Author Topic: Scientific researcher needs your help (Read 2908 times)

HappyHippy · « **on:** January 09, 2013, 03:09:12 pm »

Thought some of you TAS shepherds might be up for helping with this ?

Does anyone lamb registered pedigree native sheep who would be willing to take part in a lamb vigour study undertaken by SRUC (formerly the Scottish Agricultural College)? The study aims to extend valuable work carried out on Suffolk sheep by including other breeds, and you need to be able to witness the lamb's birth and score it at 5 minutes old for various factors. If anyone is interested please contact me in the first instance on ruth@rbst.org.uk

Thanks folks

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2013, 04:27:46 pm »

Sounds a useful piece of research and if it comes out to show that the natives have a greater vigour then the preservation of native breeds will be partially vindicated

as that trait can then be bred into some super-sheep.

I can see a skew already though: most native sheep lamb outside unassisted, and tend to lamb just before first light (when sensible folk are still asleep

) so most of the observed births are going to be those which are lambed indoors. There is a chance that flocks lambed indoors could have decreased or increased vigour after birth compared to those which are lambed outside, so first of all a piece of research needs to be done to test that. On the other hand, if the commercials being assessed are lambed indoors, then perhaps the natives should be under the same system too.
I think I'll contact Ruth to find out more

Ina · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2013, 05:52:00 pm »

Who's the person at SRUC (or Shrek, as we who know them call it...) who's in charge of the project?

VSS · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2013, 09:16:20 pm »

This sort of thing is always interesting to take part in - why the restriction on registered pedigree native breeds? Some of the native hill breeds don't really do the "pedigree" registering thing and don't register females, so would they be barred from taking part?

jaykay · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2013, 09:24:47 pm »

I lamb Shetlands indoors-ish (paddocks and barn) and may well be around when they're born. I don't have very many but am happy to get involved if that's useful.

Ina · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2013, 09:53:10 pm »

Quote from: VSS on January 09, 2013, 09:16:20 pm

This sort of thing is always interesting to take part in - why the restriction on registered pedigree native breeds?

Because in science, if you want to justify spending funding money on research, you have to be able to provewhat you are doing... You can't just say you used such-and-such a type of sheep, everything needs to be verifiable. Hence only the use of registered animals...

Ooops - sorry about the bold stuff... That was not intended! $:-\$

Fleecewife · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2013, 11:29:48 pm »

Also it sounds as if it's in association with the RBST which acknowledges only registered examples of the breeds. Otherwise, as Ina says.

SteveHants · « **Reply #7 on:** January 11, 2013, 07:51:51 am »

Quote from: Ina on January 09, 2013, 09:53:10 pm

Quote from: VSS on January 09, 2013, 09:16:20 pm
This sort of thing is always interesting to take part in - why the restriction on registered pedigree native breeds?

Because in science, if you want to justify spending funding money on research, you have to be able to provewhat you are doing... You can't just say you used such-and-such a type of sheep, everything needs to be verifiable. Hence only the use of registered animals...

Ooops - sorry about the bold stuff... That was not intended! $:-\$

They could just give a location and type instead - although admittedly I know more about undertaking scientific studies than getting money to do so...