[Jacob-list] Horn Genetics and a Feed Question

[Lynette Frick]

 Hi Neal,

I hope you don't mind this is mostly directed to you, but anyone else with
answers please share:)

 This is really interesting. What exactly are you reffering to when you say,
"medium expression in the horns"? Do you mean in the distance between them,
or their thickness, or both? Sorry if I sound rediculous, I am truely
fascinated with genetics...especially the genetics of Jacobs,  I just don't
know/ haven't had enough time yet to make as many observations.

I have some more questions if you don't mind me asking:


> How can a four horn ewe when bred to a two horn ram have two horn twins,

or a two horn and a four horn twin? Both the four horn ewes where bred to
the same two horn ram, while all my two horn ewes where bred to a four horn
ram and all of them had four horn twins? Would that mean that the 4H ewes
where heterozygous for the polycerate gene?


>Have you found any issues that arise when using soley four horn stock in a

breeding program?


>What do you suggest to improve hornset in two horn stock? I am having a

problem with 2h ewes having narrow hornsets, and will that carry over into
the four horn offspring?


>Do you think that it would be best to breed my four horn and two horn stock

as distinctly seperate groups, ie. two horn to two horn and four to four
only to improve either one?

--Some Feed Questions

 Can sheep have cottonseed? You mentioned that it can be used as  a fiber
source for cattle on a high concentrate diet. I may be able to purchase a
flock sized bit of it from our friend who is also the herdsman of a dairy
with 2k head in the milking string (needless to say he has a few tons of
it), but have never heard of sheep being fed cotton seed. If sheep can be
fed cottonseed to help meet fiber reqs., what is the maximum sized alfalfa
pellet that sheep can comfortably eat? I would like to be able to feed
pellets when I don't have any pasture because I can store them better and
they won't foof in the wool.

Ok, and last but not least: I am having a terrible time finding a quality
sheep mineral here in the "Communist State of California" as my feed
distributer calls it. I can't find loose mineral at all, and hate using
blocks and tubs because how hard they are on the ewes teeth. Which mineral
would you reccomend? I haven't even been able to get the feed company to
tell me how much copper is in the stuff I'm feeding... they just keep saying
that there's "No copper added" and I know that doesn't mean "no copper at
all". One company that says No copper added, told my feed distributer that
their Sheep block only contained 40ppm copper! I'm definately willing to go
out of state to pick up minerals that won't kill  my sheep... or should I
just feed the granualized sheep selinium salt that doesn't have all that
other stuff in it? Do Jacobs really even need all the other stuff when they
have good hay?


Thanks a million in advance,

Lynette Frick
IDEAL FARM
Jacob Sheep
www.idealjacobsheep.com/2008lambs.html
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