Barbados Blackbelly Sheep PDF Print E-mail
Uniqueness of the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep

The BBS are unique among sheep breeds in the World in the following ways.
1. They are a hair sheep and produce no wool.
2. They are highly prolific producing three lambs per litter on average (The record is eight in a litter.)
3. They lamb at all times of the year and are not seasonal like their woolly cousins
4. They lamb twice in thirteen months on average.
5. The meat is very low in fat (a major problem in Temperate Sheep)
6. The meat is flavorful with none of the rankness found in mutton.
7. They are resistant to internal and external parasites.
8. They are extremely hardy and exist under near desert conditions.
9. They have been shown to gain weight at 0.5 lbs per day under feedlot conditions.
10. They are without doubt the King of Tropical Sheep

Breed Standard of the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep.

The standard for the breed are guides for selection based upon the sheep’s physical appearance and are as follows:

General Appearance: The first impression of a good Barbados Blackbelly Sheep is that of a noble animal, strong, alert, well-muscled and clean cut unlike its woolly cousins of the temperate world.

The sheep is as tall as it is long. It gives the impression of muscular fitness without any look of clumsiness or softness. The ideal sheep is stamped with a look of quality and nobility – difficult to define, but unmistakable when present.

Secondary characteristics are strongly marked in the adult. Thus clearly identifying the ram from the ewe at the first look.

Head:  The head is noble with a typical “roman” nose. The head of the ram is distinctly masculine and that of the ewe feminine. The muzzle is wide and strong with firm lips. The top of the nose and the lower jaw are coloured black. Incisor teeth must meet dental pad.

Ears:  The ears are pointed and when alert stick out from the side of the head parallel to the ground. The inside of the ears is black.

Eyes:  The eyes are brown in colour and almond shaped. A wide black mark runs from the base of the nose on each side to the crown of the head. Inverted eyelids are discriminated against.

Horning:  Both sexes are polled.

Neck:  The neck is strong and muscular, clean cut without loose folds of skin. Wattles are discriminated against. In the case of adult rams, a mane is present covering the neck down to the chest.

Forequarters:  The shoulders are laid on flat on both the upper arm and the shoulder blades are well muscled. The forelegs viewed from both sides are straight. The pasterns are strongly and stringy, as these sheep are known for their jumping ability. The forelegs are black from the knee down.

Feet:  The hooves should be well formed.

Body:  In rams the testicles should be well developed and have a scrotal circumference of not less than 28-30cm. Cryptorchids are undesirable and should be discriminated against. Ewes should have well-developed udders with no signs of mastitis, lumps, etc. Any tendency to “saddle back” or “away back” should be penalised.
Body Capacity:  Body capacity should be relatively large in relation to the size of the animal. The body should be deep and wide with well-sprung ribs.

Top Line:  The withers are higher than and sloping into a level back. The loin viewed from the top should be broad and strong. The croup should be long and gradually sloping. Short steep croups are to be discriminated against.

Tail:  The tail should be long, reaching to the hocks. It should fit harmoniously into the croup.

Coat:  The ideal Barbados Blackbelly Sheep has a coarse hair coat lying flat against the skin. There should be lots of lanolin to make the coat water repellent and to repel ticks and other ectoparasites. There should be no traces of wool.

Colour:  The colour is typical of the breed with blackbelly points. The colour on top of the back can vary from light fawn through brown to cherry red. There should be no black or white spots.