HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MINIATURE SHEEP
The oldest known record of these tiny sheep exists in the Middle East. Owned by royalty, they symbolize good fortune and happiness. The little sheep were held in such high esteem, none were ever sold or traded. On rare occasions, one or two were given to close personal friends outside the royal families when nothing but a priceless gift would do.

Earliest records of the miniature sheep in the Unites States indicate a small flock in Massachusetts around 1791.

These sheep are one of the very smallest breed in the world. There is a registry for them in the United States, in which strict records are kept of all Rams and Ewes. Lineage and pedigrees are carefully preserved.< BR>
Questions?

Breeding? The Ewes cycle in the Fall, the same as any sheep, and have their lambs in the Spring. 150 days is the gestation time. Raising Miniature Sheep is easy and fun, you simply leave the ram with the ewes year round and nature takes care of everything for you. Lambs should be weaned at 12 weeks.

Care and Feeding? Pasture; sheep like grass better than anything else. These little sheep require very little area, you can keep ten on one acre of pasture with no overgrazing at all. If you have good grass and fresh water, that is all they req uire during Spring, Summer, and Fall. A block of of ordinary salt should be provided free choice. They also need shade of some of some kind from the hot sun, and shelter in the winter from freezing rain. They are not bothered by snow, and they can stan d extremes of heat and cold alike. In winter when no grass is available, give your sheep alfalfa hay.

Shearing? "Body Clip" or shear your sheep once each year in mid to late March. It is good for them to remove the old wool and allow them to grow a new fleece yearly.

How large will my sheep be? Registered American Miniature Sheep mature by the age of one year. Mature ewes usually measure around 16 to 18 inches in height, with rams slightly larger, up to 20 inches. Our little sheep mature are around 50 pounds .

Tails? Lambs are born with long tails. They should have it docked when the lamb is three days old, which your Vet. can do.

Vaccines? Sheep need a Tetanus shot each year. The initial dose is one shot followed by a second within six weeks, and then a booster each year thereafter. We recommend immunizing each sheep using Covexin 8. This product is an all in one immuni zation, and covers everything including Tetanus. Dosage; 5cc under the skin followed by another dose of 3cc in 6 weeks, and 5cc annually. It is inexpensive and easy to give.

Worming? We use an oral Ivermectin called Eqvalan which is an oral wormer used in horses. We find it very effective in sheep as well. Follow the directions according to weight as indicated on the tube.

Colors? Most of our sheep are born snow white. Now and then we will have a black lamb born, and very rarely we get an apricot.

Availability? These little sheep are rare and in short supply. We do offer lambs for sale each year.

Shipping? Very simple. We just take them to the airport and put them in a small dog crate. They arrive at their destination a few hours later via air freight.
For current availability, please contact us.