Post by debsbread on Jul 28, 2014 11:57:16 GMT -5
I've been absent all summer...with gardening, canning, and just life in general, it has been far too busy! Is it just me or is everyone cranked up busy??? I've canned squashes till I don't want to see anymore for a while! haha~ and throwing pickling cucumbers at cars as they go by to get rid of them (not really but DID think about it! ) Squash Casserole will be awfully tasty this winter! yum! The gardens have been prolific here this year..a big change from the past two years for us here in north Georgia. So have to get it all put back while we can.
I have enjoyed reading back through posts from many here...so much I've missed, too.
I do have a question...
Have any of you who raise miniature Jerseys had a BD or Dwarf calf born from your stock? Was your stock tested and negative for Chondrodysplasia?? I am trying to figure out if there is a BD2 gene now along with the common BD1 gene that is tested for, from the Dexter's being used to create this breed of small dairy cows back when they started. I have reports and have actually seen dead calves which appear to me to be BD...not PHA affected, but BD or plain out dwarf calves. Or is this a mutant gene and there is another BD gene to watch out for?? I do not think that there are tests for the BD2 yet, if it does exist...will be getting with Stefanie at UCD today about this. And I am wondering how many of these calves just get buried and not spoken of??
Here on our farm, we bred two Chondro tested and negative animals (bull was in semen) and got what appears to be a BD calf. How is this possible? Or are we looking at animals that have been so inbred back in the beginning that the mutations are just now showing up? I would think that if the inbreeding took place, that those mutated genes could pop out at any given time in the future stock of the inbred cattle. Anyone here got experience/knowledge with this??? If there is no such BD2 gene, then I'm leaning towards inbred for this poor little girl...although it didn't happen here. I am trying to put the puzzle pieces together, to help others learn how to breed successfully without using inbred stock...and there is more than enough of those out there to be had!
I hope you all have had a productive summer of fun! Good to be back here and catchin up!
~Deb in Cleveland
I have enjoyed reading back through posts from many here...so much I've missed, too.
I do have a question...
Have any of you who raise miniature Jerseys had a BD or Dwarf calf born from your stock? Was your stock tested and negative for Chondrodysplasia?? I am trying to figure out if there is a BD2 gene now along with the common BD1 gene that is tested for, from the Dexter's being used to create this breed of small dairy cows back when they started. I have reports and have actually seen dead calves which appear to me to be BD...not PHA affected, but BD or plain out dwarf calves. Or is this a mutant gene and there is another BD gene to watch out for?? I do not think that there are tests for the BD2 yet, if it does exist...will be getting with Stefanie at UCD today about this. And I am wondering how many of these calves just get buried and not spoken of??
Here on our farm, we bred two Chondro tested and negative animals (bull was in semen) and got what appears to be a BD calf. How is this possible? Or are we looking at animals that have been so inbred back in the beginning that the mutations are just now showing up? I would think that if the inbreeding took place, that those mutated genes could pop out at any given time in the future stock of the inbred cattle. Anyone here got experience/knowledge with this??? If there is no such BD2 gene, then I'm leaning towards inbred for this poor little girl...although it didn't happen here. I am trying to put the puzzle pieces together, to help others learn how to breed successfully without using inbred stock...and there is more than enough of those out there to be had!
I hope you all have had a productive summer of fun! Good to be back here and catchin up!
~Deb in Cleveland