[Jacob-list] Registrations & Philosophies

[George Benedict]

Kate,

You suggest that descendents of the Quarter Horse, "Impressive",  are still
eligible for registration whether or not they carry the HYPP genetic disease
causing Sudden Death. Whether or not that is the case, it seems like a good
idea, because the genotype can then be monitored and presumably selected
against when it is known to exist.

Your notion that "if you buy and sell unregistered or unpedigreed sheep, you
would be taking a greater risk of inadvertently bringing this deficiency
into your flock" works best if the registry is open minded enough to allow
registration on phenotypic conformation to the breed while recognizing that
genotypic variation, not always immediately discernable in the phenotype,
may create genetic-linked problems or diseases in a registerable animal.

We humans are a strange lot when it comes to animal husbandry and an odd
variation on the above is exemplified in the Tennessee Fainting goat. TFG's
are selectively bred to carry what would be characterized as a genetic
disease or disorder in most animals in that their muscles lock up when
frightened and many will then tip over.

Phenotypic traits, so important in breeds like the Jacob, take on a
subordinate importance to the genotype. TFG's can be polled or horned, have
a wide range of colors and spotting, long coated or short coated, short
(17") or tall(25"), but must "faint", so to speak....the genotype prevails.

An interesting (to me at least...) thought problem can be derived from this
by imagining what Jacob Sheep would look like if they were registered
totally on genotype with blind regard for phenotype. I suspect that such
"genotypically pure" selected Jacobs would show a wider range of phenotypic
expression than what is registerable today. It would include Thom Simmons
cosmetically imperfect ram as well as my 90% black ewe with the beautifully
perfect hornset and all of Ed Bissel's sheep and Maizie Hescocks sheep and
even Phil Sponenberg's pure white Jacob because it is black with one giant
spot and so on.....

I mention Edd and Maizie's  two flocks in contradistinction because Maizie's
flock (unregistered) is a strictly closed flock while Edd frequently marvels
at the diversity of his (unregistered) flock. To quote Edd "all in all we
still have what I consider classic Jacob colorations and stature and horn
structure - I have never been one to cull for anything but two horns and
VERY dark colors and split eyes -everything else was just part of the whole
pie. "

The issue of course is whether you and the registrars of your chosen breed
like the same flavor of pie.