Southdown

Southdown is the old Sussex Down sheep, developed on the chalk hills of southern England and later used to shape many other dark-faced meat breeds. It is compact, polled, early maturing, and rounded in carcass form, with a smaller frame than Hampshire, Suffolk, or Oxford Down sheep. The fleece is short to medium and relatively fine for a meat breed, while the face and legs are traditionally mouse-brown to gray-brown.

Modern Southdowns appear in pedigree flocks, farm parks, youth projects, and small meat flocks, with some lines selected for the shorter Babydoll style and others kept closer to the larger commercial type. Good management keeps weight under control, protects lambing ease, and matches the breed to grass quality rather than expecting large terminal-sire growth. Buyers should distinguish registered Southdown, Babydoll Southdown, and Southdown-influenced crossbreds before comparing animals.

Colors: Badgerface, Black, Blackbelly, Brown, Gray, Gray-Brown Face, Gulmoget, Katmoget, Light Gray to White Wool, Moorit, Piebald, Red, Silver, Spotted, Tan, White, White with Black Points, White with Brown Points