[Jacob-list] New Jacob Owner

[Tracie A Boellner]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Tracie Boellner, and I'm a new Jacob
owner.  My husband (Steve), six children and I live
on a small farm in southern Michigan where we raise
all kinds of livestock from chickens to Jersey cattle.

The only other sheep I've owned are/were a Shetland
and this little white wool/white faced ram lamb I have
now.  I have no idea what breed he is as he came from
a auction. 

The Jacob ewe came from the auction as well.  I'm a
spinner, so that's why we bought her.  My question about
her is this.  She's not registered (as far as I know), and
in reading through the Jacob (?) Conservancy group's
webpages I'm confused about whether she would be
considered a purebred Jacob or not.  I know about the
progeny test and will do that over these next couple 
years, but in reading the breed description there are
parts that she doesn't conform to.

For instance, she's mostly black with white accents,
rather than white with black accents.  She has a white
poll, blaze down her face but it ends with a black area
around her nose rather than white.  And rather than a
big white area on her chest, she has a strip of sorts
that rather looks like a bolt of lightening.  Everything
else matches up though.  Her presumed brothers/sisters
at the auction were similiarly colored.  She very 
definitely said Jacob to me, but now I'm wondering.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated so
I know whether I should pursue the road to having
her registered.  Either way, I'm keeping her.  She
has a gorgeous fleece and wonderful personality; but
I'd be interested to know if she really is a purebred
or not.

By the way, Jacob sheep (registered and unregistered)
come through this auction house and regularly sell for
less than $100.  Now I realize that these are probably
someone's culls and therefore subject to unknown
defects and such; but for someone like me it's a chance
to perhaps own a Jacob at a reasonable price.  This
little ewe lamb cost me $30.; and regardless of whether
or not she's full-blooded Jacob or not, she's quite a
deal to me.

Thanks for reading my little novella. <g>

Tracie Boellner
Laughing-Stock Farm
Pittsford, MI