REGISTERING SHEEP

If you have any questions regarding your membership or your registrations/transfers, please contact:

Mailing address:
NABSSAR
c/o Jeff Ebert
10015 Flush Rd
Saint George, KS 66535-9741

Telephone:785-458-9174

Send E-mail
Be sure to put 'NABSSAR' in the SUBJECT LINE

You must be a member of the NABSSAR to register and transfer sheep.  You may apply for membership at the same time though.

• Both the sire and dam must be registered with us.
• The owner* of the ewe at the time of the lamb(s) birth is the person who must register the lambs born. A lamb's buyer cannot register it.
• If you did not own the offspring's sire; or, the ewe was pregnant when you purchased her, include a Breeding Certificate.
• Make sure your sheep meets our breed standard. We have both a print version and a photo version for your review. We do not accept spotted sheep (see breed standard for "blemish" exception). Do not register spot carrier sheep with us.
• The sheep must have an official ear tag (in the U.S., they are known as scrapie tags) attached to its ear. The wool needs to be moved away from the tag so it is not covering the tag ID number information. The tag needs to be clean. If necessary, use a baby wipe, Isopropyl alcohol, or similar to clean. The a photo of the sheep's face with a minimum of the animal ID number visible. Then, in addition, take a zoomed in photo of the tag showing both the flock ID number and the animal ID number with enough of the sheep's face still in it so we know it is the same sheep. If necessary, move/twist the ear so the tag is facing forward. It may help to focus the camera more on the tag rather than the sheep. Take the photos in natural light if possible. Check with the authorities in your country for information on official ear tags.
• Take a head shot / ear tag photo. The photos need to be looking directly at the sheep's face, not over the sheep, not looking at the side of the face. We want to see the mouth and nose leather, both eyes, both ears, and the piece/side of the scrapie tag with the COMPLETE ID number. Click here for examples. Upload color photos, not black and white.
• Use the online Sheep Registration and Photo Upload form. Up to four sheep can be registered with each submittal. If you've sold the sheep and want to pay for the transfer to the new owner, fill out the section at the bottom of each Sheep Registration page. The CoR will be mailed to you, by the AR, and you are responsible for giving it to the person you transferred the sheep to unless you mark send it directly to the buyer. We allow either the seller or the buyer to initiate the transfer of the sheep. If you are not taking care of the transfer for your buyer, please explain to them what they need to do to transfer the sheep into their name. A transfer must be completed for a person to "own" the sheep, per the registry.
• Payment Options:
• PayPal may be used with our online forms.
• A credit card (CC) may be used with our online forms.
• A check may be mailed to the registrar.
• Full payment must be received by the registrar BEFORE any work will be completed. Turnaround time, not including mail/post time, is 12 business days, or less.

Additional Information:
I. Examples of proper photos.
When taking head shot / ear tag photos for registrations/transfers:

• We need to see the COMPLETE ID number (the flock ID & the sheep ID, ex. KS1234-0001). ALL of the letters/numbers on the tag need to be visible AND readable.
• The photos need to be looking directly at the sheep's face, not over the sheep, not looking at the side of the face. We want to see the mouth and nose leather, both eyes, both ears, and the piece/side of the scrapie tag with the COMPLETE ID number. Like these examples.
• 
• The wool needs to be moved away from the tag so it is not covering the tag information.
• The tag needs to be clean. If necessary, use a baby wipe, Isopropyl alcohol, or similar to clean.
• If necessary, take a photo of the sheep's face with a minimum of the animal ID number visible. Then, in addition, take a zoomed in photo of the tag with enough of the sheep's face still in it so we know it is the same sheep.
• If necessary, move/twist the ear so the tag is facing forward.
• It may help to focus the camera more on the tag rather than the sheep.
• Take the photos in natural light if possible.

II. Regarding ear tags, see the section below How To Update an Ear Tag With Us:
a. If the sheep is ever re-tagged, for any reason, the owner* of the sheep MUST send the ORIGINAL CoR to the registrar, along with a new head shot of the sheep with the new ear tag in its ear. The ear tag information updates will be made on the CoR by the registry.
b. You MUST be the last current owner already listed and approved by the registrar, on the CoR for the sheep, in order to request the ear tag information of the sheep be updated by the registry.
c. A sheep may not be able to be transferred  the CoR ear tag number information does not match the ear tag on the sheep. When purchasing a sheep, filling out paperwork on a sheep, etc., please check, double check, even triple check the sheep you have is the sheep listed on the paperwork or the CoR.

III. All applications being presented for registration of lambs bred through artificial insemination or embryo transfer, either with imported semen or domestic semen/embryos, must be accompanied by NABSSAR's Certificate of Artificial Insemination &/or Embryo Transfer Breeding, properly completed and signed by the appropriate personnel. ONLY NABSSAR registered rams & ewes may be used for semen and embryo donation. (International members contact us for information on suitable donors.) These forms can be uploaded when filling out the Sheep Registration and Photo Upload form.

* Owner = a sheep's Certificate of Registry (CoR) lists the owner of the sheep. It is either the owner listed on the front; OR, the last person the sheep was transferred to, listed on the back of the CoR the NABSSAR registrar has signed off on. A transfer of a sheep making a person an owner is only valid if the Approved by and the Approved date lines have been filled in by our registrar and the NABSSAR's official records reflect the transfer.

HOW TO UPDATE AN EAR TAG WITH US

Only the registered owner of the sheep may update an ear tag. An registered owner is the person listed on the front of the Certificate of Registry (CoR) or the last person listed on the back, in the transfer section, the registrar's signature and date indicates a transfer to a new owner has been completed.

If the sheep has lost the ear tag it was registered with, apply a new one, if you are the registered owner. The tag number the sheep was registered with is listed on the CoR in the NAME line of the sheep. The tag in the sheep's ear and the tag listed on the CoR MUST always match. Use your official ID tags with your flock # on it. In the United States, this is the "scrapie tag". if you do not have your own scrapie tags, see this page. If one of our international members, use the tags required by your government.

• Attach the new tag to the sheep's ear. The USDA/APHIS requests the tag be applied to the left ear to comply with a request by shearers. The left ear is not mandatory. See this image for proper tag placement. To aid in taking your head shot / ear tag photos, on two-piece tags, place the piece with both the flock ID & the animal ID on the inside of the ear. On the one-piece loop tags, place the side with the flock ID & the animal ID facing forward. By doing this, the ears don't have to be twisted to take photos and typically only one photo of the sheep would need to be submitted.
• Take a new head shot / ear tag photo (see examples) after the new ear tag is attached.
• Use our online Ear Tag Update Request and Photo Upload form to request. The cost $5.50.
• The sheep's record will be updated in our database and the new tag will be listed on the CoR. The updated CoR will be mailed to you.
• If you purchased a sheep with only a farm tag and the farm tag was used to register the sheep (prior to August 1, 2021 when our new policy went into effect) keep the farm tag in the ear. In addition, please attach one of your scrapie tags and have the sheep's records updated as outlined above. Scrapie tags are required by federal law to be on a sheep when they leave their farm of origin (where they were born).
• In the United States, the mandatory National Scrapie Eradication Program requires records be kept for 5 years.
  

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