[Jacob-list] Primative Quibbles

[Grose]

Item 1: I have never seen a "cow-hocked" deer. True cow-hocked condition is where the hocks bonk together and the rear feet toe out noticeably. This is often due to a poor thurl position and should be considered a defect since it impedes motion. I have seen sheep, even Jacobs, like this. Jacob sheep should "track narrowly" but with the shank portion of the leg staight and the feet placing squarely. Calling our sheep cow-hocked will only give the old guys down at the feed store more room to make fun.

Item2: Bison and old type Belted Galloway cattle are about as primative as you get yet have powerful front ends. The same was true of one of our first rams, a linebred Hescock named Buster who had NO belly wool at all and a neck that swelled noticeably during season. Modern breeds are selected for a big butt since this is where the good cuts of meat come from. None of the affore mentioned animals have this.Lambing ease, by the way, has been shown to be impacted by pelvic flexability of the dam, not pelvic width. Wide rumps on the lambs tend to make hip-locks more of a problem.

Item 3: According to Robert Johnson, who had the only Soay flock in the country around 1990, Soay sheep had to be wormed contiually in our SE climate. They had evolved in an area with low worm loads. Finnsheep on the other hand were developed under wretched conditions and are remarkably hardy in this regard. All this is in direct response to the selection pressure applied to the population. Jacob sheep should be "medium-strong" in  there resistance to parasitosis, and we have to be rather viligent to keep them that way.

Neal Grose
North Carolina
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