[Jacob-list] Re: Sheep ID, misc and adv.

[Marilyn McBirney]

Wow- I've been off the list for months but it sure is great to hear from
all these Jacob breeders.  I got cut off accidently and had a hard time
getting back on for some reason. Last time I was trying to force a ewe to
accept her twin by tying her up and getting everyone's feedback.  Anyway
after 5 days (boy, did I feel bad about that) she did begrudgingly (sp?)
accept him and he did great.  Will she learn that it's OK to take care of
2?? (This was the 2nd year she abandoned one of the twins, the first time I
just hand raised the ewe lamb).  I'm giving her one more chance since she
has such a nice fleece.

As for the sheep ID question I'd guess a Barbados Blackbelly cross with
???.

I have an opportunity to travel to Madagascar with friends next year and in
order to afford it I must sell more sheep.  : (      I have 2 and 4 horn
ram lambs available, one of the 4 horned lambs looks great - good spacing
and balance, black muzzle and eye patches, black spots on legs, nice
spotting and good fleece, the other one looks OK-good- his horns are not as
balanced, and no black on his legs.  I also have 5 ewe lambs left and need
to sell some of the ewe flock.  I haven't put rams with ewes yet but the
ewes could be sold as bred ewes.  I would be willing to make a deal for
larger groups and can deliver within 200 miles. Most of the flock comes
from Maverick/Rockies lineages and a ram from Joy Farm.  The ewe flock now
numbers 47 and I should cut back to 25 so there is lots to chose from! 
Please email me privately for more info.  Thanks!

Marilyn McBirney
Rising Sun Farm
Pueblo CO
marilynm at cnipl.net
(719) 948-4622
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From: Thomas Simmons <creagchild at monad.net>
To: jacob-list <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Subject: [Jacob-list] Sheep ID
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2000 7:30 AM

Dear shepherds of the world (or at least Jacob breeders on the list) - 

I would like to pick your brains in identifying a ewe that i have.  She was
obtained from a farm that received her as a donation from a biker who found
her wandering in the woods... 

She is slightly taller and longer than most Jacobs, with a definite
beefy-belly structure.  She is entirely greyish (mousy-brown-grey) except
for two places:  a white blaze and poll, and her belly and legs are solid
black (similar to the Shetland Katmoget marking).  There is a very distinct
line of seperation between her black belly and the rest of her.  Her ears
are tiny - maybe 1 inch long, and she is hornless.  Her "wool" only grows
out to about 1  inch over the course of the season, and is a mix of coarse
hair and down.  Some areas of her body have intermittent long hairs. She
has no "wooly" area forward of her poll, or on her legs. She twins
faithfully 2x a year, spring and fall.

I have seen her bred to a 100% black Jacob/Dorset cross, and her sons (two
seperate breedings)were either 100% black or 100% white with four HUGE
solid horns (black on the black son, white on the white son).  Their heads
seem out of proportion (large) to their body.

When bred to a pure Jacob (two separate breedings), she produced scurred
ewes (all scurs break off and re-grow, cycle after cycle). The ewes have
Jacob-style spotting patterns of about 65% dark; Some black legs, some
white legs; white blaze, large eye patches, no wool forward of poll, all
slightly smaller than my pure jacobs. the fleeces are long and beautiful.

I have kept this ewe because she is my Freezer-Filler.  The fleeces on her
daughters, however, have made me re-think their use.  Can anyone put these
pieces together and suggest what kind of sheep Rebekkah might be???

thom