[Jacob-list] Where in the world is that one and only perfect ram????

[Mary Hansson]

Kris

Striping in the horns or hooves is neither a good or bad thing.  Some
people like all black better while others tend to like the striping
more.  One important point a former superior breeder made at the
beginning of the list was that to breed stripe to stripe seemed to
lighten the percent of color on those horns.  She had bred out the black
in the horns by doing too much of that and white horns/hooves are NOT in
the breed standard.  Therefore, don't push the trait too far would be
good advice---sort of like anything in the Jacobs.

Quilting.....The white or the black/colored portion of the fleece is
shorter than the other color.  Lots of Jacobs have a shorter colored
wool than the white wool on the same animal.  Some breeders pay careful
attention to the trait and others don't seem to worry about it.  When
you get people looking for the "perfect" animal, they do often talk
freckling, quilting traits as being those they don't want to physically
see on the animal.

I have seen 2 non-freckled animals produce freckled offspring-----as
well as 2 heavily freckled animals produce non-freckled offspring.
Can't explain both of those occurrances with simple autosomal
dominant/recessive traits.  Sun may be a factor.  There was a breeder
down in NC that made comment that the sheep kept in a pasture that had a
significant amount of shade did not have much freckling while those in
the less shaded pasture showed up much earlier with lots of freckling.

Mary Ellen Hansson
ISeeSpots Farm
Jacob Sheep:  Those horny, fuzzy critters
Shop:  Knitting, crochet, spinning supplies
www.iseespots.com