Post by Admin on Aug 31, 2019 17:29:27 GMT -5
No matter the registry, Babydoll Southdown sheep ONLY come in three colors; black, white & spotted.
▪︎Black will fade by the sun or from lack of certain minerals to a brown hue. This same thing happens in other black haired/furred animals, it even happens in humans with brown hair turning blonde on the ends. Black will also loose color and turn grey over time, as early as a few months old or it may take years to happen.
Some breeders are working towards non-fading blacks.
▪︎White has different shades for the leg, ear and muzzle. Occasionally, the color will be on the tail and back. Greys & cinnamon hues are all normal. White can also be a stark, crisp white on the ears, legs & muzzle. Some believe that this is a form of spotting, it is not fully understood.
▪︎Spotted color has different patterns and they are not all well known or understood yet. From small bits of white on the head, tail and/or legs, to molted mix of black & white over the body, to large sections of black & white that resembles cattle.
¤Stomatic mutations also occur, but are NOT related to spotting. It is a blooper while lamb was developing. It will not be passed on.
¤Babydolls are registered by color at the time of birth.
There is a FB group called Sheep Color Genetics that has several different threads all about the colors of the Babydoll.
▪︎Black will fade by the sun or from lack of certain minerals to a brown hue. This same thing happens in other black haired/furred animals, it even happens in humans with brown hair turning blonde on the ends. Black will also loose color and turn grey over time, as early as a few months old or it may take years to happen.
Some breeders are working towards non-fading blacks.
▪︎White has different shades for the leg, ear and muzzle. Occasionally, the color will be on the tail and back. Greys & cinnamon hues are all normal. White can also be a stark, crisp white on the ears, legs & muzzle. Some believe that this is a form of spotting, it is not fully understood.
▪︎Spotted color has different patterns and they are not all well known or understood yet. From small bits of white on the head, tail and/or legs, to molted mix of black & white over the body, to large sections of black & white that resembles cattle.
¤Stomatic mutations also occur, but are NOT related to spotting. It is a blooper while lamb was developing. It will not be passed on.
¤Babydolls are registered by color at the time of birth.
There is a FB group called Sheep Color Genetics that has several different threads all about the colors of the Babydoll.
