Olde English Babydoll Sheep

Olde English Babydoll Sheep are a breed of livestock that have stolen the hearts of generations. These sheep can trace their ancestry back to Southdown sheep that were bred in the Sussex county of England. They were valued for their luxuriously soft wool, their rugged hardy nature, and their tender meat. They stood no taller then 24 inches at the top of their shoulders and neither ram nor ewe had any horns to speak of.

These tiny sheep may have been brought to English colonies as early as 1640. However a breed standard was not created until John Ellman created one in 1780. In 1803 the first Southdown sheep were shipped to the United States. They were again shipped to the United States between 1824-1829, these sheep being from Ellman's original flock.

In 1908 the breed was at it's peak. In England and America there were 367 registered flocks with an estimated 111,000 ewes. They were the perfect animal for small family farms who could quickly eat the meat they provided without having to preserve the leftovers. Their wool was also used.

With the advent of the refrigerator and the decline of small family farms these sheep soon found themselves in trouble. Breeders cross bred them with larger New Zealand Southdowns to create bigger sheep for the meat industry. These larger sheep almost totally took over. By 1990 an estimated 350 were the only ones still known in existence.

In 1986 a man by the name of Robert Mock became interested in the tiny sheep after reading about them in articles. He set out to find some but soon ran into difficulty. It took him four years of searching to find two small herds that remained on the island. Determined to procure the future of these sheep he renamed them babydolls to distinguish them from their larger counterparts and formed a registry. The registry accepted only ewes that were two years of age or older so that a foundation line could be started. With the publicity that he turned out more people became aware of his project and several other breeders showed up with miniature sheep.

Babydoll sheep are now making a remarkable recovery. They are becoming more and more common in the UK and the US. Fiber enthusiasts quickly adopted them as a favored breed as their wool is the softest of any sheep breed with an average micron count of 19-20 (that's the same class as cashmere.) The wool is generally mixed with mohair, angora, or alpaca fibers to create a stronger yarn that is plush to the touch, the fancy of many knitters. It has also proven to felt well.

Olde English babydoll Sheep now have two registries to their name and are recognized in four colors: white, black, dilute, and spotted. They are favored among fiber enthusiasts, pet owners, and people looking for an efficient four-legged weeding machine. Their docile nature makes them beloved companion animals and in the future they'll probably become popular enough to star in 4-H and similar programs so watch out for these semi-obscure little livestock as they're quickly reclaiming the world as their own!

All photos used in this article were courtasey of Easy Acres Farm, in Kentucky. If you're interested in these lovely sheep please give them a visit: http://www.easyacresfarm.com/index.html