[Jacob-list] Comment on "American Jacob"

[Thomas Simmons]

George wrote, 

"Particularly with respect to color ratios and horn set, we breed for very restricted phenotypes and genotypes"

 ... It looked pretty well written down and developed the last time I looked at JSC or JSBA literature.

Some thoughts: 

First "WE" all breed for different things, and I'll be the first to admit that hornsets and 60/40 color ratios don't mean squat to me...some people breed "to the standards," which indeed creates a standardized breed, while others do not, or, in my case, have a tendency to breed within the breed, but away from that standard in an effort to preserve the genotype and the landrace qualities.  I would agree with you that there is a very strong trend towards standardization, but that doesn't mean that Jacons, as a breed, are standardized.

In fact, it is important to realize that probably the majority of Jacobs in this country are not registered in either breed organization!

Second, meeting the Breed Standards do not necessarily mean an animal is or is not an American Jacob.  Plenty of animals with fused horns or 90% coloration ARE American Jacobs, but they don't meet the standard for registration purposes.  Whether or not they meet that standard is not a definitive declaration of whether or not they constitute an American Jacob genotype.

Third, we need to admit that the definitions between "feral," "landrace," and  "standardized" are not hard-in-the-sand lines, but general "checkpoints" against which to discuss traits.  The decentralized nature of the north american flocks would indicate that we are quite a diverse lot....and there are probably lots of "shades of grey" between "landrace" and "standardized."  

thom




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