Fw: [Jacob-list] Re; Primative sheep

[Grose]

Please allow me to apologize for my horrible typing skills and spelling, and to finish some of my thoughts that I had started in this recent post.

AI: When A.I. was introduced in cattle in the 50's, one of the primary effects was the reduction in sexually transmitted diseases. This, and the safety of those who handle cattle, are worth keeping in mind. [I am dreading the time I pick up an ALBC newsletter and read about the death of a Dexter breeder by a "cute demure" bull.] On the other hand, try explaining that thermos of semen you're sneaking through customs!

I don't think I would regard size per se as a standard for a primitive character. It is also misleading to think that "bigger is better" in natural selection. In fact, medium sized animals tend to win the lottery in natural selection unless there is a niche to be filled by a larger animal. Medium animals tend to be more efficient and have less structural problems.
The standard for efficiency is pounds of lamb per acre, not pounds per lamb. The feed required to produce a pound of fat is is three times as much as that required to produce a pound of lean lamb.

The list of primitive traits Juliet Johnston gives is a good one and has some interesting items. 
    Our adult Jacobs still 'prong' . I thought I would fall over laughing at the look on my vets face when a lamb launched over her head when she was trying to help me corner some sheep.
    Fleece characteristics can be confusing. It is noticeable that things like double fleecing and manes are listed as primitive, yet we are not to keen on these characteristics in JSBA. [I would go for 'primitive but not too primitive'.]
    Our Jacobs would rather graze than eat out of the feeder, unlike the longwools.
    We had a ewe that would defend her newborn to the point that she would beat away her first lamb[which she had just fed] when the second was born. Fortunately she wised up in her old age. Jacobs do not take orphans well in our experience, unlike the longwool/Finns that will sometimes steal lambs from one another. They do not seem to be happy with less than three. Twinning is not a feral trait. Twins are often fallowed by skipping a year lambing. Here again, we want primitive but not too primitive.

Neal Grose
N.C.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Grose 
To: Jacoblist 
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2002 1:59 PM
Subject: [Jacob-list] Re; Primative sheep


Betty, what wag was it that counciled "Moderation in all things, especially moderation"?

Seman imports/exports: I think that you will find that importing seman to the UK will be difficult because of the byzantine health regulations that where set up specifically to limit this sort of thing. This is a concern that we may have to work through ALBC and the RBST to come up with a lobbying effort in support of easier movement of seman instead of breeding stock. In light of the FMD  problems in the UK [and scares here in the US], this is something to which we are going to have to pay more attention. When we have a realatively narrow genetic base to start with, and then wipe out a portion of them, it rather brings to the forefront why we need concerted efforts to document and preserve unique groups of animals. This is not limited to FMD, but applies to many of the things that we deal with. OPP is a perfect example: The effort to eliminate OPP would turn OPP into the only selection criterion. 

Size as a primitive trait: I have to ask [at the risk of sounding flip] how many sheep do we eat at one meal? My market is for lambs for muslims and whole Bar-B-Que. A guy drives 60 miles each way several times a year to purchase 4 to 6 lambs at a time for his extended family. He likes my lambs best. He is not interested in lambs over 50 pounds ["Everything from your farm is as honey."] My kids seem to have learned something from him about having some reverence for the food we eat. There are many things to admire about the British Jacob; but after seeing the breed standareds listed lately, I must say that I was appalled at a few of the things. Of major concern was the specification that the tailhead should be set high and the thigh should be full. Both of these things are indictative of an effort to breed for an inflexible broad ligament, which results in a poorly designed and 'flat' rump...definately not primitive. 
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