Breed standard
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The Babydoll Southdown breed is based on the Southdown with a focus on a short, well-muscled body that makes it suitable for use in vineyards and orchards, as a dual purpose meat and wool sheep and as a terminal sire for maiden ewes. The breed is known for its easy going temperament, attractive appearance including the Babydoll smile, efficient use of feed and good eating with smaller cuts suited to home butchering. The goals of this breed are to produce a short, stocky, easy care, easy to handle sheep with good fertility, easy lambing, good mothering, good lamb survival and good resistance to worms that is a dual purpose meat and wool sheep.
A good Babydoll Southdown should catch the eye with its alertness and balanced appearance, displaying the following characteristics: HEAD AND FACE
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Tanjar Little Spot – Babydoll Southdown ram and AABMGS Australian Champion (photo used with permission)
Tanjar Sherlock – Babydoll Southdown ram (Tanjar Stud)
Tanjar Jarrah – Babydoll Southdown ram (Tanjar Stud, at Eversley Stud)
Tanjar Little Bear – Babydoll Southdown ewe (Tanjar Stud)
Tanjar Micky – Babydoll Southdown ram (Tanjar Stud)
Tanjar Rocky – Babydoll Southdown wether (photo Sonia Tribe)
Tanjar Babydoll Southdown lambs (Tanjar Stud)
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Examples of grades of Babydoll Southdown
Tanjar purebred Babydoll Southdown and crossbred lambs (Tanjar Stud)
Registration and grading requirements
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General Sheep accepted into the Australian All Breeds of Miniature Goat & Sheep Society Inc. (AABMGS) as Babydoll Southdown shall be graded and registered as outlined below. Sheep applying for Purebred grade must be over 18 months of age, and pass inspection against the breed standard. Inspections against the breed standard will be undertaken by Babydoll Southdown breed representatives, which are appointed by the AABMGS Inc. Committee. Inspections will be carried out either in person or photographically depending on location. At all times the AABMGS reserves the right to nominate the percentage and the grade a sheep may represent. All AABMGS members selling Babydoll Southdown sheep shall declare the percentage of each sheep and their grading to all potential buyers. At any time AABMGS reserves the right to have the height measured by a representative of the AABMGS. The AABMGS reserve the right to refuse to register any animals that do not meet the breed standard. It is the responsibility of all owners to check their Certificates for errors and notify the Registrar as soon as possible if any errors are identified. Measuring The best tool for measuring sheep is a Piccolo with an attached small spirit level. When measuring sheep, all measurements are to be taken from the highest point of the shoulder (wither) and perpendicular to the ground. If the sheep is not shorn, press down on the wool and rest the arm of the Piccolo on the wither. Ensure the bubble inside the spirit level is central so the height will be accurate. APPENDIX Registration System The appendix registry is designed so that valuable genetics can be used to develop Babydoll Southdowns and to widen the gene pool. The owner can measure the height of the Appendix sheep themselves and are to send the relevant photos to the registrar. It is encouraged that members with AABMGS appendix sheep that were registered as lambs send their yearly heights and an updated adult photo to the registrar. All Appendix sheep are considered Crossbred with a Percentage and Grade allocated. The Appendix registry system is made up of the following grades FOUNDATION, D, C, B, A, and AA. How grades are calculated;
Breeders wanting to sell Appendix lambs must: Apply for registration, and a grade registration certificate showing the relevant percentage and grade that will be provided by the Registrar. Foundation Sheep Sheep of any breed can be recorded as foundation sheep. A foundation sheep is rated as 0% Babydoll Southdown. ASSBA registered sheep that fail to meet the AABMGS breed standard can be registered as Foundation. Lambs from Foundation sheep will be graded as D Grade if both the Sire and Dam are registered with AABMGS, and one of the parents is a Purebred Babydoll Southdown. Information to be provided:
Grade D (F1) 50% Babydoll Southdown Cross To be registered as a 50% Babydoll Southdown Cross (1st cross or ½ bred), the sheep must have one AABMGS registered Purebred Babydoll Southdown parent or another combination of AABMGS registered parents that delivers the minimum 50% Babydoll Southdown parentage. The height must be a minimum of 43cm and a maximum of 62cm. Information to be provided:
Grade C (F2) 75% Babydoll Southdown Cross To be registered as a 75% Babydoll Southdown (2nd cross or ¾ bred), the sheep must have a AABMGS registered Purebred Babydoll Southdown parent and a registered Grade D parent or another combination of AABMGS registered parents that delivers the minimum 75% Babydoll Southdown parentage. The height must be a minimum of 43cm and a maximum of 62cm. Information to be provided:
Grade B (F3) 87.5% Babydoll Southdown Cross To be registered as an 87.5% Babydoll Southdown Cross (3rd cross or 7/8 bred), the sheep must have a AABMGS registered Purebred Babydoll Southdown parent and a registered Grade C parent or another combination of AABMGS registered parents that delivers the minimum 87.5% Babydoll Southdown parentage. The height must be a minimum of 43cm and a maximum of 62cm. (Maximum of 60cm being ideal) Information to be provided:
Grade A (F4) 93.75% Babydoll Southdown Cross To be registered as a 93.75% Babydoll Southdown Cross (4th cross or 15/16 bred), the sheep must have a AABMGS registered Purebred Babydoll parent and a registered Grade B parent or another combination of AABMGS registered parents that delivers the minimum 93.75% Babydoll Southdown parentage. The height must be a minimum of 43cm and a maximum of 62cm. (Maximum of 60cm being ideal) Information to be provided:
Once a sheep is over 18 months old it can be inspected for full Purebred Babydoll Southdown registration. To be registered as purebred Babydoll Southdown, the sheep must satisfy all requirements for Grade A or Grade AA, and meet the Babydoll Southdown breed standard. Information to be provided:
