Welcome to our little flock. My name is Jaime Neeb, my husband is Matt, & our little "sweet pea" daughter is Taylor. We live on the home farm where Matt grew up, located in southwestern Ontario, just outside Stratford in beautiful Perth County, Ontario, Canada. We are situated on 25 acres of farm land and bush, and surrounded by another 400 acres of protected bush land. It is a wonderful place to live, and it makes us proud that we can keep things on the home farm going. The whole "sheep-farm, promote to vineyards and orchards" thing, is my idea. For better or worse...
* Sometimes, my helper gets side-tracked on her "barn bike".
What makes it a "barn bike", is the sheep manure on the tires... *
What makes it a "barn bike", is the sheep manure on the tires... *
We are one of Canada's largest breeders of Registered Babydoll sheep!
As we are participate in the Canadian Voluntary Scrapie program,
our little flock meets the requirements and proudly exports our Babydolls around the world.
As well, I am the premier Micro Mini Pig breeder in Ontario, Canada.
Not too bad, for a "little" breeder.
As we are participate in the Canadian Voluntary Scrapie program,
our little flock meets the requirements and proudly exports our Babydolls around the world.
As well, I am the premier Micro Mini Pig breeder in Ontario, Canada.
Not too bad, for a "little" breeder.
Back in the day, Matt's family raised some pigs, cattle, chickens, and maybe a rabbit or two (or 500!!!). In 2005, Matt & I bought the farm. May 2006, we welcomed a small bundle of pink joy, our daughter Taylor. The barn was built in 1985, a driving-shed addition later put on the north side, and in the summer of 2009, we completed a “tractor shed” addition to the south-side, a showroom to house all the restored John Deere tractors my father-in-law is in-love with! Our “little baby”, Taylor, is now old enough to help with chores, and we always said when she was old enough to help out, we would get “her” some animals. She is mildly excited about the arrival of the sheep, though has said she really want some "ears with floppy bunnies". That would be some floppy-eared bunnies, for those of you who don't speak 3!
I am a rural girl, though not from a farm. I think miniature donkeys are sweet, cows are scary, and adult pigs exceptionally large! I admire/view these livestock - from a far. When doing research of "potential barn-fillers", I fell in love with Olde English Babydoll Southdown Sheep . They are a small, very lovable animal (small and cute being my main criteria to start off with). I always wanted to fill our barn with an assortment of animals, though now I am solely focused on making this rare, miniature breed more accessible to a greater variety of people. As a little girl I was going to be a Biologist, and while my career direction has changed a couple times, I still have a dream of raising and caring for some little animals. I am also passionate about the environment. And while parenthood did not bless us twice, I think these little miniature marvels will satisfy my maternal needs, my effort to make our little part of the world more environmentally conscious, and bring awareness and education to a greater number of people of the wonders of the Olde English Babydoll sheep, Micro Mini Pigs, and African Pygmy Goats.
I am a rural girl, though not from a farm. I think miniature donkeys are sweet, cows are scary, and adult pigs exceptionally large! I admire/view these livestock - from a far. When doing research of "potential barn-fillers", I fell in love with Olde English Babydoll Southdown Sheep . They are a small, very lovable animal (small and cute being my main criteria to start off with). I always wanted to fill our barn with an assortment of animals, though now I am solely focused on making this rare, miniature breed more accessible to a greater variety of people. As a little girl I was going to be a Biologist, and while my career direction has changed a couple times, I still have a dream of raising and caring for some little animals. I am also passionate about the environment. And while parenthood did not bless us twice, I think these little miniature marvels will satisfy my maternal needs, my effort to make our little part of the world more environmentally conscious, and bring awareness and education to a greater number of people of the wonders of the Olde English Babydoll sheep, Micro Mini Pigs, and African Pygmy Goats.
Although Matt thinks I am crazy and have truly lost my mind, I am sure the sheep and I will be very comfortable in there. You can put a designer in a barn, but just be prepared for the barn to get a little "designed"!
Matt has gently told me not to be upset if people roll their eyes or make fun of me when they come into my "miniature" barn. Never did I read in a book that a barn had to be red, or brown. Of course, you don't see many "pretty" barn interiors, though since I am keenly interested in decorating, and loving the environment in which I choose to surround myself daily, I thought it only appropriate to have my barn "speak" of my passions as well.
We had a very successful first lambing season with the Olde English Southdown Babydoll Sheep, with a 0% mortality rate in 2010. We did not even attend 3 of the 4 births. We just came out to the barn to do chores one morning, and there was another big, healthy baby. The ewes in our little flock truly are easy breeders. This is important for our breeding program, as easy birthing is a genetic trait.
In June 2010, Matt & I headed to Kentucky, USA to import a breeding pair of Micro Mini Pigs. Full grown, these piglets should weigh between 30lb - 60lb, and stand no more than 12 inches tall, provided they are being fed the correct amount of mini pig food and are healthy. I am so excited about this newest miniature adventure! When we got Oliver and Petunia at 3 months old, they weighed about 2 lbs each. I thought importing pigs from the States would be simple compared to importing sheep, though it seems they both have their own challenges. No wonder I am the ONLY breeder of micro pigs in Ontario, Canada!
