AABMGS Mini Sheep Branch Babydoll Breed Standard
  https://www.aabmgs.org.au/babydoll-sheep.html   

Babydoll Southdown Ewe photo used for AABMGS Registration

Babydoll Southdown Ewe photo used for AABMGS Registration

Rear View Babydoll Southdown Ram photo used for AABMGS Registration

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     AABMGS Babydoll                         Section 

The Babydoll 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 easygoing 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 should catch the eye with its alertness and balanced appearance, displaying the following characteristics.

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www.aabmgs.org.au/babydoll-sheep.html

​ Examples of photo requirements for
        Babydoll Registrations 

Babydoll Southdown Ewe photo used for AABMGS Registration

Rear View Babydoll Southdown Ewe photo used for AABMGS Registration

Babydoll Southdown Ewe photo used for AABMGS Registration

HEAD AND FACE

• Wide, with no sign of a horn.
• Not too long from eyes to nose.
• Strong, wide lower jaw. Teeth fitting well up on the pad.
• Nostrils, full and wide with dark skin preferred.
• Eyes large and bright. 
• Ears of medium size and thickness with soft hair or short wool of similar colour to face and level with poll.
• Fleece on cheeks, forehead and around the eyes not so long as to obstruct vision.

NECK AND SHOULDERS

• Neck wide at base, strong, short and well set on the shoulder with as few wrinkles as possible.
• Shoulders well set, level with the back, well covered, not too heavy and allowing free movement, no depression behind the blades.

CHEST AND RIBS

• Ample width and sufficient depth
• Ribs well sprung.
• Fore and hind flanks fully developed

BACK

• Back long, level and firm with a deep, wide and firm well muscled loin.

HIND QUARTERS (THIGHS AND TWIST)

• Full, well let down, well-muscled hind saddle.
• Deep, wide muscling through the twist giving strength to the back legs and freedom of movement.

TAIL

• Broad, almost level with the spine.

LEGS AND FEET

• Short length legs, thick with strong bone.
• Pasterns well sprung but not sagging.
• Knees square with the body when viewed from the front.
• Forearms strong and thick with meat.
• Hind legs with a slightly forward setting from the vertical line of the pin bone.

SCROTUM

• Good size, well hung, carrying two normal, well developed testicles.
• One or two testicles not descended or split testicles are a breed disqualification.

UDDER

• Wide and well attached with two functioning teats.
• Extra functioning teats are discriminated against. Supernumerary (extra non-functioning) teats are not discriminated against.

SKIN

• Delicate grey to bright pink on off-white sheep.
• Dark tones on black sheep.
• Should not have wrinkles over the body.

FLESH

• Even and firm handling all over.

FLEECE

• Wool short, dense and fine texture.
• Covering the whole of the body down to the hocks and knees.

CARRIAGE

• Free and active, head well carried.

HEIGHT AT SHOULDER

• Height below 61 cm is preferred.
• Not above 61 cm at one year old (breed disqualification).
• Not above 62 cm in older sheep (breed disqualification).

COLOURS AND MARKINGS

• Acceptable fleece colours: off-white, black, greys and Moorits.
• Black preferred for nose leather and hooves.
• Colour of the hair or wool on the muzzle should be:
  • light tan to brown to cinnamon to mousy grey with even colours preferred for an off-white fleeced sheep
  • black for black, grey or chocolate fleeced sheep (greying with age is acceptable).
  • not lacking pigmentation (breed disqualification)
  • not black faced on off-white fleeced sheep (breed disqualification).
• Lower leg colour similar to muzzle colour.
• Sheep should be registered with their birth colour.
• Colour loss is acceptable.
• Patches and spotted are acceptable except as listed below.
• Unacceptable fleece colours and markings (breed disqualifications):
  • Off-white fleeced sheep with a black muzzle and/or legs.
  • Off-white sheep where both the muzzle and the legs are bright white (lacking pigmentation).
  • Black-fleeced sheep with an off-white muzzle and/or legs.
  • Predominantly bright white (lacking pigmentation) on body.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

• Height at shoulder above 61 cm at one year old
• Height at shoulder above 62 cm at two or more years old
• Solid 2.5 cm or larger scurs or horns
• Roman nose
• Bright solid pink nose and lips or nose and lips without any pigmentation (pale pink/white)

• Severe under or overbite, with distinct space between teeth and edge of dental pad 

• Solid white hooves
• One or both testicles not descended
• Split testicles
• Udder with more than two functioning teats
• Off-white fleeced sheep with a black muzzle and/or legs
• Off-white fleeced sheep with muzzle and legs both bright white
• Black-fleeced sheep with an off-white muzzle and/or legs
• Muzzle lacking pigmentation
• Predominantly bright white fleece

                                                               
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Tanjar Katumbie in his sheep halter. Our halters are smaller in size, so perfect to suit the Babydoll.