[Jacob-list] SUED - Info request

[Kathryn Shirley]

 In my personal experience, split eyelids are not always noticeable until the
lambs are older.  Usually by then the little upstarts are a bit feisty and the
last thing we are looking for are split eyelids:0

Mary Hansson wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> The Jacob Research Project has 310 in the database already---more sitting
> here waiting to get put in.  Of those 310 animals, there are 27 with SUED
> varying from grades 2-4 in one or in both eyes (both eyes does not
> constitute two sheep).  This constitutes 8.7% of that population of sheep.
> I would have to do some checking, but think that most cases of SUED in rams
> were not around by 12 months of age or had been wethered, but can't remember
> about dispersal of ewes.
>
> I know of a few sheep in that group that were registered as having normal
> eyes that had SUED and passed it to their offspring.  The sad fact is that
> not all breeders either know WHAT to look for or ASSUME they don't have it,
> or simply DON'T REPORT THE ISSUE.  The frustrating position of SUED for me
> has always been that it can apparently pop out of "nowhere" and hit you in
> the face---even when you know the background.
>
> I would never agree that the trait pops out and hits you WHEN YOU HAVE
> PICKED THAT ANIMAL UP AT AN AUCTION OR FROM AN UNKNOWN AND UNDOCUMENTED
> BACKGROUND (I don't mean unregistered background---just undocumented
> background).
>
> I personally had several notches in eyes last year when using a 2-horned
> ram.  This ram had no known ancestry with SUED----his dam/sire came from a
> flock that IS knowledgeable about SUED, does check for the condition
> rabidly, and could state that it was NOT THERE in the parents.  This ram was
> so glorious in every other respect I was having a rough time thinking about
> shipping him for meat (even has a wonderful personality and fleece), but I
> happened to know a bit about the ewe lines that created these little
> MONSTERS with splits and felt they were pretty clear of the defect behind
> them for a couple generations.  WELL---SAID RAM went to visit some girls at
> a friend's place to see if he would throw the SUED in high rates and create
> lots of little meat lambs for my friend.  THIS FRIEND IS A REAL RISK-TAKER,
> AS YOU CAN TELL!  Well----There haven't been any splits yet reported back,
> and they are being looked for!  I think the ram will survive another season,
> but I am surely scratching my head down here!
>
> Mary Ellen
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