[Jacob-list] Fwd: JACOB SHEEP and crosses

[Meg Steensland]

In 2004 I took a few (3) extra ewe lambs off a guy's hands for $100  - 1 Katahdin that and 2 Montadales and bred then in the fall to a full Jacob ram-producing 3 X-lambs in 2005.  Larry took back the ram and his dam and I took the two ewe lambs to our fair and used one in a drawing for a kid (requiring that the family farm already own sheep or goats when they signed up).  ~ 15 kids signed up - so it drew some attention to the sheep and a girl from Sparta in Knox Co 'won'.  Her grandmother bought the other X-ewe for another child in the family for $50.  
   
  The next year the 2 remaining ewes each had twins and an Amish guy bought all 4 to try them out.  He kept the ewe and butchered the 3 rams and in the fall came back and bought 2 full HORNED Jacobs to join X-ewe Virginia.  Last year he bought 6 more Jacob ewes and traded me Virginia back for one and also bought a ram.  So, essentailly I have used cross stock to get people interested (and in the case of the Amish man - switched from goats to Jacobs!). I have since introduced this man Marvin Wengerd to another man (not Amish but dresses the part) who is still thinking about getting Jacobs.
   
  Now that I have lots of sheep and Larry was wanting to get some more, I sold him back the two original (twinning) ewes and the three 2006 and 2007 X-ewes.  He did borrow my ram in the fall of 2006 to add some color fleeces to his flock.  He is also a good sheep person to have on call to answer questions over the phone even tho he's not a Jacob breeder per se. Sometimes I can even answer questions or lend help to him!

Linda <patchworkfibers at alltel.net> wrote:
          I bought my first Jacob Sheep, a ram, with the intention to use him on my handspinner's flock to add color.  I had absolutely no plan at the time to raise purebred sheep and figured I'd be raising crossbred sheep for as long as I had sheep. That was 15 years ago and the last crossbred sheep left here 13 years ago.  You never know what's going to happen when you sell a sheep. Maybe this guy will get into raising Jacobs along with his Painted Deserts. It only took one Jacob for me to be hooked!  Or maybe he just wants a spectacular eye catching ram.
   
  On the other hand, we see way too many breeders that jump into gathering a good sized flock of registered sheep only to tire of sheep in a few years and run everything through a sale. 
   
  8 years ago, I asked one of the original Jacob breeders if he thought an emphasis on fleece would be harmful to the preservation of the breed. He answered that anything that makes breeders want to raise Jacobs can't help but be beneficial to the breed - whether it be fleeces for the handspinner's market or rams for the hunt market.
   
  Linda
 
  www.patchworkfibers.com
  Registered Jacob Sheep, Angora Rabbits, Handspun Yarn



  > Mick,
  >
  >   I checked out his web site. His sheep, deer and peafowl look well
  > cared for and healthy.
  >   He has Painted desert sheep, which have Jacob blood in them.    
  > We have several JSBA members that cross their Jacobs with other
  > breeds for wool or meat or to improve hardiness so if he wants to
  > cross his I don't care.      A couple of months ago I was looking
  > at some pictures of Painted desert sheep on the Internet and kept a
  > photo of one. I will scan it and send it to the list. I thought it
  > was a pretty hair sheep because it looked a lot like a Jacob.   Carl


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