[Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection of Jacob Breeding Stock"

[SovreignFarms at aol.com]

Hello Everyone
 
I have read everyone's comments on the new guidebook with  great interest 
and everyone has some very good points in their  statements. Its too bad this 
input could not have happened prior to the  book going to print.  Every 
single breeder I have met around the world in  the last 38 years of breeding 
various livestock has their own  criteria for doing the breeding's they do, as 
well as keeping the offspring  they do. There is nothing wrong with this, 
and in the Jacobs  case it's probably the "individualists" among  Jacob 
breeders and the  fact that the breed is far flung has contributed greatly to 
their  health, and genetic breed soundness. Cheryl  Terrano at Painted Rock 
Farm mentioned that we always need to remember a guide  book or standard of any 
breed is meant only as a guide, but that she felt it  imperative to 
consider the overall animal.  But I was quite taken with Peggy's statement that she 
 has heard more than one breeder stating that the only "true" Jacob is a  
four horn animal, and she is tired of having exceptional two horn rams  
having to be destroyed because of the their inferred inferiority to 4 horn  
animals. She states they are just not saleable.  I think she was  basically 
saying that it would have been nice to have JSBA support both 2H  & 4H and not 
infer the 2 horn animals to inferior status simply by not  properly 
representing them as a"norm" and that both are perfectly  acceptable.  I have to 
concur with Peggy;  I too have heard  breeders state the two horn animal to be 
inferior to the 4 horn, this is in  fact very common.  I have had one breeder 
tell me that the #1  consideration of a breeding pair was 4 good horns.  I 
never got any  other details on selecting breeding pairs.  I would have 
thought this  platform would have been a great one to have addressed this issue 
once and for  all. This breed has so much to offer everyone in any location 
in the world.  Jacobs are tough, they are survivors where other breeds die 
like flies under any  adversity.  As Peggy mentions, not showing the 2H among 
the "ideal"  category, means they will continue to be suffer prejudice. 
There are so  many reasons to pick a sheep for your breeding program, and too 
many people I  have met over the years, completely lose sight of the "overall  
animal".  Bear in mind I have no idea how the JSBA organization works,  nor 
how this was put together.  Forgive me if I am a little in the  dark here.  
My guess is that a committee put this together and it was board  approved.  
But it now sounds as though folks are suddenly looking at their  sheep 
going from being "within the norm" to suddenly being identified as "less  than 
ideal" by default.  Perhaps it would be better to have had a  preview of this 
going to every breeder within JSBA for final input before going  to print. 
I know this must have been an enormous project, and I have no idea whom  was 
involved in putting it together, but as someone sitting on the outside and  
listening to everyone from both sides it just seems that it would have been 
 simpler to have taken it from committee via draft to the membership before 
 going to final print and distribution on something so  important. Of 
course on the bright side, this  seems to be the sole complaint on a very good 
guidebook and everything is  fixable if everyone wants it to be. The offending 
pages could be re-done  and replaced to everyone who received a copy.  
Thank you everyone for your  input, it was very informative.  
 
Sharon Lehrke
Sovreign Farms
 
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