These short-wooled sheep have been regaining their popularity over the past couple decades with single-breed heritage fiber fans for their soft, springy wool with a spiral crimp. The Southdown sheep is a sheep that originates from the United Kingdom and it is medium sized sheep breed that has a long compact body in relation to the length of their medium length legs. In 1780 John Ellman, realized the potential of these animals and set out to standardize the Southdown breed. From mature ewes, fleece weights are between 5.0 and 8.0 lb ((2.5 - 3.6 kg) with a yield of 40% to 55%. [citation needed]. They are one of the oldest breeds of “down” sheep from the United Kingdom and are prized for their meat but also produce a decent quality and quantity of wool. They later declined in nearly the same pattern that had occurred in England. It also develops Shropshire sheep, Oxford, and Hampshire sheep. Southdown, breed of medium-wool, dark-faced, hornless sheep originating in the Sussex hills of England. [3][4] Baby Doll breeders claim that their sheep are closer to the original English Southdown than are the commercial Southdown sheep being grown today. In the Second World War, the South Downs were commandeered for military training, only fringe farms being left to produce milk for the towns. North American Southdowns are also taller than their English counterparts. Crossed on any breed of ewe the resulting lamb will have a carcass of fine conformation and high grade if marketed correctly. The Southdown sheep are a very active breed of domestic sheep. At that time, Mock started the first and original Olde English Southdown Registry to market this once meat breed to a completely new market for people looking for pets and 4H projects, and he started the "Babydoll" used by the members of the original registry, as well as the few spin-off Babydoll registries. This breed is known as a native breed recognized by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The Southdown sheep are excellent meat producers. The Southdown is best suited for farm flock production. Southdown Sheep is a double purpose breed, the farmers produce it for their excellent wool. During the interwar years, the United Kingdom was known for farm animal breeding, and pedigreed Southdowns were still being exported to most parts of the world, especially New Zealand. The Southdown breed was originally bred by John Ellman of Glynde, near Lewes, East Sussex, about 200 years ago.His work was continued by Jonas Webb of Babraham in Cambridgeshire, who developed the larger animal of today.It was exported to … The Southdown is a small, dual-purpose English sheep, raised primarily for meat. The American Southdowns were developed by breeding the original bloodlines to larger breeds of Southdowns from other countries to create a sheep that could compete with the other larger meat breeds in the US. Babydoll Southdown sheep are known for their docile dispositions. The staple length ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 inches (4-6 cm).[6]. Southdown, breed of medium-wool, dark-faced, hornless sheep originating in the Sussex hills … The Southdown is historically one of the most important of the British breeds of sheep, valued for fleece, meat, and for improvement of other breeds. Official website of the most active Southdown Breed State Association in the United States, Official website of the American Southdown Breeders Association, Olde English Babydoll Southdown Sheep Registry, English Sheep web site Located in the UK talks about Southdowns in the US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southdown_sheep&oldid=918235803, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2011, Articles with disputed statements from July 2011, Articles needing additional references from January 2016, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 September 2019, at 17:28. The Southdown has been placed on a watch list by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. They are small in stature and are easy to handle. They are adaptable to varied and wet climates. It also develops Shropshire sheep, Oxford, and Hampshire sheep. Napa sheep slaughter solved: Culprits were cougars. Kept by the farmers and shepherds on the chalk hills of what is today known as … The Southdown was developed in southeastern England, specifically in the Chalk Hills or "South Downs" of Sussex. Friendly and easy to manage, the broad-backed and adorable Southdown sheep are a heritage breed of sheep that originated in southern England. When Mock and his associates were searching for the stock to start the new registry, only adult Babydoll sheep, two years and older, were accepted in the flock, so they could be judged against the original conformation standards as verified by a veterinarian. One of the oldest of the English breeds of sheep is the Southdown, originating on the South Down hills of Sussex County, England. Join Southdown Australia. [1] The Southdown breed was originally bred by John Ellman of Glynde, near Lewes, East Sussex, about 200 years ago. Folded flocks were no longer economical and smaller flocks averaged only 135 ewes apiece. [citation needed] At the time, their wool was second only to the Hereford sheep in fineness and quality. During the Great Depression, a severe and prolonged fall in the prices of wool and cereals due to rising volumes of imports from the British Empire was accompanied by the Wet Years - a six-year period of cold, wet weather with little sun. Special Characteristics: Southdown Sheep have extraordinary exploitation conditions that have stimulated the interest of farmers in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, Argentina, etc. With the gradual introduction of new crops such as field turnips, swedes, kohl rabi and other forage crops, the folding system took off, increasing in parallel with expanding human population. Much remained the same until the First World War, when the Southdown flocks declined with some rapidity, as shepherds and farm workers went off to war. Subsequently, the process of registering lambs from this newly established foundation flock began.