CONTEMPLATING THE GENETICS OF OUR FLOCK

This may not be a bad starting place, but I'll have to improve it from here.

Jacob's sheep are an interesting breed, and the flock that I purchased was a good deal. I could have spent way more for each sheep, and in doing so could have gotten a much "better" herd as far as genetics are concerned. However, a deal is a deal and I've got some plans to build this one up.

MY "GENETICS" VIDEO

THE BASIC ISSUE

This is the current sire of this herd. I decided to name him @jonny-clearwater, mostly just because I can. Plus, I figured that he would appreciate it. Anyway, as far as Jacob's sheep rams, he is not exactly what you'd be looking for. First off, the lighter colored horns are undesirable. Technically, it would be better if they were black. Also, their shape and direction of growth is obviously not the best. Passing this trait on to his offspring may not be a good thing.

Moreover, the breed standard should have black around each eye that extends onto the cheek, and should have a black muzzle too. If he looked like like this, he would be a better ram to sire the flock.

Since the horns can grow different directions, this would be another acceptable variation in horn growth.

While these sheep can have up to six horns, having two or four is most common. This ewe below has two nice horns, but lacks the facial markings.

This other ewe has nice horns plus the face to match. For me, it'll be an adventure seeking out my next sire. Additionally, it'll give me an opportunity to teach the @little-peppers more about genetics and breeding animals, so it'll be a fun and educational one. At the moment, I'm just happy to have them here on the homestead.