There are three purebred registered Southdown Babydoll rams for sale or trade, Friar, Tuck and Jackson. Friar is a couloured ram and is positive to sire 50% coloured lambs if bred to a white ewe. Tuck is considered 'white' as is Jackson, though both of them have some colour to their fleece and have colour on their legs and a little around their faces. Friar and Tuck are mature rams, 2 years old, and are proven breeders. Jackson was sired by Friar. More of these little sheep are sprining up in pockets around Canada, but the gene pool is fairly limited. Some breeders have imported rams from the USA to increase the genetics of their flocks. Friar and Tuck could remain on the farm and continually breed the same two ewes, who are not related to them. Jackson could breed two of those ewes as well. Then the daughters of their breedings would have to be sold or a new ram brought in. The easiest is to find some one with different genetics who desires to trade. Coloured rams are quite in demand and are more costly than white ones, as are the coloured ewes.
Babydoll Southdown sheep evolved to be miniature and were not bred down. There is a specific registry for all Babydoll Southdown sheep and registration is encouraged, especially because the sheep are still rare. Crosses are not permitted to be registered and the sheep must be a certain height in order to qualify. Those that are too tall at the shoulder or too short as well, cannot be registered. Ewes must be 24 inches to the top of the shoulder. If they are smaller, lambing is more difficult. The lambs have large heads and wide shoulders. Easy lambing is a trait to be encouraged and ewes who continually require assistance should be culled. That is hard to do when the ewe would have cost $800 t0 $1000 dollars. Obviously she would not go for meat! Those ewes would be best sold to a small hobby farm or petting zoo at a slightly reduced price with the instructions that they should not be bred. The trait is not desirable.
The sheep are friendly and very easy to handle because of their small size. They were once bred for meat, but people started to want larger cuts and more meat per animal and the breed nearly went into extinction. Fortunately, Mr. Mock had a liking for the little guys and began to collect them from wherever he could find them and started the registry that now still exists.
Friar is $800 and Tuck is $1000 because he is coloured, and the ram lamb is also $800. I do know a few breeders of these fine little sheep and will send some emails out to see if some one would like to trade. In the meantime, they are my joy and come to me for little scratches and pats whenever I am out with them. Even the rams are quiet and friendly.
If you are a small holder and are interested in a breed of sheep, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the Babydoll Southdowns. I am grateful to have them on the Fat Ewe Farm.
Babydoll Southdown sheep evolved to be miniature and were not bred down. There is a specific registry for all Babydoll Southdown sheep and registration is encouraged, especially because the sheep are still rare. Crosses are not permitted to be registered and the sheep must be a certain height in order to qualify. Those that are too tall at the shoulder or too short as well, cannot be registered. Ewes must be 24 inches to the top of the shoulder. If they are smaller, lambing is more difficult. The lambs have large heads and wide shoulders. Easy lambing is a trait to be encouraged and ewes who continually require assistance should be culled. That is hard to do when the ewe would have cost $800 t0 $1000 dollars. Obviously she would not go for meat! Those ewes would be best sold to a small hobby farm or petting zoo at a slightly reduced price with the instructions that they should not be bred. The trait is not desirable.
The sheep are friendly and very easy to handle because of their small size. They were once bred for meat, but people started to want larger cuts and more meat per animal and the breed nearly went into extinction. Fortunately, Mr. Mock had a liking for the little guys and began to collect them from wherever he could find them and started the registry that now still exists.
Friar is $800 and Tuck is $1000 because he is coloured, and the ram lamb is also $800. I do know a few breeders of these fine little sheep and will send some emails out to see if some one would like to trade. In the meantime, they are my joy and come to me for little scratches and pats whenever I am out with them. Even the rams are quiet and friendly.
If you are a small holder and are interested in a breed of sheep, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the Babydoll Southdowns. I am grateful to have them on the Fat Ewe Farm.
Jackson, a purebred registered Old English Southdown Babydoll ram lamb, $800
Tuck, a coloured Old English Southdown Babydoll ram on the left, and Friar on the right. Tuck is $1000 and Friar is $800.
Tuck, the coloured one, has a light taupe fleece, actually quite greyish uder the sun bleached tips. Friar is mostly white.
Tuck is a finer boned ram than Friar, of different genetics. He is quiet, but not as tame as Friar.
RSS Feed