About the Breed.

The Jacob is an old, unimproved (heritage) breed. The Jacob sheep is indeed a unique breed in America. The American Jacob is still listed as a rare breed by The Livestock Conservancy (2019). They are immediately noticeable due to their black and white fleeces and prominent horns. Both males and females are horned. Jacob’s are slight in build, with ewes averaging only about 100 to 120 pounds. Jacobs usually bear one or two lambs( rarely 3 lambs) in the spring only. Seldom do they have lambing difficulty.

The Jacob fleece, which is properly described as white with black spots, is prized by hand spinners and weavers. The white and the black wool, which may fade at the tips to dark brown, may be blended to various shades of greys. The wool is of medium grade. Typical fleeces will weigh only three or four pounds, and may vary quite a bit in coloring, crimp, and fineness.

 

The origins of the Jacob breed are obscure. There are almost as many stories about where they came from as there are story tellers. Prior to the twentieth century they were referred to as Piebald sheep; the name Jacob comes from the Old Testament story of the dealings between Jacob and his father-in-law Laban. This Biblical story of Jacob's striving to achieve spotted sheep is thought to be the earliest record of selective breeding. Certainly there are sheep in North Africa with black and white fleeces like the Jacob, and there are other British breeds with four horns, particularly in the northern and coastal regions. Jacobs differ from other British and Northern European polycerates (sheep with multiple horns). They differ from other primitive breeds in that they have a medium fine fleece and no outer coat. Other primitive breeds are double coated, having a fine inner coat and a coarser, longer outer coat.

For more information please refer to websites:

https://www.jsba.org/      https://livestockconservancy.org   http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/

 

For information about Jacob Sheep in Israel visit facebook page: Jacob Sheep Israel.