What is a Jacob Sheep?
A Jacob sheep is a primitive, domestic, multi-horned, black or lilac (deep gray or blue/purple cast) sheep with white spots. The Jacob is an ancient breed, sometimes referred to as a primitive breed. They are small in stature, with mature ewes weighing 80-120 pounds, and rams weighing 120-180 pounds. Seen from a distance or after shearing, observers often remark that Jacobs look like goats.
Both males and females are horned, generally one or two pairs, with some rams and ewes having up to six horns. The ram has larger and more striking horns. The two-horned ram has the classic horizontal double curled horn; the four-horned ram has two vertical center horns, which may be up to two feet or more in length, and two smaller side horns, which grow down along the sides of the ram's head. The horns on the ewe are smaller in diameter, shorter in length and appear more delicate than those of the ram.
Both rams and ewes exhibit the black markings, some of which are breed specific and some are random. Breed specific markings occur as black patches on the muzzle, around the eyes, nape of the neck, ears, pasterns, knees and hocks. The desired Jacob face is often referred to as "Badger-faced" with black cheeks and muzzle with a white blaze down the front of the face. The skin around the eyes and nose should be black. Random spots occur on the rest of the body and legs. The color pattern is approximately 50% black to white, though a great variation in the amount of black occurs. Each Jacob has distinctive markings which enables the shepherd to identify specific sheep at a distance. In addition to breed specific markings, there may be evidence of markings that are common in particular lines: large muzzle markings, lack of leg markings, lack of muzzle marking, etc.
The Jacob fleece is open, soft and light with little grease (lanolin). The black wool grows out of black skin and the white wool grows out of white or pink skin, though mottling of the skin and freckling of the wool is common. Black wool may sun-bleach to a spectrum of browns. The white and black wool may be blended before spinning to form various shades of gray and brown. The colors may also be separated after shearing to produce various shades of yarn from a single fleece. The fleece generally weighs 3-6 pounds and varies in crimp and fineness. Staple length is generally 3-5 inches and may be up to 7 inches. The wool is considered to be a medium grade (Bradford count 46-54). Jacob sheep also have varying amounts of white, kinky, coarse wool (kemp) in their fleece. More primitive lines still have lambs that are born with guard hair that is shed at 3-6 months. The hairy birth coat is protective against rain and cold.
Jacob ewes generally cycle in the cooler months of the fall (cooler weather also restores the potency of the ram) and have one or two lambs (triplets are not rare) in the spring. Ewes will begin to cycle during the first fall following their birth and most often the ewe's first lamb is a single. The Jacob ewe is an excellent protective mother. Because of her primitive anatomy with a low tail dock, she is a very easy-lambing ewe. The lambs will exhibit their spotting and horn characteristics at birth, with the horn buds more readily apparent on ram lambs. Lambs may be weaned at two months of age, but many shepherds to not separate lambs and allow the ewe to wean the lamb at about 4 months of age.
History of the Jacob Sheep
Jacob sheep may be one of the oldest breeds of domestic sheep with the irregular spotted fleece acting as camouflage and the horns acting as some defensive protection against predators. The art evidence of spotted, horned sheep extends back to 1800 BC in an Egyptian wall painting, a Scythian gold necklace from 1000 BC and Sicilian pottery from 600 BC. While the exact origins of the Jacob are unknown and the subject of considerable speculation, there is evidence of strong Mediterranean roots. The path to current populations of Jacobs in North America extends from the Mediterranean area, through Spain to England and from England to North America and from the Mediterranean area along the "silk trade route" to China.
A story in the Bible, Genesis 30, describes how the patriarch Jacob selectively bred spotted sheep as his wage for working for his father-in-law Laban in Mesopotamia/Syria. Jacob, with his wives and spotted sheep, returned to Canaan and when Jacob's son, Joseph, became a governor of Egypt, Jacob went to Egypt with his flock of spotted sheep. From Egypt, the migration of the breed across North Africa to Spain seems probable. While the translation of Genesis reads "spotted sheep", the word could easily be translated as "spotted goats."
