[Jacob-list] Retagging and Codon Testing Sheep

[BIDEWEE at aol.com]

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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