And not to be out done, at the beginning of June 2010 we welcomed 3 little kids to the farm. African Pygmy Goats kids, that is! I got Bunnie and Doug from a friend and fellow Babydoll breeder here in Ontario. As brother and sister, these 2 won't be mating. We'll leave that to our micro mini buckling kid, William. William is know as our escape goat - he is never out in the paddock with the sheep - always out in the yard, helping Matt in the shop, playing with Taylor on the lawn, sleeping in my hydrangea shrubs!!!
With our first love, our daughter Taylor, now school-aged, I now have the time to focus on my new-found passion of loving, nurturing, and breeding these small miniature Babydoll sheep, Micro pigs, and Pygmy goats to be your pet, companion, wool producer, environmentally-friendly lawn mower or grounds-keeper. I interact with all them multiple times daily, talk to them, Taylor sings them songs, and we sit and play with them. We want the foundation of our breeding programs to be gentle, calm, and friendly with humans, as these are the teachers of our Babydoll lambs, Pygmy kids, and Micro piglets, and your future pets.
In June 2010, Matt & I headed to Kentucky, USA to import a breeding pair of Micro Mini Pigs. Full grown, these piglets should weigh between 30lb - 60lb, and stand no more than 12 inches tall, provided they are being fed the correct amount of mini pig food and are healthy. I am so excited about this newest miniature adventure! When we got Oliver and Petunia at 3 months old, they weighed about 2 lbs each. I thought importing pigs from the States would be simple compared to importing sheep, though it seems they both have their own challenges. No wonder I am the ONLY breeder of micro pigs in Ontario, Canada!
And not to be out done, at the beginning of June 2010 we welcomed 3 little kids to the farm. African Pygmy Goats kids, that is! I got Bunnie and Doug from a friend and fellow Babydoll breeder here in Ontario. As brother and sister, these 2 won't be mating. We'll leave that to our micro mini buckling kid, William. William is know as our escape goat - he is never out in the paddock with the sheep - always out in the yard, helping Matt in the shop, playing with Taylor on the lawn, sleeping in my hydrangea shrubs!!!
With our first love, our daughter Taylor, now school-aged, I now have the time to focus on my new-found passion of loving, nurturing, and breeding these small miniature Babydoll sheep, Micro pigs, and Pygmy goats to be your pet, companion, wool producer, environmentally-friendly lawn mower or grounds-keeper. I interact with all them multiple times daily, talk to them, Taylor sings them songs, and we sit and play with them. We want the foundation of our breeding programs to be gentle, calm, and friendly with humans, as these are the teachers of our Babydoll lambs, Pygmy kids, and Micro piglets, and your future pets.
And here it is, the finished barn - for now. Summer 2010 I changed the colours, from light blue upper wall to a nice neutral tan shade, still dark brown on the bottom to hide any poop! I framed some of my favorite pictures that I've taken over the last little while, and salvaged an old piece of barn board, had Matt plane it, painted my logo on, then verathaned it. All was good until I put that clear-coat on, and that darkened up the wood. So despite it's beauty, it isn't legible from the road, so I memorialized it in the barn.
I organized all the feed and supplies into tidy, labeled bins. Over the top - perhaps. Though I like the security of knowing that if I end up in the hospital tomorrow, anyone can just step in and do my chores, find what they need, and mange just fine.
We are so glad you visited the website and I hope you browsed around. I love knowing where my readers are in the world, and would love to hear what you have to say about our little flock, the business, the animals, or the family behind it. Please take a moment to "like" my website at the facebook app to the left and leave your comments.
Please enjoy our little flock.
Please enjoy our little flock.
The making of the our little flock barn...
With the upcoming addition of a flock of little sheep to the barn, we felt it needed a makeover, a sprucing up, new life. With my husband's skills as a creator, carpenter, and tradesman, and with my skills of design, inspiration, and decorating, we took to applying a little "lipstick and mascara" to a barn that had not seen life in over a decade.
With the upcoming addition of a flock of little sheep to the barn, we felt it needed a makeover, a sprucing up, new life. With my husband's skills as a creator, carpenter, and tradesman, and with my skills of design, inspiration, and decorating, we took to applying a little "lipstick and mascara" to a barn that had not seen life in over a decade.
our little flock now has our 2012 fundraising calendars for sale. This beautiful calendar showcases the sweet, little animals of our little flock, while donating the proceeds (at least half of the purchase price) to the Multi-Organ Transplant Unit of the LHSC in London, Ontario. Click "Add to Cart" to purchase calendars, or visit the animals of our little flock Close Up 2012 Fundraising Calendar page.
In our first 2 years of business, our little flock has gained a reputation as an ethical, honest breeder raising and producing quality, healthy, and gentle animals. We take issues such as animal health VERY serious, and subscribe to a Code of Ethics. Please click to read our Code of Ethics, and discover why you want us to provide you with your rare, miniature animals.