Babydoll Southdown Sheep
| History | Care and Feeding | Breeding |
History
One of the oldest of the English Breeds of sheep is the Southdown, originating on the South Down Hills of Sussex County, England. These small sheep were known for their extreme hardiness and produced a carass with tenderness and flavor unmatched by any other breed. In 1780, John Ellman began to standardize the breed.
These small Southdowns in England grew in popularity up until 1908 when there were approximately 367 registered flocks, totaling about 11,000 ewes. World War I brought a sharp decline in numbers and by the end of World War II, the demand for larger cuts of meat had almost forced the breed into extinction.
It is believed that the Southdowns reached America in 1803 and their popularity subsequently declined in nearly the same pattern that had occurred in England. The small Southdowns could not compete with consumer demand, which ultimately led to the larger, leggier Southdowns of today. Each year brought a further decline in the numbers because of the notion, “Bigger is Better!” No one at the time had the foresight that small Southdown had a place in the miniature world.
In 1986, Robert Mock began a search for miniature sheep. He had seen articles about these miniature sheep, but finding them proved to be difficult. However, four years later he found two small flocks.
After finding these flocks and promoting them as miniature sheep, others were found in various parts of the country which provided a larger gene pool. In order to distinguish these small sheep from today’s larger Southdowns, Mr. Mock named them Olde English “Babydoll” Southdowns.
In order to insure that the lines were kept pure the Olde English “Babydoll” Registry was formed. Only adults two years and older were accepted so they could be judged against the original conformation standards and heights then verified by a veterinarian. The Foundation Flock was then established and the registry closed. The process of registering lamb crops from the original Foundation Flock began. The registry now celebrates many years of success with the preservation of the “Babydolls.”
Care and Feeding
Babydolls require yearly shearing, yearly CD & T vaccinations, seasonal deworming and free choice sheep salt mineral. They only require grass or good quality hay and a sheep salt mineral for maintenance. Though, they do require grain when the mothers are lactating.
Breeding
Babydolls breed in the fall and lamb in the spring. We take great pride in our sheep and strive to breed the best. We breed for good conformation, good muscling and easy lambing. We use unrelated rams separated into two flocks so we can have unrelated breeding pairs available, if needed.
|
