Emola Farm has Barbados sheep for sale at our farm in Mabank, Texas. Barbados sheep are the animal we are best known for, and our inventory changes on a daily and weekly basis. Call 903-880-0124 for what is on the farm today and we will send you a photo.
Whether you want a single animal, a starter flock, or an entire herd, tell us and we will do what we can.
What Are Barbados Sheep?
Barbados sheep are hair sheep — they shed their coat naturally and never need shearing. The classic coloring is a tan, brown, or reddish body with a black belly, black legs, and black bars on the face, which is where the “blackbelly” name comes from.
The breed traces to the island of Barbados, where sheep brought from Africa and Europe developed over generations into an animal suited to heat, humidity, and parasites. Those are exactly the three things that make sheep difficult in East Texas, which is why the breed has done so well here.
Barbados Blackbelly or American Blackbelly? Know Which You Want
This is the most common point of confusion in the entire business, and it is worth getting right before you buy.
- Barbados Blackbelly — the original breed. Both ewes and rams are typically polled, meaning naturally hornless.
- American Blackbelly — developed in the United States by crossing Barbados Blackbelly with horned stock. The rams carry large, sweeping horns. These are the animals most often bought for hunting ranches and exotic stock.
In Texas the word “Barbado” gets used loosely for both, and buyers regularly call asking for one when they want the other. If horns matter to you in either direction, say so when you call. It is usually the first thing we need to know.
See our American Blackbelly page if the horned rams are what you are after.
Why People Buy Barbados Sheep
- No shearing, ever. They shed naturally. No shearer to find, no annual bill, no wool that costs more to remove than it is worth.
- Heat tolerance. Bred in the tropics. A Texas summer does not bother them the way it bothers wool breeds.
- Parasite resistance. More resistant than wool sheep — a real advantage in humid East Texas, where parasites are the leading cause of losses in small ruminants.
- Easy lambing. Barbados ewes are known for lambing without assistance and being attentive mothers.
- Out-of-season breeding. The breed is less strictly seasonal than many, which gives you more flexibility on when lambs arrive.
- Low maintenance overall. No tail docking needed, no crutching, no shearing. For someone who wants livestock without a daily livestock operation, they are hard to beat.
- Lean meat. Barbados lamb is lean and mild, and there is steady demand for it in the Dallas–Fort Worth market.
The honest limitation: Barbados sheep are a smaller-framed animal than the commercial meat breeds. If you are chasing maximum pounds of lamb per ewe, a purpose-bred meat breed will beat them. What they give you instead is an animal that survives and produces in this climate with very little input.
What Do Barbados Sheep Cost?
We get asked this more than almost anything else, so here is a straight answer about how the price is set.
We do not post prices, because the sheep market moves and a number published today would be wrong in a month. What we can tell you is what the price actually depends on:
- Age. A lamb, a yearling, and a mature ewe are three different prices.
- Sex. Ewes generally carry a premium over wethers because they can produce.
- Bred or open. A bred ewe is worth more than an open one — you are buying two animals.
- Horns. A good horned American Blackbelly ram is priced against the hunting and exotic market, which is a different market entirely from commercial sheep and generally a higher one.
- Registration. Registered stock costs more than commercial animals. Whether that is worth paying depends on whether you intend to sell registered animals yourself.
- How many you are buying. Buying a group is a different conversation from buying one.
- The market that week. Livestock prices move. Ours track the market.
Call 903-880-0124 and we will give you today’s price on the animals we have. Tell us what you are trying to do and roughly how many head, and we can be specific quickly.
Keeping Barbados Sheep
Fencing
Woven wire is the standard. Barbados sheep are athletic and more inclined to jump than heavier breeds, so do not skimp on height. If you have horned rams, use fencing they cannot get a head caught in. We build fencing, gates, and pens and do welding.
Predators
This is the real risk, not the weather. Coyotes and loose dogs take lambs, and losses happen quickly. Plan for secure night penning or a guardian animal before you buy.
Minerals
Never feed goat minerals to sheep. Goat minerals contain added copper and copper accumulates in sheep to toxic levels. If you run both species on the same place, this is the mistake to guard against. Use a sheep mineral or one labeled safe for both.
Parasites
Barbados sheep are more resistant than wool breeds, not immune. Rotate pasture, watch body condition, and have a vet relationship in place before you need it.
Flock Size
Sheep are flock animals. They do poorly alone and better in numbers. Start with several.
Where We Are
Emola Farm, 759 VZ CR 2704, Mabank, Texas 75147 — near Cedar Creek Lake in Van Zandt County, an easy drive from Athens, Canton, Kaufman, Terrell, Gun Barrel City, Corsicana, Forney, Rockwall, Tyler, and the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Barbados Sheep Photos
Below are several photos that we’ve taken. Some of the photos are recent photos, and some of them are not–but they’re all from herds that we’ve had over the years. Keep in mind that we’re constantly buying and selling, so the barbados sheep photos below aren’t necessarily a representation of what we currently have on our farm.
Barbados Sheep Photos
Below are photos taken at our farm in Mabank. We buy and sell continuously, so these photos show animals that have come through over time rather than what is on the farm this week. Call us for current inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have Barbados sheep for sale right now?
The specific animals change weekly. Call 903-880-0124 and we will tell you what is here and send you a photo.
How much do Barbados sheep cost?
Price depends on age, sex, whether the ewe is bred, whether a ram is horned, and the current market. See the section above for what drives it, and call us for today’s number.
Do Barbados sheep need to be sheared?
No. They are hair sheep and shed their coats naturally.
What is the difference between Barbados and Barbado?
“Barbado” is Texas shorthand rather than a recognized breed name. It is applied loosely to blackbelly-marked sheep of several backgrounds, and most often to horned animals. True Barbados Blackbelly are normally polled. Tell us whether you want horns and we will get you the right animal.
Are Barbados sheep good for beginners?
They are among the easiest sheep to keep — no shearing, good heat tolerance, easy lambing. The two things you must get right are fencing and predator protection.
Do you buy Barbados sheep as well as sell them?
Yes. Call us if you have sheep to move.