Procedure for Purchasing Sheep:
If you would like to be put on my list for 2012 lambs, this is how it works:
- "The List" Contact me at Mail@MyLittleSheep.com as early as possible to be placed on "The List". In the spring (lambing season), I will start working down the list to clarify what types (ewe, ram, wether, color, etc.) and how many lambs are wanted. As the lambs are born, the deposit will be requested (50% of cost). It will need to be received within two weeks of the request, or the lambs will be offered to the next person on the list. (If this happens to you, I will place your name at the bottom of the list. So it does not necessarily mean you won't be able to get lambs, but it does decrease your odds.) If a deposit has been paid and I end up being unable to provide the lamb, your deposit will be refunded in entirety.
- Registration The ewe and ram lambs will be registered with the Olde English Babydoll Southdown registry (Mr. Mock's registry) AND the NABSSAR registry (all of our breeding sheep are double-registered). The wethers are not registered unless requested (and will increase the price to cover my additional cost). By having your lamb double-registered, you can choose to go with either registry, or both...giving you the most options. (For more information about the two registries, see the "Useful Links" page.)
- Health Issues All lambs will have had their tails docked (banded) their first week. They will be current with their CD&T vaccinations. They will have a scrapie tag in an ear for identification and to meet transporting requirements (I use the smallest, most inconspicuous tag available). They will be dewormed the day they are picked up. Their hooves will be trimmed.
- Transportation If they are to be transported across state lines, the lambs will need a veterinarian exam and health certificate. I will have this done and the fee is included in the cost, but any additional required testing specific to your state is the responsibility of the buyer at the buyer's expense. If you are not sure which tests are required to import sheep to your state, please ask your local veterinarian. Click here for a website that also may be helpful with state to state transportation. Typically, the health certificate is only good for 30 days so if your plans change to pick up your lamb, you will responsible for paying for another exam if that is necessary. We do not allow our sheep to be shipped by plane so other arrangements will need to be made. Also, if transporting in the back of a pickup, a cover over the pen (such as a tarp) is needed to provide shade from the sun and shelter from the wind. Most buyers transport the lambs inside their vehicles using one of the larger dog crates, which works very well.
- Timing We time our lambing to start around the first of April. Since we like to give our lambs the best opportunity for a healthy, happy, natural start in life, we leave them with their mothers until they are at least 8 weeks of age (weaning age). Most lambs leave for their new homes in June or early July.
- Bottle Lambs I do not sell bottle lambs before they are 8 weeks old. Although they are very labor-intensive to raise, I would rather have a healthy 8 week-old leave here for their new home, than a broken-hearted person calling me with tragic news. If you want a lamb that has been a bottle baby, that may be possible, but the lamb will not have been raised as a "house pet". They continue to live with the flock. Also, some of my most friendly adult sheep were not bottle babies...so you can be assured that the time you spend interacting with your new lamb is of much more importance.
- Other Important Considerations We reserve the right to decide to not sell a sheep for any reason. Our sheep are not sold for meat. Since they are a flock animal, if an individual is purchased it needs to "go home" to a flock or at least one other sheep. A wether (neutered male) is an ideal companion! The other sheep does not need to be a Babydoll, but does need to be a sheep (a goat is a very different animal).
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