Barites Veteran Ranch
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It began w/a duck Spring 2017 Vanessa received a call from her mom who said she found a duckling in h
🐑✨The Ultimate Valais Blacknose Spa Day Guide (Or: How to detail a luxury fiber animal without losing your sanity) 🐑✨
Let’s be honest: washing a Valais Blacknose is less like standard farm chores and more like prepping a high-maintenance celebrity for the red carpet. That spectacular, spiral wool is basically a magnetic force field for every piece of straw, burr, and dirt particle within a five-mile radius.
If you want to survive bath day with your back and their gorgeous fleece intact, here is the ultimate, hard-earned playbook from veteran owners who have been in the trenches.
🚨 STEP 1: The Pre-Wash Blowout (Whatever you do, DO NOT add water yet!)
Rookie mistake #1: Spraying a dirty sheep with water. Wetting down a Valais full of loose straw or vegetable matter turns their wool into concrete-level glue.
🐑. The Trick: Before the water even touches them,
grab a high-velocity livestock blower on the cool/
no-heat setting and blast the dust and dander from
the skin outward.
🐑. The Follow-up: Use your fingers to manually
pick out the big stuff. Put the brush down! You
don't want to brush out those beautiful,
characteristic corkscrew locks.
🧼 STEP 2: The Bathing Strategy (Soak, Don't Scrub)
The golden rule of Valais wool? Felting is the enemy. If you aggressively scrub or rub that fleece back and forth, you will instantly ruin the lock structure and create a massive, matted felt rug right on your sheep's back.
🐑. The Method: Use a gentle, low-sudsing livestock
shampoo or dedicated fiber wash (like Orvus WA
Paste or Unicorn Power Scour). Apply it with a large
car-wash sponge and press and squeeze the suds
into the fleece. No friction, just massage!
🐑. The Pro-Tip: Hit those iconic black knees, hocks,
and faces with a color-enhancing equine shampoo
(like Cowboy Magic or Quic Silver) to make that
contrast pop against the white wool.
🐑. The Rinse: Rinse until you think you're done,
then rinse for five more minutes. Leftover soap
attracts dirt instantly. Add a splash of white vinegar
to the final rinse to neutralize the pH and make that
fiber shine.
💨 STEP 3: The Drying Protocol (Embrace the Blowout)
A wet Valais is heavy, and leaving that dense fleece damp for too long is an open invitation for skin issues or wool rot.
🐑.The Squeeze: Hand-squeeze excess water out of
the legs, belly, and sides first. Let them shake.
🐑.The Blast: Break out the high-velocity blower
again (still on cool air only). Hold the nozzle close to
the skin and blow with the direction of the lock
growth (spine down) to push water out without
tangling the tips.
🐑.The Finger Comb: As the wool goes from wet to
damp, use your fingers to gently separate the
clumps into their distinct, natural spiral locks. This
keeps them from turning into a giant, frizzy cloud.
🚫 STEP 4: Beware the Post-Bath Trap!
You’ve spent hours washing, rinsing, and drying. Your sheep looks like an absolute masterpiece. If you let them walk right back into a standard straw stall or a dirt paddock, they will immediately find the muddiest spot and roll.
Keep your freshly detailed supermodel in a "clean room" think rubber mats, a clean wash rack, or a pen with deep, large-flake wood shavings (avoid fine sawdust or straw) until they are 100% dry down to the skin.
Go forth and conquer bath day! Your sheep (and their fleece) will thank you. 👇
Why did the sheep get fired from its job at the salon?
Because it kept giving everyone baaa-d bleaches and terrible lamb chops! (Hahaha that's a knee slapper!!) 😉 😜
BaritesVeteranRanch.com
06/10/2026
Good morning, fans! 🐢✨
I woke up feeling absolutely beautiful, sassy, and loved today! I decided it was the perfect morning to strike a pose for all of you. Now that the photo session is over, I’m ready for some breakfast those tasty, healthy snacks are calling my name! 🥗🌼
I was born in 2018, and I’m always so happy when my followers send me treats and gifts. What’s on the menu for your breakfast today?
(This was for a few people that have asked about Mr T. and for any who would like to send him anything our address for packages for our any of the ranch crew and residents in the pasture or anywhere on the ranch, is 1085 Voyager Dr unit 1494 Tehachapi Ca. 93561)
BaritesVeteranRanch.com
06/10/2026
🚨 Ranch Education: Watch for the New World Screwworm 🔎🪰
As a teaching ranch, keeping our community informed is what we do! Today, we're talking about an important livestock topic making ag news: the New World Screwworm.
While eradicated from the US decades ago, the USDA recently confirmed a few isolated cases in the Southwest. Nestled up here at 5,000 feet, it’s always smart for Central California livestock owners to stay vigilant!
💡 What is it?
Unlike ordinary maggots that clean up dead tissue, screwworm larvae target live tissue. They look for tiny open wounds like a wire scratch, tick bite, or a newborn’s navel to lay eggs.
🔎 What to look for:
Behavior: Animals unusually restless, licking, or biting at a specific spot.
Wounds: Deep, fast-expanding cuts with a foul odor.
The Larvae: They burrow deep into live tissue rather than staying on the surface.
🛡️ Simple Prevention:
Daily Checks: Give your livestock and barn pets a thorough once-over.
Clean & Protect: Treat small cuts, bites, or scratches immediately with antiseptic or fly-repellent ointment.
Delay Optional Work: Postpone procedures like branding or dehorning until fly season passes.
📞 What if you suspect it?
Because this is a regulated pest, do not handle it alone:
Collect a Sample: Carefully pull a few larvae with tweezers.
