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Joe & Linda Jedju "Big Sky Ranch "
One spring, my favorite Saanen doe, Troubled-Acres Cody's Jenny, gave birth to a white doeling that had reddish patches. I thought that the wee one was stained. But these patches didn't rinse out when shampooed. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know that I had a Sable. At the time I was subscribed to the Goat Lite email list and a discussion on colored Saanens led me to ISBA. The ISBA folks were very helpful and informative about Sables. I joined ISBA to discover all that I could about Sables. I talked to other Saanen breeders and discovered that they also had colored Saanens in their herds and that many of these breeders supported Sables as a separate breed from Saanens. Then I bought Saanen Roots by Allan L. Rogers. Rogers dedicated a chapter to color in Saanens which helped explain why my purebred, white Saanens were giving birth to colored offspring. I took his statement to heart that, "There obviously are animals--some of the imports, too--that never threw color, even when given the chance to do so. In our current Saanens, we should try to identify this homozygosity and take advantage of it. When we can identify color carriers, we should also do so, and let it be known..." I admire the progress that Sable breeders have made in getting this breed recognized. Breeders like Klisse Goodey have been awarded on a national level for the superb showing and excellent milk records of their great Sables. I hope that Sables will soon become the seventh ADGA breed. My husband, Joe, and I sponsored Big Sky Packgoat Club from 1996 to 2000. This casual and friendly group of packgoat enthusiasts contacted supervisors of state parks and forests to establish a list of places in New Jersey where packgoats are welcomed. Some of our members were senior citizens and handicapped children in wheelchairs who enjoyed the company of a goatie companion on the trail. I discovered that my Sable packgoat wethers better tolerated the heat and sunshine of summer days than their Saanen counterparts did. The club disbanded in 2000 as members moved to other states because of college enrollment or job transfers. With hopes of national recognition for packgoats, I participated as a charter member in the creation of the North American Packgoat Association. My articles on Big Sky Packgoat Club and goatpacking in Lebanon State Forest, NJ were featured in Goat Tracks Magazine. I donated subscriptions of Goat Tracks to Dr. Helfat and staff at Bryan Animal Hospital, Mount Holly, NJ, to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Pemberton, NJ, and to the Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ. I also donated a copy of Carolyn Eddy's book, Practical Goatpacking, to this library. While serving on ADGA Publicity and Promotional Activities Committee in 2000, I did my best to promote Sables, packgoats, and participation in USDA programs such as testing for CAE and the Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Program. My herd had been enrolled in VSFCP since 1998; and my flock of Dorset and Coopworth Sheep is also enrolled. It is beneficial to be acquainted with the USDA APHIS veterinarians who come to the farm annually to examine and test my flock, and are informative about health issues and USDA programs available for breeders. I have been a member of ADGA since 1996. During 2000, I tossed my hat in the ring for ADGA District 2 Director but was unsuccessful in becoming nominated. My family bought 10 acres in the Pinelands of New Jersey in 1995 and build a homestead. We cultivate organic blueberries, raise sheep, and formerly bred Saanens and Sables under the Jedju's herd name. Some of my hobbies include Celtic music, quilting, painting with watercolors, gardening with perennials, and crafting shillelaghs--hiking sticks. My husband and I are volunteers for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Pemberton, NJ, and Burlington County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. As I became involved with spinning wool and other fiber crafts, I became more interested in my Dorsets and in participating in USDA programs for sheep. My packgoats found good homes with former members of Big Sky Packgoat Club and I sold my entire herd of Sables and Saanens. 2000 will be my last year as an ADGA member. Upon hearing this a friend stated, "So you are getting outta goats? I think I did that...ahh...let's see...5 or 6 times? LOL!" *********************************************************** Joe & Linda Jedju Big Sky Ranch * POB 103 * New Lisbon, NJ 08064 USA 609-726-9693 *
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