Raising Registered, Pure-Bred Barbados Blackbelly Sheep

History and Description of Barbados Blackbelly Sheep:

The Barbados Blackbelly breed originally developed on the West Indies island of Barbados from hair sheep brought in by African slave traders during the 1600s. In 1904, the USDA imported four ewes and a ram to Bethesda, Maryland. Offspring from those sheep, as well as BB sheep making their way into the U.S. from imports into South America and Mexico, established several “colonies” of BB sheep in the U.S. Some of these BB sheep were crossed in the southwest United States with horned Ramboulliet and Mouflan to create a horned version known informally as "barbado" and now officially known as American Blackbelly. The original polled (hornless) sheep as they appeared on the Island of Barbados are known as Barbados Blackbelly. Today a small group of dedicated breeders are committed to the preservation of this rare breed of original Barbados Blackbelly sheep. Barbados Blackbelly sheep are known for their excellent tender and mild meat quality, their ease of care, their resistence to disease and parasites, and their prolific all-season breeding and lambing. 


                                                                PHOTOS OF SHEEP LIVING ON OUR FARM!!