Training, Selecting, and Fitting Babydoll Southdowns
Halter Training
If you plan on showing your sheep or would like to be able to move your sheep around the farm easily, then teaching your sheep to lead will be helpful.
It always helps to have a friendly sheep but sometimes that is not the case. A good way to friendly up any sheep is to call it with a grain bucket. Some learn to come running pretty quickly. Get them used to being touched and scratched all over while giving them a little treat and then slip on a halter. However, some just need to be caught and a halter slipped on.
Once you get a halter on them, tie them to the wall and walk away to let them figure out about pressure, giving to it, etc. on their own. Most sheep will catch on quicker, and learn faster,just being tied up and left alone to figure out the rope. 20 -30 minutes sessions are a good start. Of course never get out of sight of them just in case they get into trouble, get a leg hung in the rope, or flip upside down and need assistance. Just find something else to do in the barn while they are learning that way they also get used to the activity around them.
When left tied they will pull for a while, then when they get tired they take a step up and they get relief from the pressure. If you walkup close tothem, they pull back again. Step away, they relax and step up. They soon learn that giving to the pressure of the rope gives them relief.
Once they have been tied forseveral hours over acouple of days, and you feel they are ready, start leading them. Get a long rope as to not be really close to them to panic them and pull just to have a steady pressure. As soon as they walk forward, or even jump,give extra slack in the rope. Give them a few seconds then apply pressure on the rope again.They soon learn when you pull they should walk forward.
After a little time, depending on the sheep you should be able to get closer and closer to them until they will walk by your side. Then teach them to walk beside you when you walk, and stop when you stop. Aftera few lessons of this start touching them some and handling them. By this time they should be more comfortable around you and accept this pretty well. You can do more with them as they can accept it.
Eventually, lambs are lead away from the pen of other lambs and become accustomed to being alone. It can be helpful to lead the lambs on some gravel or rocky area as well as concrete. Many fairs do have concrete isles and show rings. If an animal has not walked on concrete, they tend to put on the brakes and not walk in a natural fashion.
Your goal should be a 20-minute walk with its head held high. This is about the amount of time you would spend in a show ring.With time you can practice setting up the lamb with head in a natural position with the neck held straight up from the shoulders and legs placed under each corner of the body. Lambs may not like to have their legs moved by hand, but with practice, they will accept having legs moved into proper position. Exercising your lamb will help you build a bond as well as condition your lamb.Always end on a good note and stay in control until the halter is removed and the lamb is returned to its pen.A lamb that is allowed to get away, may try it again next time.
A note about halters:
There are several different types of halters to use when training. The most common type are Braided Nylon rope type halters that are fully adjustable and will fit any size sheep by simply adjusting the rope to fit the head size. Only thing with these types of halters when using them to halter train, when you pull on them, or the sheep pulls back, they do tighten up and can panic an already frightened sheep. The pressure does not release off of the face very well, unless you use your hands to loosen it. This type of halter is better for sheep already trained to lead that wonít be pulling back like an untrained or wild sheep. Other choices for training are the flat nylon halters similar to other livestock halters only small sized for sheep, with a figure 8 under the jaw, or just the flat nylon halters for miniature horses or alpacas work well. They give relief to an animal and loosen when slack is in the lead rope when teaching an animal to lead.
If you plan on entering your sheep in a Breed Class you may choose to invest in a leather show halter. If you plan on entering a Fitting and Showmanship class, a halter should not be used unless you are younger in age. This is because in breed classes they judge your sheep and in fitting and showmanship classes they judge how you have prepared your sheep (fitting) and how well you handle it (showmanship).
Sheep in the show ring
First lets start by saying, YES! YOU CAN SHOW A BABYDOLL SOUTHDOWN. Old world style Southdownís were the rage of the 1960ís show and market classes before they were selectively bred to become the taller leaner ìmodernizedî American Southdown you see today. Old world Southdownís have since been re-named Babydoll Southdownís to distinguish the difference. We refer to this unchanged heritage breed as North American Babydoll Southdownís since they have become an established North American breed once again.
Although they may not meet the weight requirements of todayís market classes they are still a good choice to show in fitting and showing classes, wool classes, and especially with young showmen that are not old enough to sell a market animal or who do not want to say goodbye to their project at the sale. Their naturally small size and docility make them a good choice for showman of all ages.
Selecting your show sheep
A sheep whose structure (conformation) is better then average should be selected. Pluses in the show ring include: A sheep who best conforms to the breed standard and breed type (good thick muscling, good square leg set, good bone, nice level head with blended ear set, nice breed muzzle, wide and not snippy or roman nose, flat top line with a high tail head, wool of Southdown quality, last rib to rump slightly longer then last rib to shoulder, laid in shoulder, thick, wide and long loin length, well muscled rear (twist and legs) etc. A traditional off white sheep with good muzzle and leg hair pigment is exceptionally showy although solid blacks are allowed. Blacks with even color are preferred to Grey-black (all blacks fade to gray in wool) with darker legs or spotted sheep. Please refer to NABSSAR breed standard pages for additional help in selecting the ideal show sheep.
