Does anyone know what the process is to "register" sheep? I have a pretty good idea that what it means is that if you have an offspring of two registered animals, you can register the offspring...what if you don't know who the parents are? My guess in this case is, you can't register them? So then, if you have animals that are not registered, but you breed them, can you then register the offspring since both parents are known? If you do this, i.e. register the offspring of two unregistered aniamls, are they "just as registered" as another set of animals where the parents, grandparents, great-grandparents etc are all known? How important is that?
Does all this really matter? We are looking to branch out to a starter flock of sheep...the exact breed to be determined, but a small flock of sheep that I know of is available, and they "seem" like decent animals. A few ewes, a yearling, and two breeding bucks with different blood lines....
When we set out on this plan, we planned on getting registered animals, under the assumption that thye would cost more, but would also cause the eventual offspring to be worth more as well to potential buyers...
I'm speaking only from my experience with the North American Shetland Sheepbreeder's Association (NASSA) but logic dictates that their rules would be pretty much the same as anyones for registering sheep.
The purpose of registered sheep is to ensure that the breed is kept pure. Therefore, if one parent is not registered, the offspring may not be registered. What you think, or how the animal looks has no bearing on the subject. If you can't show papers on both parents, and also guarantee that the parents (particularly the ram) are who you say they are, you can't register the lamb. If the ewe has been exposed to more than one ram, and one of the rams she has been exposed to is not registered, you can't register the lamb.
All of that being said, registration only impacts the price of the lamb if you're selling it as breeding stock. If you're selling the wool, the wool quality determines the price. I have registered Shetlands, and one of them has a fleece that is nearly unmarketable due to the high hair content. Another of my ewes is unregistered (some other breed mixed in) but has a gorgeous fleece that I can get a premium price for.
Likewise, if you're selling the meat, it's size and flavor that determine the selling price, not breed or registration.
In short, unless you're planning to sell breeding stock, I wouldn't get too hung up on the registered/non-registered thing.
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