[Jacob-list] New to Jacobs

[Cheryl Terrano]

Hi Chris and Tina,

Congrats on your Jacob sheep! I agree with Linda in the hope you will certainly consider registering your sheep. If you have questions, there are plenty of folks on this list as well as JSBA who would be more than willing to assist you in that process (myself included). If you have pedigree information, this certainly makes the task much simpler! :)

Tails....ah, a topic of multiple viewpoints. I personally prefer docked tails of reasonable length in my Jacobs. By reasonable, I like to see the rectum and vulva covered whenever possible but I have failed myself many times in getting the placement just right when we dock lambs at 2 days. ?There are a few adult sheep within our flock who were not born here that?do have tails 'on'. I don't mind them having them but I do have a preference for docked tails. 

With that said, I have successfully docked a couple of adult sheep tails but only done so in the dead of winter (to avoid the fly issues) along with some veterinary supervision, including administration of tetanus antitoxin at the time of docking. My sheep also receive annual CD&T boosters but we still gave antitoxin as part of the docking process, just in case. As with any adult tail dock, this can be a personal preference issue but I have seriously taken into account the sheep's tail thickness. It seems that the larger the sheep in body type, the thicker the tail - these I resign myself to seeing them hang/swing behind the animal. Smaller, more refined structured sheep often have thinner tails, making the docking possibility a viable option.?In the case of two adults we elected to dock, the tails were very thin and?no larger than my pinkie finger in diameter.?In either case (adult or lamb), we use the banding method for a number of reasons. It is simple to apply the band, d
 oes not inflict a lasting amount of discomfort in the animal and is (to me) a much cleaner process then flat out chopping them off (uck!). I know of a local commercial breeder who bands initially, then removes the tail below the band after 48 hours when there is little (if any) blood flow (or feeling) to the tail. Works well for him!

My best recommendation would be to consult a vet (preferably one with sheep experience) to lend a hand if you are inexperienced or unsure of how to proceed. Again, you may?find personal preference may rule in this case and choose to dock?or, you?may find that the tails "kinda of grow on you" and you leave them. Again, a veterinarian may be quite useful in assisting you, although you will find they too have their 'preferences'.?I have personally witnessed fly strike in many tailed sheep, never in one that has been docked. I'm a veterinary technician and do see many cases of fly strike, none of which are pretty!?I will mentioned?I have seen fly strike in a Jacob sheep only once (a case of diarrhea) and the animal did have a tail. But I also agree with Linda's statement about how Jacobs normally?are much better than other breeds in lifting their tails out of the way.

Good luck in your shepherding adventures and?welcome to wonderful world of Jacob Sheep!


Cheryl Terrano?in WV


WHEN EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE SHAKEN IS SHAKEN, THE ANCHOR THAT HOLDS IS THE WISDOM OF THE CROSS. (Jason Upton, Key of David Ministries, from the CD 1200 ft below sea level)

If you want to see God's power at work, you must get out of the church and into the world. Watch the extravagant lengths which God will go to reveal Himself to people who don't know Him. Then you will learn how truly awesome our God is. (Author Unknown)


-----Original Message-----
From: Chris and Tina Griffin <griffin45 at live.com>
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Sent: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 2:11 pm
Subject: [Jacob-list] New to Jacobs



Hello All,

My wife and I are new to sheep and goats.? We were just going to get some goats, but the couple that we were buying from also wanted us to see and maybe purchase a pair of Jacob sheep.? As most of you can imagine, when we saw them we just had to have them.? It took me a couple of days to get separate pastures set up, but as of tomorrow we will have been the proud owners of a pair of beautiful unregistered Jacobs.? I am not sure why they are not registered.? I have been through all the information that I can find and they are, as far as I can tell, quite pure.? My biggest problem right now is that neither of the Jacobs were docked.? I am thinking that this is going to be one of the biggest problems that I am going to face.? They are both yearlings, born in early spring.? Should I dock now or leave them be.? If I don't dock, what do I do to make sure that the tails and hocks don't get invaded by maggots and other little nasties?? Thanks for the help in advance.

?

My wife and I own a small farm in south-central Virginia.? We have 7 goats (2 Nubians, 2 Nubian/Boers and 3 Nigerian Dwarves), 2 Jacob sheep, and an assortment of 32 chickens.

?

Have a Great and Blessed Day,

Chris and Tina Griffin



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