registering your sheep

The BBSAI maintains a separate book of registry for the American Blackbelly and the Barbados Blackbelly.

• The American Blackbelly's book of registry is "open book," meaning that a sheep may be registered even if its dam and sire are not registered as long as it meets the breed standards for the American Blackbelly.
• The Barbados Blackbelly's book of registry is "closed," meaning that a sheep may be registered only if its sire and dam are also registered and it meets the breed standards for the Barbados Blackbelly.

Registration fee: $5.00 per sheep

BBSAI Registrar
Mary Swindell
Bellwether Farm
815 Bell Hill Road
Cobden, IL 62920
(618) 893-4568 or (618) 967-5046
Email: registrar@blackbellysheep.org

How to Register Your Sheep

To register your sheep, download the registration form here.

The form is designed to record up to eight sheep. Complete the form using the instructions printed on page 2 of the PDF.

To ensure that your registration form is processed, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY!

Mail the form with the required registration fee to the address indicated on the form. Include a photo of each sheep you are registering or email the photo(s) to registrar@blackbellysheep.org. All photos become BBSAI’s property and may be used in BBSAI publications without attribution.

What Makes a Good Registration Photo?

• The photo must clearly show the face, body, and tail of the sheep and must be taken sufficiently close to the sheep so that markings are visible.
• The photo must not be blurry or out of focus.
• Write the sheep ID (name and/or tag number) and date photo was taken on back of each photo.
• If submitting digital photos, include the sheep’s name and number in the file name (e.g., 0782.Rocky.jpg).
• The photo must clearly distinguish the sheep being registered from any other sheep in the photo.
• Both digital and hardcopy photos should be cropped so that the sheep being registered is predominant.
• If using a digital camera, we prefer photos taken at high resolution (best quality) and set to include the date of the photo. See your camera’s instruction manual for details.

Here Are Some Reasons You Should Register Your Sheep

Genetics: Breed registries provide a place to pool genetic data across many breeders. These data are important when making informed decisions regarding a breeding plan. Let's say you want to purchase a ram from a breeder in Oklahoma and you already have several ewes from a different breeder also located in Oklahoma. You need a way to determine if your ewes are related to that ram. The breed registry provides that information. The breed registry is an important tool that breeders can use to ensure genetic diversity in the breed.

Value: Eventually, as breeders eliminate less desirable traits and strengthen the traits so valued in BB sheep, registered animals will command a higher resale price than non-registered animals. In addition, there are many breeders who will not purchase an animal if it has not already been registered or if there is not some guarantee of registerability in place at the time of sale of an unregistered animal. The registration warantees that the animal meets the breed's standards.

Credibility: Being able to demonstrate several generations of breeding records always increases your animal's marketability. If those records are supported by registration documents, then that is one more thing that supports your reputation as a credible breeder.

Traceability: A breed association maintains a permanent record of the breed and protects the standards of excellence that breeders seek when buying pedigreed sheep. By registering your stock, you provide traceability of that animal's pedigree.

Marketing tool: Registering your sheep usually allows your name to appear in that registry's Breeders list. This is often the first place prospective buyers look to find a breeder.