The Jacob sheep is a breed of primitive multi-horned sheep, patterned with
black and white spots. Jacobs are grown for their wool, their meat, and
their hides, but they make good pets as well. Currently Jacobs are listed
as threatened by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, which means the
breed has "fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in the U.S. and estimated
fewer than 5,000 global population." However, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in the UK states there are in excess of 3000 registered breeding females. American Jacobs are primitive sheep. They are small (rams weigh about 120-180 pounds, ewes 80-120) and
angular, with triangular faces, thin legs, and long bodies with sloped
rumps. The ewes have small udders held close to the body; rams' scrotums
are also close to the body and free from wool. Jacobs may be cow-hocked.
British Jacobs tend to be heavier, larger sheep that have lost many of the
primitive characteristics through cross-breeding in the past and through
breeder selection for larger sheep. Jacob or Piebald Sheep are an English Breed with a possible Scandinavian background. It has only been recently the name Jacob Sheep has superseded the older name, Piebald Sheep. These sheep are descendants of the sheep the
Norse brought to the British Isles. The Norse traveled the seas with
livestock as they sought new lands to colonize and farm. Where ever they
settled they planted their domestic animals. It is a well loved myth that Jacobs are related to the fat-tailed sheep of the Middle East. There are no genetic markers nor is there any historical evidence pointing to any connection to Eastern breeds of sheep. The
colorful stories have been perpetuated mostly by the romantic sounding name
which refers to the Biblical story of Jacob in the old testament of the
Christian Bible. Genesis 30:31-70 It tells how Jacob took every speckled
and spotted sheep as his own from Laban's flock. The breed was formerly
known as "Spanish sheep," but these sheep did not originate in Spain. Like
so many British breeds with an unclear history the legend persists that the
Jacob washed up in England after the wreck of the Spanish Armada in the
16th Century. There are records of spotted sheep (including four-horned
sheep) existing in Britain at about the same time that make it clear this
breed is indeed very old. Jacobs in Britain were often kept as park sheep--decorative animals grazed on estates--which probably kept the breed from dying out.
Jacobs were probably first imported to Canada and the United States as zoo
animals due to their exotic appearance, but records are scarce. Some
individuals acquired Jacob sheep from zoos around the 1960s, but the breed
remained very rare in North America for several decades. Identification of
the breed as endangered and ensuing registration of sheep began in 1985.