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I have always had a soft spot for sheep. My first "sheep" experience was with two tiny lambs that had been twins who had been rejected by their mother. A very nice lady gave the lambs to us with the understanding that they would be a great 4-H project for our boys. Itsy was a small sickly ram, and Bitsy (pictured left) was a healthy little ewe. **Note** Bitsy is not a babydoll sheep. For the first few months of their lives, they lived in a sectioned off corner of the kitchen and bottle fed twice a day. After the weather began to warm, we moved them outside. Itsy never really recovered, and died of a respiratory infection when he was about four months old. Bitsy was devestated. Sheep do not do well as singles, and she was lost. She decided that I made an adequate "companion". She became attached to me, and I to her.
When I began researching "investment animals", I wanted to become involved in a project that had a positive ending. I knew myself well enough to know that I would become too attached to breed slaughter animals. I read an article in the Small Farm Today Magazine about Olde English "Baby Doll" Miniature Southdown Sheep. I knew immediately that these wonderful sheep would make a perfect investment project for me. I began reading everything I could find on these sheep. The more I read, the more excited I got.
Lizzie (pictured right) and Butch (pictured left) came to live with us in October of 1997. Although they had been raised as breeding stock, it was only a matter of a week or so, and I had them literally eating out of my hand. These are very gentle animals, and make wonderful pets. Even the rams are quite docile. As a matter of fact, many castrated males are sold to petting zoos.
The lambs, when born, are only 9-13 inches tall. The mothers rarely have trouble giving birth and they often have twins and occasionally triplets. The secret to making the perfect "pet" lamb, I am told, is to let the mom nurse them for about two weeks and then switch them over to a bottle so they can bond with humans.
These sheep make wonderful 4-H projects because of their small size and gentle nature. They are excellent weeders for organic growers since they are grass grazers and do not bother girdling trees or shrubs. They are a good source of organic fertilizer. They are some times used for "pet therapy" with special needs children and handicapped or elderly adults.
Another aspect of these sheep is their wool. It is graded in the same class as cashmere. Some spinners have stated that Baby Dolls have the finest wool, with the most softness and insulating qualities of any of the English breeds. They are sheared once a year, producing three to four pounds of wool per sheep.Number of visitors since December 3,1997
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