Barbados Blackbelly sheep combine the rare attributes of adaption to widespread environments and high reproductive efficiency, which account for their average of two lambs per litter and an average lambing interval of eight to nine months.

History

Several studies have been made as to the origin of the breed, which has been widely accepted as African. Although there can be little doubt that the Blackbelly has African ancestry, there is compelling historical evidence that the Barbados Blackbelly, as a breed, originated and evolved on the island of Barbados. Following the colonization of Barbados by the English in 1627, several fortuitous factors existed in combinations that may not have occurred in other European colonies in the Americas. Read the rest of this entry »