We have put together a judging criteria and a list of qualified individuals to judge colored sheep and wool, and have set up judging clinics. Judging of natural colored sheep has become more uniform across the country as a result. Individual sheep are eligible for registration. As other similar livestock programs have evidenced, the registration of colored sheep through individual sheep registration contributes to the overall quality of breeding programs. This setting of standards has facilitated the increase of colored sheep shows throughout the country.
Registration is now a requirement in most shows.
It can also undertake large projects, those beyond the scope or resources of the individual. The earliest descendants of today's modern sheep were wild animals with natural colored coats to help protect them from predators. As man domesticated these animals, other colors emerged under the shepherd's watchful eye. It was not until the advent of the first dyeing did breeding for white sheep begin to take hold. While the majority of the world's sheep then became white, shepherds around the world still maintained exotic, rare and colored breeds of sheep.