Olde English Southdown Babydoll Sheep

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The Olde English 'Babydoll' Southdown is a breed of sheep developed in the United States to reflect the original type of Southdown brought over to North America.  It is believed that the breed reached the United States in 1803,  Their popularity grew and later declined because small Southdown could not satisfy the consumer demand for larger meat cuts. This was a significant factor in the development and mass production of the larger, leggier Southdown of today. This divergence from the original breed standards was the beginning of what would later become two distinct lines: The Southdown and the miniature (or original) Southdown. Each year brought a further decline in the number of these “original” Southdowns'. In 1986, Mr. Robert Mock began a search for the sheep with the original blood lines that conformed to the original Southdown of the 1700s. Finding them proved to be extremely difficult; at one point, they were even believed to be extinct. After a four-year search, two small flocks totaling 26 sheep were located; however, this group was unable to sustain a viable gene pool. After more extensive searching 350 of these miniature sheep were located, with many of them still carrying  their original Southdown registration papers.  One of the most distinguishing features of tis breed is a facial structure that makes them appear to be "smiling."