Registration

Why register sheep?
Breeders register sheep as a way of tracking pedigrees, genetics and purity of sheep type. Over time these registrations create flock histories that become a useful resource for all breeders. By registering and tracking our Babydolls we can gradually build our new Australian Babydoll breed. It is a form of quality control that reduces the chance of valuable genetics being wasted by not being tracked and consequently becoming unavailable to registered flocks in the future.

Breeders operating a registered sheep stud must use registered sheep in their breeding program to be able to sell the sheep that they breed with registration papers. Generally it is not possible to buy sheep without papers and then register them later, no matter what their pedigree.

Many sheep shows only allow registered sheep to participate so if you want to show sheep you generally need to register them and show them at shows that recognise your registry.

Buying registered Babydoll Sheep
Make sure to buy registered sheep if you want to breed and sell Babydoll Sheep with registration papers. Be aware that some Babydoll registries do not accept Babydoll sheep bred in other registries so it is worth checking out your registration options before buying.

It is good practice to ask for extended pedigrees and registration details for the sheep you are buying at the time of sale along with evidence of transfer of registration to the buyer.

If you are just getting started and haven't decided whether you want to sell registered sheep, you can keep your options open by buying registered sheep. Remember that you generally can't turn unregistered sheep into registered sheep.

Which registry?
There are four registries in Australia where Babydoll breeding programs can be run. They all have their pros and cons. We recognise that this can be pretty confusing when you are starting out. It may be helpful to have a look at the vision and goals of the breed society associated with each registry and decide which align best with your personal philosophy.

In brief:

• The BSBA Babydoll registry is run by Babydoll Sheep Breeders Australia (BSBA) who are committed to developing a new Babydoll sheep breed for Australia including white, coloured, patterned and spotted Babydolls. This registry is currently in the breed development phase where sheep from the ASSBA Southdown, ASSBA Babydoll and AABMGS Babydoll Southdown registries can be introduced as long as there is evidence to support the pedigree of the sheep including the percentage of Southdown genetics. There is an inspection process to determine how well individual sheep meet the BSBA Babydoll breed standard and genetic diversity is encouraged.
  
• The ASSBA Babydoll registry is run by the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association with Babydoll Sheep Association of Australia as the affiliated breed society. (Note this association with a very similar name is not BSBA.) The ASSBA Babydoll registry was formed in 2020 by breeders moving some white ASSBA Southdown sheep to the new registry and then closing the new registry shortly afterwards. There was no process to determine that these sheep were any different from other Southdowns. This registry runs as a closed registry and it is only for white sheep. To use it you need to buy sheep from breeders in the registry and then use these sheep to register an ASSBA Babydoll flock. The only other option is to introduce sheep through an ASSBA Babydoll appendix flock which involves breeding up through at least four generations.
  
• The ASSBA Southdown registry is run by the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association with Southdown Australia as the affiliated breed society. This is the oldest registry and has the greatest diversity of genetics ranging from more traditional style Southdowns (often now identified as Babydolls) through to taller, longer, leaner models used as terminal sires for commercial fat lamb flocks. It is only for white sheep. This registry runs as a closed registry. To use it you need to buy sheep from an ASSBA Southdown breeder and then register a Southdown flock with ASSBA. The only other option is to introduce sheep through an ASSBA Southdown appendix flock which involves breeding up through at least four generations. It would be possible to put ASSBA Babydoll sheep into an ASSBA Southdown appendix flock and then breed up to get access to the wide range of genetics on offer in the ASSBA Southdown registry (rather than diluting these genetics by putting Southdowns into an ASSBA Babydoll appendix flock).
  
• The AABMGSS Babydoll Southdown registry is run by the Australian All Breeds of Miniature Goat and Sheep Society. This small registry allows both white and coloured sheep to be registered. It has a strong focus on height of sheep and currently allows some sheep registered as ASSBA Babydoll to be registered while discriminating against sheep registered as ASSBA Southdown.
  

Can Babydoll sheep be dual registered?
Yes it is possible to dual register white Babydoll Sheep in two ways provided that they comply with the rules for each registry:

• BSBA Babydoll registry and ASSBA Southdown registry
• BSBA Babydoll registry and ASSBA Babydoll registry