[Jacob-list] Determining Purebred Traits in Jacobs Part 2 of 2

[ranchrat]

Part 2 of 2
Mr. Horak mentions that:  "2. The Jacobs imported to Canada (e.g.,
Turner) could have been primitive types or improved, it is not clear on
what basis the flock was originally formed.  On the other hand, those
imported by Hescock were selected as "improved" type as he had a
"commercial" purpose in mind ("Importing woes were worth it", Sheep
Product, 7/84).  There is some genetic evidence to suggest that, when
Hescock moved his flock to Turner's place for quarantine, some breeding
between the flocks occurred based on the TS gene (TAMU, 2000, 2009; NYU,
2008)." 
So may I presume that this "TS gene" has been determined to be a
"marker" specific to the Jacob sheep breed?  Curious as to what this TS
gene is responsible for.is it simply a marker we have no idea what its
instructions produce or??   They used microsatellite genotypes to assign
dogs to specific breeds.was this done in Jacobs also?
4. The appellation used so often by Jacob breeders...  "a unique
breed".. finally was verified in 6/2005 when the USDA-NGP did the mDNA
based study
to look at breed distances.  The Jacob did turn out to be unique  and
the "Spanish four-horn" was not closely related to the Spanish
"churro".
This sounds like the canine study.  By "breed distances," I will presume
that certain genetically identifiable characteristics were chosen and
then used to see how far sheep "breeds" were from each other. Polycerate
piebaldness would certainly put Jacobs in a smaller capsule of
genetically identifiable sheep breeds.  What criterion makes a Jacob,
well gulp, a Jacob?
Does anyone know anything about the exact Jacobs that were used in the
study; were any lilac?  How many horns did they possess.where any top
winning "show sheep" having competed against their peers, how was the
DNA sample collected; blood or cheek swab?  I tried goggling; "Jacob
Sheep USDA-NGP mDNA study" and got nuthun'!  
I do seem to recall that Mr. Horak feels that many of our North American
population of Jacobs are not one and the same as those now found in
Great Britain.  We do not have so much pressure to "commercialize" our
Jacobs.  Has anyone had any success or even bothered to pursue that we
here in North America should be able to once again have OUR Jacobs
listed on the American/Canadian Rare Breeds list?  I believe Jacob Sheep
were removed when tens of thousands of, and I loosely quote this,
"Jacobs" in Great Britain inferred that the Jacob breed of sheep was no
longer considered rare and therefore worth conservation efforts.  Wasn't
there some talk of calling NA Jacobs something to distinguish them from
the "commercialized" Jacobs found elsewhere?
Doggone,
Tara 
End

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