[Jacob-list] Selective breeding and sudden death of ewe

[Sharon Hill]

Hi all,

I haven't posted in a while, but I still have my Jacob
sheep.  I have a couple of comments and questions now,
and I hope someone can help me.  My favorite ewe,
(this was Dixie, Linda) suddenly died a couple of
nights ago. She was fine when I went in to feed
everyone.  I puttered around in the yard while they
were eating.  Ten minutes later I looked in on the
sheep and she was lying there dead.  She was current
on vaccinations and worming.  She had 2 lambs whom she
was in the process of weaning, and she was pretty
thin, although she has always been thin.  Other than
that, she seemed to be perfectly healthy. The only
thing I can think of is that she choked on her grain. 
Does anyone have any other ideas?  I am very upset
about this as she was my first Jacob and special pet. 
Her lambs are my favorites too.

My other comment is on the selective breeding
question. I haven't been registering my sheep for a
couple of reasons.  One is laziness and another is I
question the subjective quality of some of the
requirements for registration, at least in one of the
registries. For example:  Dixie was a registered ewe. 
>From 2 different rams, both of which came from
registered stock, she has twice given me a pair of
lambs, one ewe and one ram.  Each time, the ewe lamb
has been beautifully marked.  Lots of color and
patches in all the right places.  The ram lambs have
each been very lightly marked.  They have small eye
patches, and black on the neck to the shoulders, and
then nothing.  No knee patches, white feet, just a
couple of small black spots near the shoulders.  They
are beautiful sheep with nice fleeces.  There is
nothing butt ugly about them, but I doubt they would
pass the registration requirements.  Are they
genetically any less a Jacob sheep than their twins,
who most likely could be registered?  

Another point:  I have a lamb who is 3/4 Jacob and 1/4
Suffolk.  She is marked almost exactly like a Jacob. 
She has the patches in all the right places.  She
"looks" more like the "ideal" Jacob than the 2 lightly
colored ram lambs, but she ain't no Jacob. 

I realize that there are registration criteria other
than looks, but it is easy  to use the registry
guidelines for color and markings when making breeding
and culling decisions.  I like my light colored sheep,
but they are whethers and they are not in the gene
puddle anymore.  Even though I am not registering my
sheep at present, I am also making breeding decisions
on the way a Jacob is supposed to look.  Should we
question whether this is a good thing for the breed as
a whole?

Sharon Hill
Kingston, GA

--- Linda <patchworkfibers at alltel.net> wrote:

> You can count on me to maintain a gene pool of
> missing eye patches - just in case you want to add
> something 'different' when the trait has been lost
> :-)
> 
> Joking aside,  I don't think that diversity must
> necessarily include butt ugly (wonderfully
> descriptive term!) sheep.  I like pretty sheep.  I
> don't show sheep and don't really know much about
> what the judges are looking for in Jacobs.  Imagine
> it must be hard to agree on a show standard for such
> a diverse breed.  I raised and showed Quarter Horses
> for a number of years.  The different types of
> Jacobs can be pretty without being the same
> body/fleece/etc type the same way a QH can be pretty
> and so can an Arabian.
> 
> This topic started with a mention of missing eye
> patches.  Mary Ellen points out some less visible,
> but more important, traits that we shouldn't lose
> sight of.  Without hardiness, we're going to have a
> hard time working towards whatever our other goals
> are.
> 
> Linda
> What's New at Patchwork Farm?
> 
> On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 05:51:09 -0700 (PDT), Mary
> Hansson wrote:
> > Cheryl (and all),
> >
> > You are so right, and I am glad to see you getting
> a chance (and
> > TAKING that chance!) to see flocks.  It definitely
> gives you a much
> > broader perspective.
> >
> > What concerns me greatly is a pattern I have
> > noted---which mirrors the experiences reported by
> the breeders of
> > the 1980's.....  There was WIDE diversity in body
> shapes, sizes,
> > freckling, spotting PATTERNS, horn
> shape/number/conformation in the
> > early sheep. Offspring results were also a bit
> more random.  I am
> > guilty of cutting back on the diversity I talk
> about just like many
> > on this list.  Please don't misunderstand.
> >
> > I see a general shift toward flocks that are much
> more uniform in
> > appearance.  This shift is like the swing of the
> pendulum on a
> > clock with the wide variety being the far left
> side and the
> > "picture perfect Jacob sheep" on the far right
> side.  The problem
> > being that after the pendulum moves towards the
> right, quite a
> > percentage of sheep diversity has been lost
> through culling.  That
> > diversity will be irretrievable.
> >
> > I can tell you from experience that bringing in
> sheep from
> > "unknown" backgrounds is a risky, time-consuming,
> and extremely
> > expensive proposition.  It is derided by even some
> highly
> > influential breeders who cut their eye teeth on
> some of the early
> > American Jacobs.  I believe that job is critical
> to the breed's
> > future.
> >
> > I don't want to see the Jacob become as
> disease-ridden and survival-
> > incompetent as many of the purebred cat, dog, pet
> and livestock
> > breeders have created.  These problems were never
> intended by the
> > breed associations while selecting for the traits
> they thought
> > "most desireable" and "true to standard".
> >
> > History can and will repeat itself when it is
> > forgotten and the lessons taught are not heeded.
> >
> > Mary Ellen
> >
> > Mary Ellen Hansson, MEd, RD, LDN
> > ISeeSpots Farm
> > Jacob Sheep:  Lambs, adults, wool
> > www.iseespots.com
> > _______________________________________________
> > Jacob-list mailing list, sponsored by Swallow Lane
> Farm &
> > Fiberworks Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
>
> http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list
> 
> > _______________________________________________
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> 



		
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