[Jacob-list] Question about horn genetics, scurs and breeding

[Sharon Hill]

I have a few questions that involves horn genetics
that I would like to throw out there and hope for some
comments.

Several years ago I bred a 4-horned ram with a nice
solid set of horns to a 2-horned ewe who also had very
strong wideswept horns.  They produced a pretty  4
horned ewe lamb.  But the lateral horns never really
developed and just fell off.  She has nubs where they
used to be.  I guess these are scurs?  Her top horns
are tilted forward and she had broken one of these in
half. To put it bluntly, her horns are ugly. Her
fleece is pretty good and I kept her for that.

I never bred her til now, when the ram squeezed into
the barnyard and had his way with her.  He is a 2
horned ram who is exceptionally pretty, with spots in
all the right places and very strong wideswept gently
curving horns.  His fleece is excellent.  

This breeding produced a healthy and very nicely
marked 4 horned ram lamb.  

I am questioning whether to keep this lamb as an
intact ram or not.  Please forgive my ignorance of
genetics that I am sure I will exhibit in the
following questions.  My teachers always told me there
is no such thing as a dumb question, so I will put
that to the test.  I hope for some interesting
replies.

1.  I am wondering why the ewe with the scurred
laterals had them in the first place.  As I said, both
parents had nice horns.  I never saw the grandparents,
but they were from registered stock. 
I am assuming there a gene for scurs, am I right? I
hope so as the rest of the questions are based on that
assumption. 

2.  Are Jacobs registerable if they have scurs?

3.  If this lamb develops well, and has nice strong
horns, will he necessarily carry the gene for scurs?

4.  Do other breeders use rams with a background like
this for breeding?  Are people trying breed this trait
out?  Is it possible to breed it out?  I assume there
are carriers of the gene who don't exhibit it who are
unknowingly passing it on to their offspring, as has
happened with my ewe.  

5.  In other words, if others aren't culling for the
trait, will it make any difference if I do?

6.  Is the gene always passed on?

  
7.  Are forward pointing horns a genetic trait?

8.  Have I asked enough questions?  I am sure there
are more I should be asking.  But that is all for now.

Thanks for listening and I hope for some intersting
replies.

Sharon Hill

 










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