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Miniature JACOB SHEEP
(the biblical spotted, multi horned sheep)

Come meet our flock

All Jacobs have horns, both the rams and the ewes.
BUT
The Boys get really large!

Two Lovely yearly Toy sized boys just taking
it easy in the warm spring sun

Our '06 herd sires
Hoppie above and William below

Our Toy male "Tripper" above a real pet a Lilac colored two horned boy

Left is a young 4 Horned ram and on the Right is an adult 2 Horned ram

A mini 4 Horned blk/wh Ram on the Lf and a Toy two horned Lilac/wh Ram on the Rt

The Ewes get both 2 and 4 horns also but never in the size the rams do

They are a site to behold when they gather and will stop traffic on your road

A Winter Wonderland

Jacobs in winter weather, a small breeding group of both 2 and 4 horned ewes

with their 4 horned ram.

As you can see they come in a wide variety of spot patterns and shapes, always interesting

All above are Black and White spotted ewes

These four are "lovely" Lilac colored ewes
(with soft dove gray spots)

The Miniature jacobs are in EVERY way the same as the standard sized jacobs
EXCEPT
of course in size! they are the size they were in the days of old,..... Small.

They make wonderful Youth projects

And of course the Kids just love them!

Jacob sheep are one of several multi horned breeds. Both the rams and ewes are horned. Commonly the horns are seen in even sets of 2 or 4 though uneven sets are also seen some are even polled. Their wool maybe their best asset to the small scale farms hand spinner's flock. Twining is common as well. They come in three different spot colors, the Black, the Chocolate and the Lilac gray, all on a snow white background. They are docile and easy to handle never using their horns. They are a lightly built animal whose meat is also very good. With each having their own special markings each is a uniquely rare and different sheep in its own right.

The Miniature Jacob Sheep
History and Breed Information Sheet
(The biblical, spotted, multi horned sheep.)

It is said that spotted sheep are one of the oldest breeds in the world. These markings provided camouflage to hide and protect them in their original feral state. The polycerate (multi-horned) trait is thought to have been used and bred into the Nomadic herds as further protection from predators.
It is unlikely that accurate details of their origins will ever be undisputed, but the Jacob sheep take their name from the biblical story of the bible in Genesis 30, where it is recorded that the man named "Jacob" worked for his father-in-law. The story tells how he was told by God to use only spotted ram sheep in his herd. This advice was the first and oldest documented reference to selective animal breeding. The result of this practice produced him an almost entirely spotted flock in nearly no time!
Miniature Jacob Sheep are a small sheep and at times look more like a goat than a sheep. They may have a light carcass, but the meat is lean and flavorful with little fat.
American's Jacob Sheep have always retained the lines of much smaller sheep than the British with their more improved breeds influences. Miniature Jacob Sheep are "new" only in size. They are still the "old world" breed we have come to love, just in a smaller package! Nothing else has been changed. In fact, all Miniature Jacob Sheep must conform to a breed standard which was taken directly in content from the Jacob Sheep Breeders Association club's ideal with exception of the size and many are now dual registered.
Miniature Jacob Sheep have randomly placed spots on the body and ideally should have facial and leg markings as well. The head and legs are free of wool. The tail is docked or can be left natural. Both rams and ewes are horned. The males horns are much larger, two or four horned being preferred, but odd numbers or fused horns are seen. Hooves and horns are dark and/or striped. Their eyes are dark, marbled or even light blue.
Most of these sheep range in weight from 50 to 90 pounds, but much smaller ones can be found. A height restriction of 24" or less at two years old is in use in the "Standard of Perfection." Females are often smaller than the males in general, and as with most miniatures, smaller is better.
The Miniature Jacob's wool has a soft, medium to fine grade fleece of two colors. A 60% to 80% white color to a 40% to 20% dark color is most ideal. The dark color being black/brown in color or the spots may also be a lilac-gray color. The white color is clean and bright. Staple length approximately four to seven inches.
Being a non-improved breed, Jacob Sheep have not developed the problems of some of today's more popular meat and larger wool breeds. They're still close link to the primitive sheep brings ease of lambing, and twins are common.
The Miniature Jacob Sheep of today, as always, are cost effective to raise and with their strong foraging abilities, hardiness and ease of management make then one of the best, first choice for an exotic. They are almost a worry-free breed. A statement very few exotics can make.
The personality of the Miniature Jacob Sheep are as individual as their spotted markings. They are, at times, demanding of attention, so curious as to become bothersome and so willing to please, they can be taught tricks such as standing on their hind legs (dancing), going through an obstacle course in 4-H club shows or pulling carts to name a few.
In today's ever changing and growing market, the Jacob Sheep are a little known treasure. This rare and hardy breed can make you feel good about helping to save a heritage breed while making a sound investment choice as well.