Purebred Registration Program Sheep registered Purebred with AABMGS will be considered 100% The offspring from two Purebred registered AABMGS Babydoll Southdowns will be considered Purebred. Purebred Lambs Breeders wanting to register Babydoll Southdown lambs must apply for registration and a grade certificate showing the relevant percentage and grade will be issued by the registrar. It is encouraged that members with AABMGS Purebred lambs send their yearly heights and an updated adult photo to the registrar. The AABMGS reserves the right to request that the height be submitted for any sheep that have been registered as Purebred lambs. Additional Information AABMGS Purebred Babydoll Southdown sheep should meet the breed and height standard but not all purebred animals of any species are guaranteed to be of exceptional quality. All buyers should ask the seller for the current age and height of all potential purchases. The ideal height for a Purebred Babydoll Southdown sheep is a minimum of 43cm and a maximum of 60cm. Sheep between 41 to 43cm and over 60 to 62cm are not ideal but they can prove very useful in well thought out breeding programs. Sheep less than 41cm and over 62cm cannot be registered as a Babydoll Southdown with AABMGS. Coloured Babydoll Southdown To be registered as a coloured Grade A Babydoll Southdown the sheep must have one registered coloured parent per generation back to and including the great-great-grandparents. Information to be provided for registration is the same as for Grade A. Purebred Coloured sheep Registered with AABMGS will need to provide DNA testing results and have their DNA results published on Premium Breed. Ewes or rams that are born white from one coloured parent and one white parent will have APCX placed on their paperwork. To be registered as an off-white Purebred Babydoll Southdown, the Grade A or AA Babydoll Southdown must have a pedigree back to and including the great-great-grandparents that consist entirely of off-white sheep ASSBA Registered Sheep Start-Up Phase Open until 30/06/2025 The start-up phase has been devised to allow sheep registered with ASSBA as Babydoll to enter the AABMGS Flock book as Purebred as long as they meet the set requirements. It is the aim of the AABMGS to allow sheep that meet the breed and height standard to be registered to ensure the gene pool is widened. ASSBA BABYDOLL To register a sheep with AABMGS that was bred under the ASSBA registration system, the owner must provide evidence that the sheep was bred by an ASSBA registered breeder. All Babydoll Sheep registered under ASSBA Babydoll will now be able to register for Purebred Registration with only the following required: 1.Application for registration form 2.Copy of the registering sheep ASSBA Papers 3.Current Photo (This can be front on or a side stance (Shorn or Wool photos are acceptable) (If application is for a Lamb photo are still required Lamb must be over three Months old) Ear tag photo that Corresponds to the ASSBA Registration pedigree ASSBA Registration Papers in name of Current owner or If the owner is not an ASSBA registered breeder they can provide the ASSBA combined transfer and registration certificate supplied by the breeder, this form is to be signed by the breeder with their flock number clearly visible. The original breeder’s name and ASSBA Flock Number. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSBA Southdown’s AABMGS recognize the use of a modern Southdown in a breeding program but wish to discourage the use of Southdown ewes or rams from being used to produce Babydoll Southdown’s. All Southdown sheep that do not meet the Babydoll Southdown registration criteria can be registered as Foundation. In the case of any ASSBA registered Southdown sheep not passing the breed inspection it is encouraged that the owner breeds their sheep to a AABMGS registered Babydoll Southdown, and make an application for the offspring to be registered using the appendix system. The following information is required for inspection when applying for purebred registration at 18 months old (or older): Application for registration Photos showing full sheep in full wool from the front, both sides and behind (Wool photos can be taken at any time during the year of application) Photos showing full sheep shorn from one side and a photo of its face. (Shorn photos can be taken at any time during the year of application) Ear tag photo Photo of the entire sheep with the measuring stick (Piccolo) in the correct position and the height clearly legible ASSBA Registration Papers in name of owner or If the owner is not an ASSBA registered breeder they can provide the ASSBA combined transfer and registration certificate supplied by the breeder, this form is to be signed by the breeder with their flock number clearly visible. The original breeder’s name and ASSBA Flock Number ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *At any time AABMGS reserves the right to have the height measured by a representative of AABMGS. A sheep accepted for registration as purebred Babydoll Southdown will be considered 100% Babydoll Southdown for the purposes of calculating the percentage.* Calculating percentages The estimated percentage of purebred genetics in an offspring is the average of the percentage of Babydoll Southdown genetics of the parents. Examples: A registered Purebred Babydoll Southdown ram is rated as 100% and a Foundation ewe is rated as 0%. The average of the parents is (100% + 0%) divided by 2 which gives 50%, meeting the requirement for registration as Grade D. For a Grade C ewe (75%) and a Grade B ram (87.5%), the average of the parents is (75% + 87.5%) divided by 2 which gives 81.25%. This is rounded down to 75%, meeting the requirement for registration as Grade C. Showing The AABMGS show height for the Babydoll Southdown is a minimum of 43cm and a maximum of 60cm. |
Tanjar crossbred Babydoll Southdown ewes (Tanjar Stud)
Striped Babydolls
Tanjar Zebs was born black but there was some white in her fleece. Photo provided by Tanjar Stud
When Zebs was shorn, these stripes were revealed. Photo provided by Tanjar Stud
Tanjar Zebs. Photo provided by Tanjar Stud
As Tanjar Zebs grew older the striping pattern grew out. This photo shows Zebs at around 4 years of age. Photo provided by Tanjar Stud
Tanjar Zebs' son Tanjar Buckeye. Photo Tanjar Stud
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Example of photos for Grade A and Purebred Babydoll registrations
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