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, ìBigger is Better!î 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 todayís larger Southdowns, Mr. Mock named them Olde English ìBabydollî Southdowns.

In order to insure that the lines were kept pure the Olde English ìBabydollî 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 ìBabydolls.î

Care and Feeding
As do any sheep, Babydolls require yearly shearing, yearly CD & T vaccinations, seasonal deworming and free choice sheep salt mineral. They are easy keepers and require only grass or good quality hay and a sheep salt mineral for maintenance. They require grain only when lactating.

Breeding
Babydolls breed in the fall and lamb in the spring. For the person interested in breeding, these projects take quite a bit of work. To do it well and successfully you must learn the ins and out of raising sheep. Call your extension agent and order a copy of the SID sheep management book to familiarize your self with sheep, lamb management, nutrition, diseases and reproductive management. To have a successful breeding program and lamb market you must have the time and be willing to deal with advertising nationally, sending packets of information to people and the hassles of air shipping. We would like to think that our lambs are going to people who will take the time to learn about sheep care and are prepared to be good responsible owners for the life of the animal. There seems to be a steady demand for these cute sheep at the current prices.

Registry
Our sheep are all registered with the Olde English Babydoll Miniature Southdown registry. The registry was founded in 1991, for the preservation of the original breed type. It is solely owned and the name Olde English Babydoll Miniature Southdown Sheep is trade marked to the registry.

Health/Breeding Policy
We are a stickler for health and soundness. We breed for good conformation, good muscling, good mothering instincts and easy lambing. We use a couple of unrelated rams so we can have unrelated breeding pairs available as well. We refuse to breed runts to runts to produce scrawny, tiny and unthrifty lambs as some people have done to get their sheep tiny and smaller than the breed standard. We like a nice small chunky lamb with good conformation and pleasant characteristics.