[Jacob-list] Primitive characteristics

[BlackSheep]

<< I personally don't think that a ram lamb that I can halter break should not be considered primitive as opposed to one that is so nutso that I can't handle him. Adaptability might just be a primitive trait as might be the ability to learn.>>

Someone mentioned Soay earlier - we keep those too and one trait they have which I consider to be very primitive is that when chased, initially they will run, but when they get tired or are about to be caught they will drop flat to the ground.  The lambs too will hide and lie flat, like a faun.  I'm not sure if this is playing dead, or they are just lying still hoping no-one will notice them - not much difference really. I have not seen this behaviour in (British) Jacobs. 
The ability to learn must be a primitive trait which aids survival - certainly in the case of a very aggressive ram, who wouldn't survive long on our place, whereas a nice quiet one would.

Fleeces - endlessly debatable ! The Soay fleece is slightly double, in that many specimens have a mane and 'chest wig', even the females, with some hairs over the rest of the body, over a very short woolly layer.  When the fleece is 'roo'ed' ie pulled off rather than shearing, these hairs stay behind as a halo and eventually drop out as they are replaced by new growth. However, it is thought that the original sheep were hairy with perhaps only a slight woolly undercoat, and that the wool was encouraged by man.  We also keep Hebrideans, which are double coated, but within this breed, it is the less double coats which are thought to be more primitive or old fashioned. By less double I mean that, like the Soay, many Hebrideans have a 'fore and aft' fleece, with a big mane, a slight chest wig, but a less well-developed top coat over the rest of the body, except the britch which is again hairy. The totally double coat, which is even all over the body and has a long outer hair layer over a soft, dense and resilient woolly undercoat, is the result of dedicated breeding. The double coat is thought to be a survival characteristic in our very wet (Scottish)climate as it sheds water, but in fact Hebrideans will shake dry whether they have that top layer or not.  Their wool is frizzy, rather than having the crimp organised, so rain tends not to penetrate anyway. For spinning, the double coat can either be spun together for a tough yarn, or the two layers can be pulled apart and spun separately, the hairs for warp and the woolly layer for softer clothing and so on.
With Jacobs, if you went so far back as to find the original fleece type, you may well have to go back beyond what is a Jacob. And what would be the point?  In America, your sheep have to cope with a huge variety of climate types - Jacobs appear to do that admirably, which is surely the whole point - they survive !

Juliet in Scotland
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20091119/36951615/attachment.htm>