[Jacob-list] Retagging and Codon Testing Sheep
BIDEWEE at aol.com
BIDEWEE at aol.com
Mon Sep 24 15:11:29 EDT 2007
In a message dated 9/24/2007 9:15:27 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
jacob-list-request at jacobsheep.com writes:
You don't have to retag your sheep with your new ID, do you?
Hi Linda,
We've been on the Voluntary program since 2001. We've never been asked to
retag purchased sheep, whether purchased from a mandatory or voluntary flock,
as long as they have a tag with the premise number from their flock of
origin. Ideally the tag should always be from the flock of origin so the animal
can be traced back there if a problem arises. If a purchased sheep loses its
tag then we install one with our premise ID and record that for posterity (and
the USDA). Each year when the state vet visits we give him a complete
inventory of all sheep on our farm over one year of age plus lists of all
purchased, sold, retagged and deceased sheep during the past year, so the USDA can
keep track of animals who have entered and left our flock.
Even though we enrolled in 2001, our purchase of the Huntsberger sheep in
2003 knocked our status date back to year one in 2003 so with our upcoming
flock visit we'll be back at year four. We've not found it difficult to be on
the Voluntary program but like Royal, we don't expect we'll ever be certified
because being limited to the handful of breeders on the Voluntary program in
the two breeds we raise would limit the genetics available to us. If all
Jacob and Navajo-Churro breeders were on the program, no problem, but unless and
until that happens, we feel we need to be able to purchase sheep as needed
from whichever flock we feel will best contribute to our flock.
Regarding codon testing, I don't see any harm in it but I'm not convinced we
should be eliminating rams (or ewes) with valuable genetics just because
they test QQ. I'm concerned that the gene pool for Jacob sheep and many other
sheep breeds is too small to sacrifice all the other genetics that might be
destroyed in the QQ sheep. Additionally, there have been other types of
Scrapie prions identified in the past few years. Codon 136 (V and A), which
controls valine Scrapie, is often ignored over Codon 171 (Q and R). It is still
unclear what role all the genotype combinations have in resisting Scrapie
variants and it seems unwise to select for just one genotype until more definitive
research is done.
Twenty of our sheep were codon tested by the USDA when we participated in
their National Animal Health Monitoring System in 2001 and most of our sheep
were RR although we did have one QQ ewe in each breed. We may ultimately codon
test our entire flock if time and funds allow and we'd willing do it if a
buyer wanted it done, but we're not convinced that codon testing is the ultimate
answer to Scrapie eradication. Since the testing merely indicates
susceptibility if exposed, since Scrapie has not (to my knowledge) been diagnosed in
either of the breeds we raise, since we're careful about who we buy from, and
since both breeds already have limited gene pools, it's unlikely we'd cull an
animal just because it tested QQ. It would just depend on how valuable we
felt that animal was to our flock.
I recently ran across an interesting website called "Rent a Peasant" which
has a brief comment on this topic with regard to Hebridean and Manx Loaghtan
sheep. To read it go to: _www.rentapeasant.co.uk/livestock.html_
(http://www.rentapeasant.co.uk/livestock.html) and scroll down to the section on
Hebridean Sheep which includes an excerpt titled: "Points from the RBST Breed
Society Meeting published in The Black Sheep (Yearbook of the Hebridean Sheep
Society) No. 22"...
Karen Lobb
bide a wee farm
registered Jacob & Navajo-Churro Sheep
19562 NE Calkins Lane, Newberg, OR 97132 ~ 503-538-7987
karen at bideaweefarm.com ~ www.bideaweefarm.com
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