[Jacob-list] Opinion regarding "true Jacob"

[Mark Essen]

Are we competitive or cynical?  I prefer to think that we are critical.  Anytime we look at prospective new flock members we become very critical.  My picture perfect Jacob has four bold symmetric horns with nice eye and muzzle patches to match the nice knee patches and random black spots all over the rest of the white petite body.  I will not put a two horn or white legged Jacobs into my flock.  But, this is just a critical preference of what I want in my flock.  To claim that somebody else's sheep are impure or second class Jacobs for these reasons would just simply be wrong.  People used to say the same things about red Angus and Holsteins.  The other thing that we should all strive for (have to keep reminding myself of this) is we have to be diplomatic.  My critical comments should never be spoken is such a way that they be taken as an insult.  We also have to be thick skinned enough to forgive or ignore those that fail the diplomacy test.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Marguerite Van Beek 
  To: jacob-list 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 8:54 AM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] Opinion regarding "true Jacob"


  To all Jacob Breeders,.

  Do any of you think that a Jacob that does not have leg markings is not a "true Jacob".  That they are a crossbred.  At the MSWF a Jacob breeder approached some people that we looking and admiring our flock can up to them started a conversation and stated that our Jacobs are not "true Jacobs" because we have some that don't have leg markings.  I guess the gentlemen didn't know that my daughter was standing right there when he said it.
  Are we as a group becoming so critical in what consider a "true Jacob" should be?  I have full siblings in my flock where one has leg marking and another does not.  So, the one without is not a true Jacob even thou he carriers that same gene pool as the one that does.  What is going on with our group?  Last year it was the two horn should be culled, this year it is the leg markings.  Gee, that would eliminate a lot of Jacobs.  Is this the path we are heading into.  Have we become that competitive or cynical, which is it?  

  Peggy 
  Ridgecroft Farms


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