The Alcohol Trick: Drop them into 70% rubbing alcohol to preserve them for identification.
Call Experts: Contact your vet or the CDFA immediately.
Healthy ranching starts with a watchful eye. Share this to keep our local mountain and valley ag communities informed! 🌾🐄🐑
BaritesVeteranRanch.com
06/10/2026
🚨 Ranch Education Spotlight: Keeping an Eye Out for the New World Screwworm 🔎🪰
Hey everyone! As a teaching ranch, our goal is always to keep our community informed, prepared, and practicing the best possible animal care. Today, we’re talking about an important livestock topic that’s been in the agricultural news lately: the New World Screwworm.
While this pest was eradicated from the US decades ago, the USDA recently confirmed a few isolated cases in Texas and New Mexico. Because we are nestled up here in Tehachapi at 5,000 feet, we love our seasonal shifts, but it’s always smart for Central California livestock owners to stay vigilant, practice good wound care, and know what to look for!
What is it?
Unlike ordinary blowfly maggots that only clean up dead tissue, screwworm larvae are attracted to live tissue. They look for tiny open wounds even a small tick bite, wire scratch, or a newborn’s navel to lay eggs.
***What to look for (Be a Watchful Neighbor!):
•Behavior: An animal that is unusually restless, licking, or biting at a specific spot.
•Wounds: A scratch or wound that seems to be expanding quickly, looks unusually deep, or has a foul odor.
•The Larvae: If you see maggots, screwworm larvae tend to burrow deep into the tissue rather than staying on the surface.
***Simple Ranch Prevention:
•Check 'em daily: Give your cows, sheep, goats, horses, and barn pets a good once-over every day.
•Clean & Protect: Treat even the smallest cuts, fly bites, or scratches immediately with an approved antiseptic or fly-repellent ointment.
•Hold off on optional work: If you can, delay optional procedures that cause open wounds (like branding or dehorning) until the heat of fly season passes.
***What do you do if you suspect it?
Because this is a regulated pest, we don't handle it alone! If you see a highly suspicious wound on your stock, isolate the animal and follow these steps:
•Collect a Sample: Use a pair of tweezers to carefully pull a few larvae out of the wound.
•The Rubbing Alcohol Trick: Drop them straight into a small, leak-proof container filled with 70% rubbing alcohol. This quickly kills and preserves them without damaging their internal structure, which helps state entomologists identify them under a microscope!
•Call the Experts: Contact your vet or the CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) right away so they can test the sample, drop in resources, and keep our valley safe.
Healthy ranching starts with a watchful eye. Feel free to share this to keep our local mountain and valley ag communities informed! 🌾🐄🐑
06/08/2026
Our pretty, pretty princess Marshmallow wanted to go for a walk I think! 🤔
Talk about a spoiled little fluffy fatty lol
06/06/2026
When Visitors Become Family
When new veterans visit the ranch with their families, we get to learn all about their lives. When they enjoy the ranch so much that they just keep coming back, they truly become family to us.
We have become incredibly close to one of the families that recently joined us here at Barites I just had a special feeling about them from the start. They now know all of our hurdles, including all the recent accidents our mini cattle king has gone through (shake my head). Between our similar stories about our kids and finally helping them get the mini cow they’ve always wanted, we were able to make it happen!
The Search for the Lost Plates
I posted a while back about some very special plates that were stolen from us. I shared my adventure of trying to buy replacement plates for our special lunch and dinner events, and the struggle of trying to find the exact same amount. To be honest, it really wasn’t going too well.
Then today, to my complete surprise, I got a message saying this family was coming over and bringing a friend who needed a little "cowie" comfort and fun.
An Unforgettable Surprise
After we took a stroll through the pasture, visited with the silly babies, and let them have some one-on-one time with their beautiful little Highland calf, we walked out of the pasture. That's when she turned to me and said, "Hey... I have a surprise for you."
Since that doesn’t happen to me very often, I was taken aback and super curious!
Well... I was instantly choked up. She pulled out a plate, and I was so incredibly happy!
Then she said, "Wait, there’s more!"
She pulled out a second plate, but this one was a reproduction and an improved version! It looked exactly the same, but it was made of a lightweight material that was way less breakable. Not only that, but it had our ranch logo on it!
Once again, a big lump formed in my throat. But she said, "Well, there's one more thing," and pulled out yet another plate. This one had my girl, Elsa, on it her little face, her beautiful eyes, and her cute little nose.
To make it even more amazing, she told me they are having more of them made! They are being produced by a very cool small business that is also owned by veterans, which makes it mean that much more to us.
True Kindness
My eyes are starting to water again just thinking about it; I can be a bit of a sap sometimes. That kind of generosity and kindness is something we just do not see every day. She is a human being who is not only kind, but possesses a truly beautiful soul. Her fierce spirit is what makes her an amazing mom and a dedicated wife, and her love of God and country is not something you find very easily these days.
It is moments like this that remind me of a simple truth: the heavier the burdens we carry, the more powerful an unexpected act of kindness becomes. There is no greater joy or comfort in this life than surrounding yourself with beautiful souls who see your struggles, quiet your worries, and remind you that you are never walking this path alone. Sometimes, the best things that grow on a ranch aren't the livestock or the pastures, but the beautiful, deep-rooted friendships that blossom when good people find their way to each other.
Remember to be kind to one another, even if you don't see eye to eye on everything. Life is about being better than you were the day before.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
— John 15:2
06/05/2026
Back because they did so well!! Get them at the Tehachapi Tractor Supply farmers market, coming up in just a few days!!!
06/05/2026
Stay tuned! New product coming with us to the Tehachapi Tractor Supply farmers market in June!!!
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