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 Basic Care Requirements for Babydoll Southdown Sheep:
The following are some typical requirements for successful sheep raising
(from the North American Babydoll Sheep Association and Registry--known
as NABSSAR):
- A 3-sided shelter to protect sheep and lambs from rain, sleet,
snow. or wind;
- About an acre of good, improved grass pasture per 5 ewes and
their lambs, and good predator-proof fencing; possibly a Livestock
Guardian Dog, or guard donkey or guard Llama;
- One or more good general sheep husbandry books such as
Storey's Guide to Sheep Raising and Laura Sawson's Lambing
Problems and Managing Your Ewe;
- The dedication to get outside twice a day to check on
the sheep and to feed and water as necessary;
- A place for storage of hay and grain;
- Hoof trimmers, hand shears, halters, buckets, and a
sheep-specific, loose salt mineral supplement;
- Periodic hoof trimming, deworming, shearing and yearly
vaccinations are standard care;
- If you take the time to regularly handle your sheep they will
easily tame down, walk on leashes, and enjoy socializing with
people.
A few additional notes I have are these:
- Clean, fresh water should always be available.
- The loose salt mineral supplement should be specifically for
sheep. That means it will not contain copper which is toxic to
sheep. If you keep other animals with your sheep, it is
important that you keep their mineral supplement unavailable to the
sheep. Also, grain can contain higher levels of copper, so
check any grain your sheep may have access to.
- To give a rough idea of frequency: Shearing: 1 time a
year; Hoofs inspected/trimmed: 3 times a year; Wormed: approx.
3 times/year based on your conditions; CD&T shot: yearly in adults.
Consulting your veterinarian is always a good idea to determine what
is appropriate for your area and your conditions.
- If you ever see green colored flies on
or near your sheep--especially many of them bothering an individual,
check for fly strike! This was my first and only real "crisis"
with my sheep this far. (They made it through just fine, but
fly-strike does kill sheep and is nothing to ignore.) I use
UltraBoss preventatively for external parasites.
- Pregnant ewes should not be wormed
with Valbazen.
- Never feed molded hay.
- Babydolls are easy-keepers and require only grass or good
quality hay and a sheep salt mineral for maintenance. We
hand-feed grain as a little treat occasionally, but they do not get
grain regularly other than during the last few weeks of pregnancy
and during lactation.
- Since they are a flock animal, they should always be kept with
at least one other sheep.
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