Hello John, In the past I have not had a problem with horns, scurs etc. This was a new bloodline "polled" ram I was using. Since I have never had problems before and after I used this new ram my thinking was it was the ram and not my ewes. This is my personal opinion. The ram in issue was from a breeder who sells Barbados Blackbelly but after the fact I have been told he has some scurs, short knobs etc. in his herd. I did not purchase directly from this breeder.
I personally think if you breed a Barbados Blackbelly with a Barbado you have a chance to obtain a polled ram. But this polled ram will not be a Barbados Blackbelly. That is my personal opinion. Please understand I am not a genetic expert. Nor have I attended any classes on genetic. I can only tell you what I have personally experienced in this area. Would you mind elaborate on the term you use twin cow-licks? Also does the hard spot seem to be attached to the skull or is it loose from the skull? James Harper Virginia Regional Director and BBSAI Newsletter Editor Blackbelly Barbados Sheep Association International (804) 732-2626 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 8:54 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [blackbelly] Horned and Polled genetics James, I read your posting to the list about a "polled" ram siring horned offspring. You indicated that you were culling the ram and it's offspring. Just curious, how did you determine that it was the ram that was carrying the horned trait? My 4 ewes (3 obviously? from horned background-heavy scurs) just produced 11 lambs (6 rams, 5 ewes) by a horned sire. Only 2 of the ram lambs are showing horns at 1 month of age. The others have twin cow-licks (but so do the ewe lambs) and at least one has hard spots. I'll be watching the development of the other 4 with interest. I'm curious if there are records of "polled" rams being produced from horned stock?? Also, even though this is only my second lamb crop, I now have 2 lambs (out of a total of 20 from the last two breedings) that have white feet (one has one white hind foot, the other has white on both hind feet). The sire and 2 mamas have white tipped tails but no other white. Go figure. I'm not sure which side of the family has a history of white feet. Ear size is another thing I'm mystified by. Last lambing the "little ear" lambs outnumbered the normal ear lambs. This recent crop I only have a few "little ear" lambs. It has been way too long since I attended genetics class. Any idea if horns, white feet and little ears are dominant or recessive traits. I guess by selecting for the traits I prefer and keeping good records.........time will tell. John Carlton Double J Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list (http://www.awrittenword.com/listserv/index.html). To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly To search the archives, go to http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ =============================================== This message is from the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep mailing list (http://www.awrittenword.com/listserv/index.html). To respond to this message, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe or change your membership options, go to http://lists.coyotenet.net/mailman/listinfo/blackbelly To search the archives, go to http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
