issue, as 
opposed to a timing issue...The reason I ask is because of some text in 
a book on forage-based sheep raising, which puts the prolific breeds 
such as Finnsheep which have large litters, into the same feeding 
requirements of dairy type animals in that they require great amounts of 
high quality feed to support many little bodies at one time.

This gentleman does not think that litter-ing breeds are as successful 
in an all grass-based program because their nutritional requirements are 
so high.  He is also in Canada where the grass season is shorter.

I know all-grass (including legumes) forage based dairying is possible 
but it is highly management intensive and frequently highly seasonal. 
So if sheep are prolific on a many mouths to feed at one time versus 
a few mouths to feed many times, pushing for too many lambs in litters 
could significantly alter the success of a program that relied primarily 
on grass. (Grass farming is said to be a knowledge based farming 
system.) Something to think about for those of us who are interested in 
raising the sheep for the grassfed market.

Barb

- Original Message - 
From: The Wintermutes [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Prolific?


I interpret prolificacy for the Blackbelly as capable of lambing three 
times
 in two years with around five lambs.  Outstanding ewes can twin every 
 time.
 But normal ewes usually single in the more challenging months.

 The Finnsheep and Romanov typically lamb two times in two years with 
 around
 five or six lambs.

 So if you lamb every eight months the Blackbelly are prolific.  If you 
 lamb
 only once a year they are less prolific?  Maybe precocious is a better 
 word
 than prolific for the Blackbelly.

 I am aiming for more than a 200% lambing rate.  I'm not really aiming 
 for
 triplets as much as avoiding singles.

 Mark Wintermute

 -Original Message-
 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of 
 Barb Lee
 Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 6:12 PM
 To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info
 Subject: [Blackbelly] Prolific?

 Do folks out there generally feel that blackbellies fall into the
 prolific category, with such breeds as Finnsheep?  That would mean
 producing pretty good sized litters (3-5) on a regular basis.  Or do 
 we
 tend to think of them more as out of season breeders that are fairly
 reliable twinners.  I'm not thinking of one or two outstanding
 individuals, but tendencies of any flock to produce large litters of
 lambs.  I'd also be curious for curiosity's sake, whether folks are
 going out of their way to produce triplets +

 Thanks,
 Barb Lee


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[Blackbelly] Large litters versus regular twins with quick breed-back

[Mary Swindell]

Barb,

I agree with Chris B. and Mark W. in that I would prefer ewes who 
give reliable twins on a regular basis, and who are strong and 
healthy (and fertile) enough to breed back quickly, rather than ewes 
who tend to give triplets.  In my opinion, triplets are more worry 
than the extra lamb is worth, because as someone else said, usually 
one of the trips is just a little smaller and usually cause for at 
least slight concern.  Also I agree that the nutrition required for a 
mom with triplets is greater during that first 2 or 3 month period, 
which throws off your attempt to support your livestock on a 
consistent grassfed basis.

So I I think it is better to select for consistent healthy twinning 
on a many times per year basis, rather than large (triplet) 
litters.  I have a few ewes who give consistent triplets, and I find 
myself not looking forward to those births.  But when I see a large 
healthy, uniform sized set of twins, I always breathe a sigh of 
relief, and feel confident that they and their mother will be fine on 
whatever forage I have to offer.

Mary Swindell

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