The modern name "Jacob” is a descriptive reference to spotted sheep that seems to first appear in a letter from Mrs. Maude, Hampton Court, Middlesex, England, to Mr. Heatly Noble in 1913. Mr. Noble was conducting research for his privately published book, "The Sheep and its Cousins" which was an effort to trace the genetic origin of spotted, horned sheep. Mr. Noble, an Englishman, identified forty one flocks in England, wrote to their owners to obtain detailed information about their origin and history. Mrs. Maude wrote in reply: "The (spotted) sheep you mentioned were given to Sir Geo. Maude by the late Lord Bradford...My husband on the death of his father in 1894 sold them. I do not know who bought them...I do not know how many there were to sell. By their markings, they were called "Jacob's Flock."
Mrs. Maude's flock, the "Jacob's Flock" was not the first time "Jacob" was used to describe the spotted, horned sheep. The sheep owned by Mrs. Maude and her husband, Colonel Maude, were handed down from his father, Sir George Maude, who acquired them from George Fitzwilliam, Milton, Northhamptonshire, England, and his flock can be traced directly to Earl of Fitzwilliam, Wentworth, Yorkshire and the year 1750. There is an account dated June, 1834 listing the holdings of Earl Fitzwilliam and among the 777 sheep and hogs inventoried is the entry: "Jacob sheep--11".
Apparently by the early 1900s, Jacob sheep had little commercial value and most piebald horned sheep became an ornamental or curiosity breed loosely called "park sheep" because most were located in the 60 public parks in England. These sheep were kept with deer and other exotic animals with management and care extending from none to very good. Some piebald horned flocks were also kept on private estates outside the parks and were variously called Persian sheep, Barbary sheep, or Portuguese sheep because the owner thought they originated in that country even though there was no evidence to suggest these were countries of origin. Other names included African sheep, by which two English flocks were known (supported by some evidence of a South African origin), and Spanish sheep, perhaps the best claim, with a strong Armada connection (1588) and other English flock acquisitions from Spain. Recall the entry for the account holdings of Earl Fitzwilliam in 1812 through 1823 lists "Spanish sheep" and the Spanish sheep entry disappeared in 1834 with the "Jacob Sheep" entry.
By 1911, piebald horned sheep were nearly extinct in England. J. J. Elwes and J. Cossar Ewart started the Park Sheep Society to save seven breeds of "park sheep" including the "pied Spanish sheep with four horns." In July, 1969, 78 people with 55 flocks and 1,681 Jacob sheep formed the Jacob Sheep Society in England to preserve the primitive stock and improve the Jacob sheep for commercial purposes.
Virtually all Jacob sheep in the U.S. are descended from imported stock. These importations occurred about 1954, 1976 and 1977 but the actual dates and sources with supporting documentation are still being researched. Primarily zoos, including the Brookfield Zoo, may have made the circa 1954 importations in Chicago. As the Jacob sheep zoo population increased, some sheep were sold to Charlie Hume, Dr. Fell, Bill Reynolds, and Fred Meyer. Because there was no Jacob sheep registry in the United States, these sheep were never registered. However, these sheep were moved to other small farms raising exotic stock and, later, to people raising Jacob sheep. An importation was made by the Winnepeg Zoo in 1954 and were purchased by Ed Ackerman of British Columbia from his father-in-law who purchased them from the Winnipeg Zoo.
One of the better documented importations of Jacob sheep into the United States was that described by Todd Hescock, son of Maizie Hescock. Todd describes first seeing Jacob sheep in Scotland in 1976 and the circuitous and time-consuming trip from their arrival in Canada for quarantine in 1977 to their final arrival in Vermont in 1983. Of the 21 sheep that entered the United States and arrived at the Hescock Farm, only one was a member of the original Scottish group. This importation is the basis for the Jacob line called "Jacob's Ladder."