THE UNIQUELY ATTRACTIVE MINIATURE JACOB SHEEP
The many qualities we're looking for all in one little brightly colored package.

Jacob sheep are well known as the spotted multi-horned sheep of old but there is much more to that statement than most people realize. They are not always black and white spotted nor are they always multi horned as most surely think, they come in a variety of spot colors, and are often not double horned.
Jacob sheep are all spotted, this is true and most all of us know that by now, but what you many not know is that they come in several spot colors with an endless array of patterns. The most common spot color is by far the black, yet the breed does come in two other colors, a little known fact. The lilac (gray) colored sheep are rare and seldom seen, though the color has been around a very long time, it's not a new one. The only new part of it is that it is now becoming quite sought after by the very people that helped make the breed's come back, the hand spinners and fanciers of the unique. They are rare, but the color is popular and there are many individuals out there in mixed color flocks. A very few owners are just now starting to raise closed color flocks of this wonderful shade of gray, the lilac. The breed also has an even lesser known color that has just started making its appearance in numbers enough to begin getting some real attention, the chocolate. The same as the lilac colored sheep, these too are born this color, which can be seen easily at birth. Some black spotted sheep do turn chocolate looking when their wool tips become sun damaged though they are not a true chocolate. The chocolate color too is sure to make the hand spinners want list of must have Jacob wool. Breeders are sure to take note of this and see that this color gets a stable-breeding base within their flocks.
   Miniature Jacob Sheep are becoming well known in the rare sheep market place with fanciers and spinners of their quality wool and their unique looks. But on the other hand the Miniature Jacob sheep are still quite rare in the world. Their appearance in general is of course the same as that of the larger Jacob sheep but they are much smaller and therefore much easier to handle and love. Nothing else seems to have changed expect maybe that their wool is often much finer and the quality better than that of the larger sized sheep.
   When people in the sheep world think of horns probably the first breed that rightly comes to mind are the Jacob Sheep, with horns matched by no other. Yet this breed has another side to this horn issue. It's the fact that there are some flocks that are nearly all two horned or even polled! This would surely shock some people because most think that this breed is four horned only. Well this is not only not so, but also not preferred. The breed is and has always been a breed of many horns, and have been seen since the beginnings of time with anything from no horns, polled, to combinations of two, three, four, five and at times even six! It is preferred that the horns be in sets of equal numbers of two or four. Sheep with more than four horns rarely have a good uniform set, some being small, others larger and spacing not what it should be. Polled sheep are also seen, but not widely excepted here in the states as they are abroad.   So the general rule of thumb should be that in the USA two and four horned sheep are the preference with one not more important or more proper than the other is. If one is to have a healthy flock you should have both in near equal numbers. There is also a condition known a split eye lid that is seen in all the multi-horned sheep breeds of the world. This is as it sounds, a split of the upper and sometimes lower eye lids, of which there are several degrees of seriousness, all of which should be avoided when ever possible. However it can be kept under control by a proper balance of two and four horned breeding animals in your flock and not using the ones with a severe case of this condition.
   Well we hope to have enlighted you on the subject of Miniature Jacob Sheep and put you straight as to fact and fallacy, with some of the right answers. If you have further questions about them we hope you call or write and get the real answers from breeders of these unique little animals sharing our world.

Smokey Valley Kennel Since 1976
Rick & Michelle Shannon
113 Blake Rd
Toledo, WA 98591
Phone 360-864-6116
smokeyvalley@toledotel.com

e-mail

Small Farm Today
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We have been features on the cover of this nice magazine two times.
We recommend it, they do a nice job, its always full of helpful and useful information .

Small Farm Today
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