[Jacob-list] More than four

[Linda]

Well, here's another question.  Fused horns. My personal preference is not for massive ram horns, but for horns that 
fit the head.  Zeppo was a very primitive type ram - small boned but still with a definite "boy" head.  Groucho was a 
beefy boy with a large head.  (there was a Harpo, but he wasn't here, so I'm not totally sure on him) Both had space 
between the tops and laterals at age three.  The circumference of Groucho's horns was larger than the circumference of 
Zeppo's horns, but both were quite masculine looking rams.  If Zeppo had Groucho's horns on his head, they would have 
been, at the least, fused at the base.  
I would assume (perhaps wrongly) that head size would be heritable?  I don't know about horn circumference, but I've 
seen mentioned "breeding for massive horns."  If head size and horn circumference are heritable, then I would guess 
horns that are fused at the base (as opposed to horns that are parallel fused - the entire length of the horn) would be 
heritable?   Has anyone seen a pattern in parallel fused horn heritability?  I always get confused with the term, 
"fused horns" as it seems to refer to both horns that are close at the base (and meet at an angle), where one horn 
could crowd out and weaken the other and horns that run parallel and pose no threat to each other.

In my small flock, all my observations are just that - observations.  Which make me curious enough to ask questions. 

Linda

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 14:46:28 -0400, Neal and Louise Grose wrote:

>
>What we are seeing here appears to be a single gene for  polycerate. However,
>the most frequent genetic conditions are  trait expressions that are affected
>by numerous genes. For example:  polycerate expression may be strongly
>modified by a couple of dozen  genes that determine head size and shape, horn
>bud placement,  and who  knows what else. This would be an indication that
>horn shape and  placement and so on has a relatively low heritability. There
>is little  guarantee of what you will get from one generation to the other
>unless you look  at an unusually large number of test crosses.
>
>Neal