Oh, I just get wierd about things sometimes Cecil! :o) If I could
really walk my talk, I'd have the "authority" to say such things, but
I'm just a beginner with high ideals. It does matter to me though,
tremendously, for a lot of reasons. The sheep are an integral part of
it, but not the sole concern.
My earliest exposure to the blackbelly breed was the same as everyone
else's - this is what the breed is famous for - but my prior experience
has given me a "believe it when you see it" attitude, which has made the
realities less of a shock. I'm pretty sure you can take a herd of
cattle and through generations of careful selection, produce a parasite
resistant herd in your particular management model, even though the
breeds involved make no such claims. You can probably do the same with
sheep. But to buy in somebody else's sheep, particularly if they have
no records and the breeder seems indifferent to selection for parasite
resistance, then a person sure can't blame the little sheep for being
wormy - they haven't read the propaganda. There's a lot said about the
Barbados side of the horned stock, but nobody talks much about the
Rambouillet and Mouflon influence in terms of what sterling qualities
they infused into the American Blackbelly, OR whatever else has crept in
there over time.
One thing interesting to note is that Mother Nature doesn't necessarily
protect her own from parasites. I read that parasites are the main
killers of many wild animals, including coyotes and foxes. In general,
foxes live about 9 months before they succumb to parasites, so parasite
resistance, as we desire to have it in our sheep, is probably something
we need to work at pretty diligently.
The trouble is, there are SO MANY things that can be important to a
sheep breeder, and you can't improve your genetics in all areas all at
once! Multiple births, good mothering, out of season lambing, great
markings, good hair coat, big racks, good finishing off grass, rapid
growth, correct conformation, good size, parasite resistance...wow! A
whole smorgasbord of genes to concentrate on! With my beginning flock,
I am expecting very little from them right now, expecting a LOT from
myself, and am first going to concentrate on a "type" of sheep that
suits me, while promoting and hoping to encourage a metabolic resistance
to disease and infection along the way. And if I have enough time in my
life, I'll work on all the rest, that becomes more and more valuable to
me as I learn more. I could begin with parasite resistance, but right
now a bunch of non-wormy little weasels running around in the pasture is
not a lot of value to me. It's hard to set the priorities on WHAT is
more important. I have a snapshot in my head of an ideal American
Blackbelly, and I have a lot of work to do before I have a flock that
matches the snapshot.
But after all, what is life without a few noble challenges!!
Barb
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