[Jacob-list] SUED question

Carl Fosbrink fourhornfarm at frontier.com
Wed Mar 14 11:07:37 EDT 2012


Lasell,

I don't understand what you mean by a 4 horned "carrier". All Jacobs
are carriers. SUED is part of the polycerate genes. It can occur in any 4
horn mating and is not a problem in a mild case. The genes that cause the
horns to split can run down to the eye socket and that can cause a split in
the eye lid as I understand it. I have looked at skulls from my own dead
Jacobs and have observed a split in the eye socket on the skull of a 5
horned ewe that did not show up as a split in the eye lid of that ewe.
Some 2 horns are actually completely fused 4 horns and some are actual
2 horns. SUED could show up in 4 horned offspring of 2 horned Jacobs because
it is part of what causes the horn buds to split.
I would never cull a good Jacob with a slight notch in the upper
eyelid because SUED is part of the Jacob breed. If we were to completely
breed it out we would end up with a 2 horned breed of sheep and although we
have had 2 horns in our Jacobs ever since the introduction of the English
imports Jacobs are known for their multipule horns and I love a beautiful 4
horned Jacob.

Carl Fosbrink

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Lasell J. Bartlett" <lasell at lasell.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 7:32 AM
To: <Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Subject: [Jacob-list] SUED question


> From what I understand, SUED shows up when a 4 horn carrier breeds with a

> 4 horn carrier, and chance has it show it. (Sorry for rough genetic

> description?)

> Can a 2 horn Jacob carry the gene and pass it along, so that even if it

> would never show up in a 2 horn sheep, it could show up in a later

> generation if the 2 horn or its offspring, had 4 horn offspring (that was

> bred to carrier 4 horn)?

>

> Or does the gene NOT get passed along through the 2 horn sheep?

>

> Or something else?

>

> Under what circumstances do any of you breeders cull or not cull lambs

> with (milder degrees of) SUED?

>

> Lasell J Bartlett

> lasell at lasell.org

>

>

>

>

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