Sheep Gene marking

Cran

Well I m going to get some rams gene marked, these will be my Lleyn rams I use to breed replacements and my pedigree stock rams plus potential stock rams. Going to get them done for the standard scrapie resistance, but also footrot tolerance and muscling gene for extra lean meat. Doing this for my old benefit really and to help me make breeding decisions for the flock.

Question is if you knew these details were available when buying off-spring from rams. Would you interested in knowing this information was available and interested in getting them explained? Also would it help you make a decision on rams and where you buy rams?

Lano Lynn

yes

thank you for taking breed improvement seriously,hope you get rewarded.

would also like to see actual weight and muscle and fat depth at scanning for all your lambs instead of a bunch of stars derived from an obscure algorithim.

Cran

Lano Lynn wrote: »

yes

thank you for taking breed improvement seriously,hope you get rewarded.

would also like to see actual weight and muscle and fat depth at scanning for all your lambs instead of a bunch of stars derived from an obscure algorithim.

No problem sharing mine but figs are dependent on age and weight, mine were young being done last year so prob don't look as good. Personally I think the stars are a good indication, prob better than just numbers for one thing.

eire23

Cran wrote: »

Well I m going to get some rams gene marked, these will be my Lleyn rams I use to breed replacements and my pedigree stock rams plus potential stock rams. Going to get them done for the standard scrapie resistance, but also footrot tolerance and muscling gene for extra lean meat. Doing this for my old benefit really and to help me make breeding decisions for the flock.

Question is if you knew these details were available when buying off-spring from rams. Would you interested in knowing this information was available and interested in getting them explained? Also would it help you make a decision on rams and where you buy rams?

Imo it would be well worth doing cran. as you say even if you do it for just your own benefit it will help drive on and improve your own flock and i would imagine it wouldnt take that long to see the improvements. I persume when you mention the muscling gene thats its the myomax gene your talking about?

Also as i dont have an idea of the costs involved in scrapie genotyping, if it cost a fair bit per ram would it be worthwhile doing it for rams that would be sold to farmers for use as terminal sires? When their not keeping replacements of them most probably wouldnt be to bothered about it?

Cran

eire23 wrote: »

Imo it would be well worth doing cran. as you say even if you do it for just your own benefit it will help drive on and improve your own flock and i would imagine it wouldnt take that long to see the improvements. I persume when you mention the muscling gene thats its the myomax gene your talking about?

Ye myomax, going to get all scrapie including couple of really nice hoggets have for sale. Getting Lleyns and stock rams done for foot rot and myomax as well, plus stock rams for cold tolerance. I cull really heavy on lameness here and this may help identify Lleyn breeders that would reduce the problem.

Have a really nice well bred lamb bought in a ewe and thinking of keeping for stock ram. Thinking get him tested if any comes back really negative on him look elsewhere, if not bobs your uncle. For the stock rams would give good indicator on ewe families that have problems if the rams are good....

Wooly Admirer

Where are you getting this done Cran? Have you a rough idea of cost yet?

Cran

Wooly Admirer wrote: »

Where are you getting this done Cran? Have you a rough idea of cost yet?

University in NZ, 16 euros a test so not cheap really only worth doing for rams mentioned. Will get scrapie test done for few rams for sale through national scrapie plan.

eire23

Cran wrote: »

University in NZ, 16 euros a test so not cheap really only worth doing for rams mentioned. Will get scrapie test done for few rams for sale through national scrapie plan.

Not that bad a value, the test for footrot could save a lot of hassle down the line.How accurate is it exactly?
Interesting also how only charollais, texal and lleyn can carry the myomax gene.

Cran

eire23 wrote: »

Not that bad a value, the test for footrot could save a lot of hassle down the line.How accurate is it exactly?
Interesting also how only charollais, texal and lleyn carry the myomax gene.

My understanding is it's a resistance test, so guess it's aim is to identify the really prone animals and avoid them rather than find a cure.

eire23

Cran wrote: »

My understanding is it's a resistance test, so guess it's aim is to identify the really prone animals and avoid them rather than find a cure.

I get ya now, that makes sense alright. I persume one of the big pluses of the scrapie testing is being able to export the approved rams?

