[Jacob-list] Fleece Question

[BIDE WEE]

In a message dated 03/02/08 21:13:07 Pacific Standard Time, jacob-list-request at jacobsheep.com writes:
The white fleece and the black on the neck and shoulders has a tight curl to it, but the black areas on side and rear have straight fleece. The lamb is a newborn- not even dry... 
Hi Brenda,
It does sound like the fleece on your lamb opens up - goes from crimpy/finer at the shoulder to straigher/coarser toward the britch.  But before you panic too much give it some time.  Some Jacob lambs have what I call 'baby kemp'.  I've heard others call it 'halo hair'.  Looks a bit hairy/kempy - it can stick straight out or lie flat on the body - and it can be spotty on some newborns and fairly thick on others.  I find that it always sheds out but until it does it's very hard to tell the true character of the fleece underneath.  True kemp, if present, doesn't seem to show up until the lamb is quite a bit older.  This is pure conjecture (perhaps someone with more knowledge can comment) but I wonder if this hairy baby hair is a protective coat that may be a hold over from when sheep were wild???  Anyway, birth coats on newborn lambs can definitely give you a good indication of what to expect from that animal's adult fleece but until your lamb is dry and a bit older it's too ea
 rly to start making show/cull decisions.  

I take photos of each lamb at three to five days of age, then record written observations of fleece, eyes, horns, bite, etc., on a check list which is based on the JSBA breed standard.  I then recheck each animal's fleece (and other parts) at about three and six months of age to see how they're shaping up.  Years of doing this has given me a pretty good idea of what to expect from a lamb birth coat but I do get fooled by a few lambs each year.  Like Robin, I've had a fair number of lambs that I've predicted would have undesirable fleeces but then found them to be quite nice when they were sheared as yearlings.  

But, fleece is only one aspect of a Jacob lamb.  When you look at all of the things that are expected of them (40% black, perfect horns, good face and leg markings, award winning fleece, sound confirmation - not too cow hocked - not too improved, tame but not obnoxious, etc.) it's pretty dang amazing that any of them make the grade.  Bottom line, no sheep is perfect, you have to look at all of the parts and decide if the sum of those parts makes it a breed quality animal.  It's always lovely if they're show quality (i.e. the Christy Brinkley type) but that's absolutely not required for the animal to be a good breeding animal.  Fact is some of my prettiest Jacobs can't seem to repeat themselves while the girls I'd like to hide behind the barn when company comes are the ones that produce my nicest lambs year-in and year-out. 

Hope the rest of your lambs arrive soon,
Karen Lobb


bide a wee farm
registered Jacob and Navajo-Churro sheep
19562 NE Calkins Lane, Newberg, OR 97132
503-538-7987 ~ karen at bideaweefarm.com 
www.bideaweefarm.com 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20080303/e0c4e577/attachment.html>