[Jacob-list] horny question :o)

[Lonny Hackenburg]

Hello,

   We have a 4 horned ram that has not broken off his horns at 
this point. He is 4 yrs old.

Connie.


----- Original Message ----- 

From: Mary 
Hansson  

To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 

Sent: 8/22/01 12:00:08 PM 

Subject: [Jacob-list] horny question 
:o)





Hi everybody.

 

I have been advised by several breeders to not just lurk as well as to 
throw

this particular question to engender some thought-provoking 
discussion:

 

How many of us have had 4-horned animals NEVER break off their 
horns?  The

typical 4-horned rams and ewes that I have noticed rarely have all 4 
horns

that have not been broken at some point.  Royal Unzicker was here 
this

morning gasping over Amita and her head.  She has probably just 
broken 1 of

the 4 early on in her life.  I know of another ewe out of 
Kathryn

Stokey-Dillon's flock that did not break a horn.  I don't know of 
others,

but I am sure they exist.

 

I happened to have a ram lamb born this spring here (bred at another 
farm)

that is 4-horned and at birth, there was NO ROOM for more horn up on 
the

head.  Each of the 4 horns were like a 2-horned ram 
lamb......COOL, said I.

FREEZER MEAT, said I.  In the intervening months, the little guy 
has

fascinated me more and more.  Those horns are 
large!  They have never

chipped, cracked, etc.  Every other 4-horned animal here has had 
something

get knocked around.  Would the horns on this ram be something 
that would

increase the overall diameter of the horns on offspring as compared to 
their

dam lines?  I wonder.......

 

QUESTION:  Are we breeding progressively smaller-horned and 
weaker-horned

rams and ewes when we are eliminating from the gene pool rams with horns 
so

large that they touch on 4-6 month old rams?

 

I know that Edd has talked about wanting a finger of space between 
horns

when ram lambs are born, and you basically have to have this sort of 
space

for the horns to be separated when the animal is an adult.  That 
does

promote the "picture perfect Jacob ram" image.

 

When 4-horned ram lambs are born with all 4 horns the size that you see 
on

2-horned ram lambs.........what does one do?  Breed for bigger 
heads to

support these very large and more massive horns so they won't 
touch?  This

would most likely lead to birthing difficulties.  Cull for 
smaller horn

bases on 4-horned rams?

 

Who has used rams with such large horns, and what did you see in the

offspring?  If you don't feel comfortable writing that to the 
list, please

feel free to e-mail me privately at iseespots1nc at earthlink.net  as I 
have

been ruminating over these basic issues now for several months.

 

Mary Ellen

ISeeSpots Farm www.iseespots.com 

Home of Jacob Sheep

Renewable fleeces, loving friends.

 

 

 

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--- Lonny Hackenburg

--- locohack at sunlink.net 

--- EarthLink: It's your Internet.
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