[Jacob-list] What is this sheep, anyway?

[sbennett]

>
>Your thoughtful letter has resonated with me, for I too have wrestled
>philosophically about the purposes and objectives of our commitment to
>Jacob Sheep.  I am disturbed by the expressions of so many Jacob owners
>about selection for this or that characteristic, about expressions of
>preferences, about discarding specimens not having pleasing set of horns,
>about color ratios too this or too that, etc.  Why do they disturb me?
>Because these are not what we should be concerned about.  We should first
>and foremost be concerned about preservation of what we have, and
>conservation of that we have preserved.  The JSC recognized some of this
>philosophical thought when it expunged personal preferences from its breed
>standard.
It was the diversity within the breed that drew me to them. The reality 
is that I can only afford to keep so many, they must in someway pay for 
themselves. I've been put down by a couple of other breeders for choosing 
diversity; why did I choose this small one or that dark one, they 
wouldn't breed them. If they wouldn't breed them, then who will buy their 
offspring?

Standardization of a finer fibered animal is what I keep hearing 
throughout the market place. Coated fleeces, so they are super clean for 
handspinners. 

The meat market is just as bad. Grow them as big as you can, as fast as 
you can. But, after butchering culls for several years, I now have the 
local butcher and a couple of regular customers impressed with the meat 
quality (over quantity) of the Jacob.  

>Today there is adoo about showing Jacobs, and more recently
>to organize a national show.  I can not think of any factor more
>destructive to the preservation of this remarkable primitive species than
>to subject it to the whims of judges in the show ring.

I don't think showing Jacobs is destructive. On the contrary, I think 
educating the populace on their existence and the conservation issues 
involved, just may save them. 

We tell our 4-H kids, when showing any animal: it is one judge's opinion 
on any given day.  And with Jacobs, more than any other breed, there are 
so many factors to consider in choosing placing in a show, that one 
outstanding feature may take precedence with a particular judge. The same 
animal will place very differently with a different judge. I think this 
serves to keep us breeders focused on diversity and facilitates 
friendliness between us and appreciation of each others flocks.

Debbie Bennett
Feral Fibre