White spotting

data & genetic aspects of white spotting

Starter flocks: what they are and how to choose one that is right for you

Starter flocks: what they are and how to choose one that is right for you

So you’ve decided you want to start a small flock of Soay sheep and you have, or can put together, the infrastructure to support your new flock: pastures or a barnful of hay, secure fencing, water and shelter, and predator control appropriate to your location. But what about the starter flock itself? How many sheep […]

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Annual Soay sheep horn growth revisited

Annual Soay sheep horn growth revisited

Every year at the winter solstice, usually December 21st, sheep horns (and for that matter all heritage sheep and other mammals’ horns as far as I have been able to determine) begin growing, a process that lasts for about three months and then tapers off through the spring and stops until the next December. To […]

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Fun with skewbalds: extensive white spotting in Soay sheep

Fun with skewbalds: extensive white spotting in Soay sheep

The third in a series of posts about white spotting. Part I addressed a series of questions about the frequency of white spotting in Soay sheep, whether skewbald is “normal” in Soay, and whether breeders should try to get more or less white spotting in their flocks. Part II presented extensive lambing data in an […]

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White spotting in Soay sheep:  twinks and carrier status

White spotting in Soay sheep: twinks and carrier status

The second in a series of posts about white spotting. The first addressed a series of questions about the frequency of white spotting in Soay sheep, whether skewbald is “normal” in Soay, and whether breeders should try to get more or less white spotting in their flocks. Apology and Caution: following contains excessive amounts of […]

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White spotting in Soay sheep

White spotting in Soay sheep

Over the last few months, we have received a number of questions about white spotting, one of the most visible traits in British Soay sheep. I have to admit I never gave much thought to spotting until now; it was just there in our flock. But worried Soay sheep colleagues sooner or later worry me, […]

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