Frequently Ask Questions ...
(work in progress)

What is the gestation period of Blackbelly Barbados Sheep?

Where can I find a gestation chart?

What is your ideal fence?

How does Palmer Farm deal with internal and external parasites?

What is Diatomaceous Earth (DE)?

How does Palmer Farm dispense DE to our sheep.

How do I contact the BBSAI (Blackbelly Barbados Sheep Association International)


What is the gestation period of Blackbelly Barbados Sheep?

The gestation period on Blackbelly Barbados sheep range from 151 to 153 days.

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What is your ideal fence?

  1. 4' woven wire with two strands of barbed wire 6" apart at the top -- so that would give you a 5'fence.
  2. 5' woven wire fence
  3. If you were still concerned that your sheep might jump that, make the fence of 5' woven wire with two strands of barbed wire 6" apart at the top -- so that would give you a 6' foot fence.

4' woven wire with two strands of barbed wire 6" apart at the top -- so that would give you a 5'fence.

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How does Palmer Farm deal with internal and external parasites?

If you ask this question of every breeder the answers would range from one extreme to the other.  The best way to learn how to deal with parasite problems for your sheep is to talk to your local vet.  See if parasites are a problem in your geographic area and how you should treat them.

Here in our area the parasites are bad.  We feed a grain pellet with DE and also treat our sheep with Ivomec Plus at a rate of 1cc per 100 pounds as often as necessary.  Sometimes during the spring, summer, and fall we may have to treat them as much as every 3 to 6 weeks.  It seems that the spring lambs are the most vulnerable to suffering from a heavy parasite load.

Charles Beam, the president and one of the founders of the Blackbelly Barbados Sheep Association International, attended a seminar about parasite control and gave a report to the BBSAI members.  Click HERE to see this report.

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What is Diatomaceous Earth (DE)?

DIATOMACEOUS EARTH, DE, is the skeletal remains of fresh or salt water diatoms consisting of mostly silica, a little aluminum, sodium and iron and lots of trace minerals, including some that are rare. Natural DE is dug from the earth, ground into a powder and sold as an anti-caking agent for stored foods and grains, a natural insecticide, and a natural food supplement for pets and livestock. It is approved by the USDA to be used in food up to 2% of the food volume. Swimming pool or filter DE on the other hand has been calcined (partially melted) and often chemically treated. It is dangerous to breathe because of the high level of chrystaline silica and has no use for anything other than in filters.

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How does Palmer Farm dispense DE to our sheep.

In addition to the DE in the grain feed pellet, we combine a loose sheep mineral mixture with DE at a 50/50 ratio that we offer free choice to our sheep.

You can add DE to any sheep feed at a rate of 2%.  We add about 1 to 2 Tablespoons of DE to each cup of feed.

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How do I contact the BBSAI (Blackbelly Barbados Sheep Association International).

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