GENERAL CHARACTER AND APPEARANCE OF BABYDOLL SHEEP
BABYDOLL Southdown sheep are known for their docile dispositions. 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. They are small in stature and are easy to handle. Their small size and efficient metabolism requires less acreage per animal compared to other breeds of sheep. Thus, they are referred to as being "easy keepers." They are excellent mothers and are known for having multiple births. 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. They are also prized for their wool.
NABSSAR Breed Standard:
Head:
The characteristics of the head give each breed its individuality and uniqueness. 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. Small, loosely attached or nubby scurs are sometimes seen on rams, which are considered a fault and discriminated against. Solid 1" or larger scurs or horns are a disqualification. The head is medium length and moderately broad, but not so broad to be a birthing obstruction. Extremely broad heads are considered a fault and discriminated against. The ears set level with the head, neither drooping nor so upright they are perpendicular to the ground and should be covered with some degree of fleece.
Muzzle & Face:
The muzzle is the area on the face covered with short fuzzy fleece and hair a shade from very light tan to brown to cinnamon to mousy gray color in the off-white fleeced sheep and black color in the black-fleeced sheep. The muzzle should be moderate in width to ensure efficient grazing, as well as moderate in length. It should be straight to slightly dished, but not Roman (arched) which is a breed disqualification. The wide muzzle gives the BABYDOLL sheep its classic smiling look and also makes it an efficient grazer.
Nose & Lips:
The nose and lip leather should be black, dark to light gray or bluish gray. Speckles are common and are acceptable but solid colors are preferred. Bright solid pink nose and lips, as are those without any pigmentation (pale white), are both breed disqualifications and the sheep cannot be registered. Please note lambs often are born with pink noses and coloring will come with time.
Ears:
The ears should be of medium thickness and moderate in length. They should be level with the poll (top of the head) - neither drooping nor perpendicular to the ground. The size should be in proportion to the head and covered with fleece. Short, rough hair is acceptable. However, slick ears are discriminated against. Black or brown-specked ear skin is common.
Eyes:
The eyes should be large and bright. Their color should either be yellow or brown. Entropion, which is inverted eyelids, is discriminated against.
Incisor Teeth:
The incisor teeth should meet the dental pad. 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.
Neck:
The neck should be moderately long and upright, wide at the base and flow smoothly into the shoulders without wrinkles in the skin.
Carriage:
The legs should be short and straight and should stand squarely at each corner of the sheep's body. Rear legs should stand wide, but squarely under the sheep with a slight angle of the stifle and hocks and a slight angle of the pastern.
Shoulders:
The shoulders should be well muscled and flow smoothly into the ribs. This is often expressed as being "well laid into the ribs." They should also be level with the back. The width at the shoulders should be less than the width at the hips to facilitate easy lambing. Excessively wide, flat-topped shoulders are discriminated against.
Back:
The back should be somewhat longer than the animal is tall. The combined length of measurements of the loin and the hind saddle should be slightly longer than the measurement of the shoulder to the last rib.
Loin:
The loin should be long, wide and thick.
Ribs:
The ribs should be deep and wide, thick through the heart girth and well sprung.
Rump:
The rump should be wide, of medium length, and relatively flat.
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.
Hindquarters:
The hindquarters should be wider than the forequarters and have good width between the hipbones.
Thighs & Twist:
The thighs and twist should show deep and heavy muscling.
Rear Legs:
The rear legs should stand wide, but squarely under the sheep with a slight angle of the stifle and hocks and a slight angle of the pastern.
Hooves:
The hoof color should be black or gray and may have white stripes. Solid white hooves are a disqualification.
Height:
All measurements are at the highest point of the middle of the shoulder and perpendicular to the ground on a shorn sheep. Adult sheep should be between 18-24" tall. Most BABYDOLL ewes fall into the 20-23" range and most rams into the 22-24" range. Sheep 17-18" or 24-26" are discriminated against, but can be useful in a well thought out breeding program. A sheep shorter than 17" or taller than 26" will be disqualified. These sheep may not be registered or shown as a BABYDOLL Southdown.
Skin:
Of a delicate gray to bright pink on off-white sheep and of dark tones on black sheep.
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. Both "wool blindness" and woolly tear ducts are discriminated against. Fleece should be fine, tight and dense with medium to medium-fine soft and springy crimp.
Our flock is registered with both Babydoll Sheep registries:
North American Babydoll Southdown Sheep Association
www.nabssar.org
&
Olde English “Babydoll” Southdown Sheep Registry
www.oldeenglishbabydollregistry.com
BuckeyeBabydollSheep@gmail.com
