Anticipated lambs:

Keep reading… pricing and policies below…

I have my flock divided in 2 parts – Babydolls and Finn X Babydoll crosses. For the 2024 lambing season, 10 Babydoll ewes are being bred and as many as 18 lambs are estimated, approximately half black and half white.  For you fiber farmers (and lovers of extra friendly sheep), I am expecting around 30 of all colors and multiple percentages Finn and Babydoll.

Ultrasounds in early December helped identify pregnant ewes, number of lambs they are carrying, and anticipated lambing date. View the listing of breeding pairs by clicking here.

Observations on Babydoll x Finnsheep animals

The 50/50 crosses typically (exceptions abound) have just barely enough wool (= at least 2″ of wool each time) for 2 shearings per year. The 75% Finns can comfortably be shorn twice a year, if desired. If you need more than one income stream and are selling some lambs for slaughter, the 50% Finn were much heavier (more feed efficient) than the 75% or 88% Finn lambs at the end of the grazing season. The greater the Finn percentage the greater the tendency to browse tree branches and bark in addition to the leaves on trees. The greater the percentage Finn the more likely they are to breed out of season (September to January) – which can be good or bad.

The Finn and Finn cross rams are notoriously assertive breeders. My story from 2020 is Devon (50/50) who overcame 4 fences/gates/barriers to get to a ewe in heat. By the way… any lamb whose paternity is in question will receive a blood (DNA) test.

Placing your reservation – information to submit with deposit

If you are interested in lambs, submit your request, including your deposit of 50% of the purchase price, so you can be put on the reserved list. Indicate gender and color desired – specific ewe/ram pairing if you have a preference.  Another trait people have definite preferences on is the amount of wool around the eyes. Fuzzy faced (see Doris or Ivy as examples) or open/clear faced (e.g. Nina or Dayna)

I’ll notify you when there is a possible match or matches – most likely by April 15th.  Photos can be emailed for your inspection.

Learning opportunity!!:

Shearing day will be Sunday, March 17th, 2024 – probably around 9:00 a.m. This is an annual event open to prospective buyers. New shepherds often enjoy the learn-by-doing approach for sheep handling. We had a good time this year, as usual, and even had a couple of lambs available from some early breeding events to cuddle and coo over. 

Recommended starting flock composition: 

Like many Babydoll breeders I know, I don’t recommend breeding Babydoll ewes their first season.  (By contrast, Finn x Dolls are EXPECTED to lamb – even bear twins – their first season.) However, buying a ram right away means you will have another mower and won’t have to make another trip to pick up one animal. Just be ready to run separate flocklets from September through ~March to avoid mid-winter lambing. First year breeding results more frequently in difficult births in Babydolls and, reportedly, a dwarfing of the mother as she is still growing. (This did not happen with my LaNina, however, who got herself bred her first year.)

There are many combinations possible for non-related rams if you have (or plan) a mixed color flock – but just a few if you are going all white or all colored.  I always recommend getting a wether. The wether keeps the ram company during the time (Sep 1 through Oct ?) when the breeding stock is kept separate to prevent winter lambing dates.  The other benefits of wethers are: 1) they are the ultimate fiber animal without the variations in fiber thickness that can happen with the seasonal swings in hormones and activity seen in the rams and ewes, and 2) they tend to be the friendliest of the sheep and can be instrumental in leading the other flock members to locations of your choice. 

Pricing: NEW FOR 2024

Gender	Babydoll	Finn X Babydoll
Ewe lamb	$650	$500
Ram Lamb	$450	$350
Wether (castrated male)	$250	$200

This price differential is not because Finn x Dolls are less valuable as wool or meat producers – it’s just that there are more of them and the public is not as aware of their great personalities and wool! = a supply versus demand reality. I will discount the whole sale by 5% if 3 or more sheep are purchased by one buyer. This is because my efforts to get them segregated for inspection by the vet (if needed) and pick up are more efficient with multiple animals.

Examples of Minimum Flocks:

Finn x Doll: 2 ewe lambs, 1 ram + 1 wether = (500 + 500 + 350 + 200) x 95% = $1472.50 for the perfect starter flock!

For Babydolls: farms often start with 2 ewe lambs in year 1 then add 1 ram + 1 wether the 2nd year. If, however, fencing & facilities enable keeping the boys and girls separate AND/OR you live at a distance and don’t want to make the trip twice, you can start with the same starter flock as the Finn x Dolls. Note: if you want to have some of each color (black & white) it is slightly more difficult to arrange for a ram unrelated to both ewes, but it can be done. Ask me and place your reservation early.  

Deposits and Final Payments:

I will accept personal/farm checks for the initial deposit and these will be cashed when received.  For the final balance, cash or cashier’s check is expected... OR I can send an invoice through PayPal or Square, but must pass on the 3% surcharge to the buyer.

** Deposits can be submitted anytime and are what hold your place in line (= first come – first served policy).  Indicate your choice of breed, gender, color, and, if you are particular, mother’s name for each animal desired. I apologize for the redundancy, but it is sometimes necessary.

Timing of availability:

The first lambs are expected to arrive March 13th and those lambs will be ready to go to their new farms at around 8 weeks of age (~Mothers’ Day). I have extended the time I prefer to keep the lambs so the milk supply of the moms has reduced a bit, making drying them up at weaning less hard on them. I will make exceptions for 4Hers who may need to have their lambs in their possession by an earlier date.  Note** I am typically off-farm Mother’s Day weekend at Minnesota’s Shepherds Harvest sheep and wool event in Lake Elmo vending my wool. Don’t plan on picking them up that weekend. I am typically on farm afternoons during the week in addition to weekends, should that work better as a pick up time/date. 

Condition of lambs at transfer:

At that time sheep will be current on their vaccinations, have their Scrapies ear tag, their hooves trimmed, their tails docked, and, if wethers are desired, be castrated.  If the sheep will be taken across state lines, I will have a veterinarian-signed health certificate ready.  The sheep will be registered with NABSSAR or FBA (except for wethers) and I will submit them to the respective registry for ownership to be transferred. The reasoning is: NABSSAR, in particular, has made it less expensive to transfer animals, only members can transfer animals so it saves buyers one year’s membership, but also ensures records are as up to date as possible when I hand off the sheep.

Miscellaneous but important!:

Buyer is responsible for transportation.

Any Finn X Doll (cross bred) sheep that is 50% or more Finnsheep is eligible for registration with the Finnsheep Breeders Association and intact animals will be registered as appropriate. 

I will expect assurance that buyers either 1) already have other sheep for companionship of lambs desired to be purchased or 2) are buying 2 or more from me.

I reserve the right to refuse the sale of any animal to any person prior to purchase (deposit will be refunded). 

Only animals meeting breed specifications will be registered. Non-registered (“grade”) animals will be offered at a discount or culled. In 5 years of lambing I have not had a single animal fail to meet breed specifications, but there is always a chance it can happen in the future.

A sampling of adult animals were tested again in October 2022 and found to be free of OPP (Ovine Progressive Pneumonia.) Ask about Codon 171 status if you are interested. Due to the lengthy period of time in the US when no scrapies have been found, that selection criterion has become less critical.

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