[Jacob-list] Retagging and Codon Testing Sheep

[Linda]

Thanks, Karen


 
www.patchworkfibers.com
Registered Jacob Sheep, Angora Rabbits, Handspun Yarn


> 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 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

>

>

> See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20070924/5bab3ba9/attachment-0001.html>