Hi Sherry,
For the purposes of registering heterozygous sheep, you go by the phenotype. If the appearance of your sheep meets the requirements of the breed standard, then that is what you call your sheep. As a responsible breeder, when you sell an animal that you know to be heterozygous, it is your responsibility to convey that information to the buyer so that he can accurately assess the risk and determine if the animal fits in with his breeding program.
The BBSAI is currently investigating what criteria should be included in the Barbado breed standard and is also trying to determine if progeny testing should be required for either breed. (The BBSAI welcomes comments and they can be sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED]) Progeny testing would help both breeds identify heterozygous sheep. Note that heterozygous sheep are not inferior nor are they undesirable. They just throw a measure of uncertainty into the genetic mix. And since geneticists do not know for sure which gene or genes control polls and horns, it is difficult to even begin to define what a heterozygous animal's genes should be, especially since there has been no DNA genotyping conducted.
Carol
At 03:41 PM 7/28/2004 -0400, you wrote:
Dear Carol,
Thank for the article. This leaves me with same questions that you asked in your article.
This brings me to the question of what do we do with animals that are
heterozygous (Pp)? What do we call them? Are they Barbados Blackbelly or
Barbado?
How would you answer these questions?
Sincerely,
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