Country of Origin 
Australia
Australian Status
Uses
Meat, wool, their small stature also makes them ideal for working in orchards and vineyards for weed and grass management, and for maintaining small properties
Breed Traits
A polled sheep breed with a naturally wooly face, giving them their distinctive 'Teddy Bear' look. The Babydoll are 45-61 cm tall, have wool on legs as well as face, and come in off white/cream with no brown or black fibres. They are known for their friendly personalities.
Medium dense, springy wool with Downs characteristics, typically 22-24 micron and 3-5cm staple length. They need to be shorn once a year.
History
John Ellman of Glynde, UK developed the Southdown sheep in the late 1700s by making improvements on the Sussex breed.
History in Australia
In 1805 Rev. Sam Marsden records the presence of Southdown sheep in New South Wales, making them one of the oldest sheep breeds in Australia.
By the mid-1900s, the market drove a desire for larger, heavier lambs, and the breeders developed the larger modern Southdown in response. New Zealand and English Southdown imports arrive in 1974 further increasing the size and muscling of the breed.
In 2017, the Babydoll Sheep Association of Australia was formed to protect and preserve the original, smaller and compact Southdown sheep, and renames them the Babydoll. In 2020 Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association creates its first Babydoll sheep section, and in 2021, the first Babydoll is registered.
Breed Organisations
Babydoll Sheep Association of Australia, Inc. (BSAA)
Australian Population
2022: Ewes 553; Rams 90
2025: Ewes 647; Flocks 52
Other Notes
In the USA the older Southdown type is known as “The Olde English Babydoll Southdown.”
Photo credit
Aus Ch Tanjar Little Spot With permission Deborah Royans www.babydollsheepaustralia.com
Page by C. Wormald, August 2026
