Come on the journey as we learn more about the flock! As we head into the genetic testing process, we are going to be updating a new section on the site with all the what, why and how’s – and if this is up your alley, we invite you to come along. Check out our new Genetic Mapping page, as this is where we will begin, with a little introduction on how we are planning to use this process as a tool. We will keep developing this new site section between juggling the lambs, so stay tuned, next up we will be diving into the world of genetic COIs, kinship matrixes and what we expect them to show us about our flock.
If you have undertaken any testing in your flock – Damara, other sheep breeds, or even other species!! – we would be extremely interested in hearing about your experience. While the extent of the testing in Damara is limited due to such small pool sizes, anyone working with rare breeds or in a conservation field would have firsthand experience of the basic relationship matrixes and how this process and how ( or if) it changed how they worked – we would love to learn more.
WILD VALLEY DAMARA 