Lano Lynn

any results yet cran?

thinking about your op wonder if it would be better return on investment to test your ewes n stock ram?

Cran

Lano Lynn wrote: »

any results yet cran?

thinking about your op wonder if it would be better return on investment to test your ewes n stock ram?

No sent the samples away 2 weeks ago tomorrow so hopefully any day now. Be great to test the ewes but would get expensive very quick, guess the logic is the rams are 50% of the future ewes genetics. I might test the pedigree
replacement ewe lambs, that would be worth while maybe.

I can't wait to see the results of the Lleyns tbh as I have some lame Lleyn cross lambs that can't get right and think it might be one ram that's the problem

Cran

Lano Lynn wrote: »

any results yet cran?

thinking about your op wonder if it would be better return on investment to test your ewes n stock ram?

Hi Lano thought you might be interested I got the Gene Marker results back last night...2 results are provided for each marker as carry a gene from each parent and 50/50 chance which they will pass on to offspring. As said got my two Charollais stock rams done, and two Lleyn rams that I breed my own replacements off

Scrapie
Charollais: one was ARR/ARR, other ARR/ARQ so good results
Lleyn: both ARR/ARR
Cold Tolerance or I guess lamb survival at birth related to the lamb inherited genes, really interested in this as I lamb out.
Charollais: One ram was A,A and the other A,B delighted with this.
Lleyn's: both were A,A again delighted with this
T+Muscle:
Charollais: One was T+,T+ and the other a non carrier - Happy enough surprised at the ram thats a non carrier tbh though he's all muscle!
Lleyn: One was T+,T+ and the other T+
FootRot
Charollais: 1,4 and 2,4 - odd result here as scale 1 to 5 so 50% off offspring of both rams will be very good and other 50% more prone. As I cull hard for lameness it does explain why I cull some and then others from same ram never seem to get lame or the two rams either for that matter. Hopefully my cull policy is leaving me with the 1 lambs
Lleyn: One was 1,3 and the other unreadable (not sure why have asked for explanation on this as was the ram I wanted to know about :rolleyes:)

Now that I have it, think it makes really interested reading and useful tool going forward. Defo going to get the pedigree ewes done and use it as a tool for mating specific ewes to rams to try and breed out certain traits such as bad Footrot tolerance etc...

Lano Lynn

very interesting cran.
i take it that the t gene is aka myomax
it will be interesting to see if it comes through at muscle scanning if ur in it
r you showing i bonniconlon this year?

Cran

Lano Lynn wrote: »

very interesting cran.
i take it that the t gene is aka myomax
it will be interesting to see if it comes through at muscle scanning if ur in it
r you showing i bonniconlon this year?

Yep myomax, true hadn't thought of the scanning. No bonniconlon bit far for me to bring sheep too

Lano Lynn

eire23 wrote: »

Not that bad a value, the test for footrot could save a lot of hassle down the line.How accurate is it exactly?
Interesting also how only charollais, texal and lleyn can carry the myomax gene.

think I saw a poll dorset advertised as a myomax carrier and I reckon scottish cheviots would to (basicly any breed that has had a infusion of texel whether they like to admit it or not) so belclares should have a high possibility.

rangler1

Cran wrote: »

My understanding is it's a resistance test, so guess it's aim is to identify the really prone animals and avoid them rather than find a cure.

Not really up to speed with this, never get footrot so never had to learn.
But it appears that the footrot in the northern hemisphere is different strain to the southern hemisphere, so that test isn't applicable to Ireland...
Research on the mayomax is only done on a few breeds, so they can't say yet that it exclusive to breeds

Lano Lynn

rangler1 wrote: »

Not really up to speed with this, never get footrot so never had to learn.
But it appears that the footrot in the northern hemisphere is different strain to the southern hemisphere, so that test isn't applicable to Ireland...
Research on the mayomax is only done on a few breeds, so they can't say yet that it exclusive to breeds

is that a genetic super sheep from bangor erris?:D

rangler1

Lano Lynn wrote: »

is that a genetic super sheep from bangor erris?:D

yep, up there with fairies, leprechauns.... even footrot resistance
BTW does footrot resistance mean no more scalds