Fitting Your Sheep
It can be beneficial to learn more about the show you plan to attend by picking up a rule book or meeting the superintendent running the sheep show to learn the fitting rules in your area. Attend a fair or sheep show and observe how people are fitting their sheep. It is much easier to learn by seeing than readingÖespecially how to hold the hand shears and what the finished sheep should look like. Fitted sheep and sheep running free on grass look a lot different. If someone has never really seen fitted sheep, it is hard for them to visualize how that sheep should look when prepped for the show ring.
Sheep intended for breeding or grown for wool, like babydolls, are typically shown ìin fleeceî. Sheep raised for their meat and entered in the market classes are seen in fleece or ìslick shearedî. The idea behind slick shearing is that it makes conformation and muscling obvious while leaving your sheep in fleece allows you to use wool to enhance these features.
When showing in fleece it is very impressive to Spot-shear, Block-out, or Cutout the wool. This is when you shear your sheep but leave wool longer on the top-line, butt, legs and poll. Top lines can be gradually fitted down a little at a time. The extra wool allows you to accentuate your lambís attributes. However, this process begins 6-8 weeks before the show. The goal is to level the tops and hips while giving the animal eye appeal from the side profile.
One week before the show wash sheep. Although not necessary, a blocking stand really saves your back and helps restrain your sheep (Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1). Hot water does a better job of breaking the grease, and lifting the dirt. Blue Dawn dish soap has the highest alcohol content so many feel it cuts the lanolin the best, getting the sheep the cleanest. Foamers work best for even soap application or soap mixed with hot water. Sheep are rinsed from top to bottom, front to back. Be sure to completely rinse out sheep or you will end up with a green-fleeced sheep. Shammies are helpful to take the excess water out of the sheep after rinsing. A dog brush can be used to take the knots and crimp out of the fleece. A currycomb is used to break down the fleece for easier carding. Be sure to deep card the fleece to facilitate the drying process and to help the fit job hold better after fitting. If a blower is used, blow at an angle as to not knot the fleece. Then card the fleece well before blanketing and placing sheep in a clean well-bedded pen.
Figure 1
Two days before the show, or when sheep are dry fitting can begin. Dampen wool before fitting with spray bottle or wrung wet rag with just water. Hold card hand flat on top using a corner-to corner action to pull and straighten wool fiber (Figure 1). Carding is an important step to get a smooth fit on the lamb. It is also important not to rip card. It is painful to your sheep and will make the fleece uneven.
Figure 2
The goal is to make a sheep look longer bodied, longer necked, and flatter hipped. When it is time to start trimming you can use hand shears or electric shears. Start on the left side in case you make a mistake, as this is the side the judge tends to see less of. Work from the front to back with smooth strokes. Try to keep your thumb still and use your fingers to pull the blade toward you when using hand shears (Figure 2).Carding more and blending can correct mistakes.
Figure 3
Top line: To cut the top out on a sheep with hand shears or electric shears, start at the high point of the loin and go out through the rump to create a level dock. Then a line is created from the top of the withers to the loin to establish a level top line. A good top line length when finished is 1/2".
Body: make belly sides flat, take extra off shoulders and front leg to give the impression of well laid in shoulders where many babydolls are weak. Either shear or clip wool off belly to give impression of a long flat body. Blend belly line. Belly wool should be slick shorn to 1/2" and sides 3/4 to 1".
Legs: card the rear legs and shape to make muscling look large and blended. Front legs trim inside of legs to make straight, outside of ankles to make leg look straight, rear leg hair, card then shape slightly around to look leggy and straight. Finished leg fleece should be about 3/4 to 1 in length. Trim hooves even a week prior at washing.
Tail: cut short and makes a level cut to bottom of tail to make impression of a wide and deep rear. A small narrow indentation line from bottom of tail (vulva in females) to bottom of twist should be made to accentuate depth of twist and to make the fitted legs look fuller.
Head, neck and shoulders: wool blended and cheeks sheared to make muzzle blend, top of head and ear set blend in an almost level line. Neck blends into shoulder. Brisket cut in flat on bottom and straight down from under chin (Figure 4). To make broad and give head set look good, long neck etc.
Figure 4
The sheep should be carded and trimmed with hand shears and cutout a multitude of times until the desired look is accomplished (Figure 5).
Figure 5
End product is a straight lined sheep with a similar line on the underline as the top line. Finish the finer details with a hand shearer for smoother finish (Figure 6).To be a successful fitter one must card the sheep a lot. The only way to a smooth finished product without having cracks in your fleece on show day is to card. Lamb Jammies really keep them clean until show time and cost about $15.
Figure 6
A Note about Bio-security
Bio-security reduces and helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases to your farm. Please take precautions so you do not bring anything back to your farm. Disinfect shoes and show equipment, and keep show animals separated from the rest of your flock.