Sheep with a slight under or overbite with teeth just barely touching the edge of the dental pad are discriminated against; whereas, a sheep with a severe under or overbite, with distinct space between teeth and edge of dental pad is a breed disqualification. ... Sheep Skin Fleece. Entropion, which is inverted eyelids, is discriminated against. They are one of the oldest known down sheep. The muzzle should be moderate in width to ensure efficient grazing, as well as moderate in length. The Babydoll Southdown’s head should be wide and level between the ears, with no sign of a dark poll as the Babydoll is a polled (hornless) breed. Black or brown-specked ear skin is common. The Southdown is historically one of the most important of the British breeds of sheep, valued for fleece, meat, and for improvement of other breeds. General Their small size and efficient metabolism requires less acreage per animal compared to other breeds of sheep. Fleece should be fine, tight and dense with medium to medium-fine crimp that is soft and springy. Bright solid pink nose and lips, as are those without any pigmentation (pale white), are both breed disqualifications and the sheep cannot be registered. Small, loosely attached or nubby scurs are sometimes seen on rams, which are considered a fault and discriminated against. Ears: The ears should be of medium thickness and moderate in length. They are also prized for their wool. These sheep may not be registered or shown as a Babydoll Southdown. Tail: The tail head carriage should be high and in a line level to the chin when the sheep is standing in a natural alert stance. They are the South Downs of modern day. To compliment your Southdown wool bedding how about treating yourself to a luxury lambskin fleece or woven throw blanket. Historically they were a dual-purpose sheep, and their wool was highly prized in both Europe and America until the Merino breed was imported and took over the market. Carriage: The legs should be short and straight and should stand squarely at each corner of the sheep’s body. Incisor Teeth: The incisor teeth should meet the dental pad. Rams: Rams should look more masculine and are usually larger than ewes. The Southdown was developed in southeastern England, specifically in the Chalk Hills or "South Downs" of Sussex. Rams and ewes should move with freedom of gait and remain active and sound for 8-10 years. Today’s breeders believe breed preservation is of utmost importance and strive to keep this wonderful breed of sheep from forever being lost. Neck: The neck should be moderately long and upright, wide at the base and flow smoothly into the shoulders without wrinkles in the skin. A sheep shorter than 17″ or taller than 26″ will be disqualified. light and dark brown) are accepted but even colors are preferred. They are the South Downs of modern day. Adult sheep should be between 18-24″ tall. Black: Black is the color of the fleece at skin level in the lamb. The Southdown was developed in southeastern England, specifically in the Chalk Hills or “South Downs” of Sussex. The medium crimp staple length is 1 to 3 inches with more barbs per inch than any other wool type making it ideal for blending with other fibers such alpaca and silk. Your email address will not be published. Hooves: The hoof color should be black or gray and may have white stripes. Excessively wide, flat-topped shoulders are discriminated against. The wool on the face and legs of the Southdown is typically a very light brown, but rest of their fleece is a creamy white – it is this wool that you will find commercially available for spinning. The English farms kept these sheep for their flavorful meat and fine fleece. Skin: Of a delicate gray to bright pink on off-white sheep and of dark tones on black sheep. The lambskins are hand finished at the Devonia tannery and you have a choice of full length fleece or clipped especially for baby cots and strollers. Your email address will not be published. The short colored fleece and hair on the muzzle should ideally cover the entire muzzle and extend from the corners of the mouth to a rounded point between the eyes on the adult sheep. Learn how your comment data is processed. Southdown Sheep breeders listing & info. The size should be in proportion to the head and covered with fleece. The Babydoll Southdown is known for its abundant carcass (relative to its size) and flavorful meat and is crossbred with lighter weight breeds of sheep to produce lambs of higher quality for market. Wool of 1/2 to 3/8 blood, 54-60 and 24-28 microns is preferred. Many of the black Babydoll Southdowns are 1/4 blood, which means that they have coarser fleece than the off-white Southdowns. In Canada it became known as the “Aberdeen Angus” of the sheep industry … Fleece: The fleece and hair covering around the eyes and cheeks to the muzzle should be short and not so thick as to ever cause the sheep to be “wool blind.” Tear ducts should not be too woolly. When selecting replacement-breeding stock, consider selecting for sheep with the genetics to produce sound conformation that provides easy keeping and easy birthing abilities to their offspring. The muzzle and legs of a black sheep should always be black. The Southdown's distinctive face details have been handcrafted and each piece is one-of-a-kind. Most old-type Southdowns – by this we mean the off-white Babydoll Southdowns – are evaluated as having wool that is 1/2 to 3/8 blood. The Southdown was developed in southeastern England, specifically in the Chalk Hills or “South Downs” of Sussex. Babydoll Southdown Sheep fleece is extremely fine, generally running in the 19 to 29 micron range, making it similar to fine merino and close to cashmere, which is 19 microns or less. Earthsong Orchard Farm Natural Brown Roving. For this reason, they are often kept as pets, but they are also used in a variety of ways such as grass mowers and weed eaters in vineyards and orchards and 4H projects. Black fleeced sheep are born with black fleece, muzzle and legs. They usually have a 27 to 31 micron count, medium-coarse crimp and 2.5 to 4″ staple length. Breeding integrity is of utmost importance. Short, rough hair is acceptable. In 1780, John Ellman from Glyde, England, took the local sheep known as Southdown and systematically selected, developed and standardized them into what we now recognize as the considerably improved Babydoll Southdown. The outer fleece on a black sheep may become sun bleached to a light reddish brown, but the sheep is still considered to be black. ... (Olde English “Babydoll” Southdown Sheep Registry) was to return the original breed to England where the little sheep had been extinct for over 50 years. Back: The back should be somewhat longer than the animal is tall. Solid white hooves are a disqualification. It should be straight to slightly dished, but not Roman (arched) which is a breed disqualification. The Southdown is historically one of the most important of the British breeds of sheep, valued for fleece, meat, and for improvement of other breeds. California Variegated Mutant (CVM)/American Romeldale, Gulf Coast Native (Florida Native, Louisiana Native), Karakul (Astrakhan, Bukhara, Persian Lamb), Leicester Longwool (English Leicester, Leicester, Bakewell Leicester, Dishley Leicester, Improved Leicester and New Leicester). The Southdown was developed in Sussex, England in the late 1700's and early 1800's and exported to the US shortly thereafter.