Use : American Blackbelly sheep are exceedingly easy to manage for and require no shearing or tail docking . As a hair sheep breed , they are much more worm - resistant than woolen breeds and are often kick upstairs without deworming pills or vaccinations . ( A vet should be consulted regarding parasite mastery . ) Ewes lamb without assistance and do well on lower - quality forage . For these reasonableness , they ’re a good selection for new sheep keepers . In addition , rams with undischarged racks of horns are prized by prize hunting watch and secret plan rancher . in the first place a meat sheep , American Blackbellies yield a very lean and mild carcass pop with ethnic and grassfed , all - natural recess markets .
account : American Blackbelly sheep are a composite breed created by crossing the Barbados Blackbelly with the Mouflon and the Rambouillet . The crossbreed occurred because breeders wanted to increase the carcass sizing of the small Barbados Blackbelly , and they require the random memory to have a stand of horn . The cross was called Corsican or Barbado . It did not increase the carcase size , but it did establish magnificent trump on the ram , causing it to be the first sheep supply to the 1976 hunters ’ trophy account book in Texas . A lot of confusion survive between American Blackbelly sheep and Barbados Blackbelly sheep , to the extent that Barbados Blackbelly sheep almost became extinct in the U.S. because multitude prove American Blackbelly sheep persisted in calling them by the purebred name . Recognizing that the term “ Barbado ” did not adequately define the feature that breeders sought , the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep Association International build a separate breed standard in 2004 and defined animal run into this standard as “ American Blackbelly . ”
Conformation : Because of the American Blackbelly sheep ’s contraband facial bars and strike fatal belly and leg scoring , it ’s one of the most exotic - face sheep breeds in the U.S. Ewes fair 24 to 28 column inch tall at the withers ; rams average 30 to 32 inches . At matureness , Ewe weigh 75 to 95 pound ; rams weigh 110 to 140 pound . The rams are reknowned for their massive rack of horns , with curls of 30 inches or larger in the more ripe sheep . American Blackbelly sheep have a hair ( not wool ) coat , with the potential difference in colder clime to grow a woolly-haired undercoat that sheds in the bound . The coating color may vary from lite fawn to reddish brownish but should have no white on it except for the episodic blanched tip on the tail . Because of the sheep ’s Mouflon bloodline , Aries the Ram may demonstrate a lighter - non-white “ saddle . ”
Special Considerations / Notes : Blackbelly shep are bred year - round , unlike most of the wooled sheep strain . They are fertile at 4 months and regularly twin . Although they are a slow - growing sheep breed , they lamb twice in 18 month at times of the year that tally to market demand for lamb meat .
American Blackbelly sheep are comparatively cheap , and shepherd ’s toll will be minimal because the strain does n’t require shearing or eminent - quality grass . The sheep can be a challenge to deal because they startle easily and rise like deer . With gentle and patient handling , they ’ll cursorily become accustomed to the farm ’s routine .
