History and Care of Jacob Sheep
Jacobs Flock
The first evidence of the spotted sheep known as Jacob's Flock was found approximately 3000 years ago. The breed takes its name from Jacob, found
in the book of Genesis chapter 30 and 31. As a young man Jacob worked for
his Uncle Laban on the plain of Haran, known today as Syria. Jacob convinced
his deceptive Uncle Laban to reward him for the years of tending his flock with
all of the spotted offspring. In a dream G-d had told Jacob to place spotted branches around the watering holes, so when the ewes drank, they would produce spotted lambs. Jacob was also instructed to use only the spotted rams for breeding. Through Jacobs’s obedience to what G-d had revealed to him,
Jacob was able to obtain an entirely spotted flock.
History: The Family of Jacob (Israel)
Jacob was the second of fraternal twin sons. God changed his name to Israel many years later. His brother Esau gave him the birthright of the firstborn for a pot of bean stew. With the help of his mother, they tricked his blind father into giving him the blessing of the first born. Fearing his brother's anger he ran away from home after getting the birthright and blessing to live with his uncle Laban in Babylon.
There he met and fell in love with his cousin Rachel and agreed to work seven years for her. But Laban switched the older daughter, Leah for her sister and Jacob discovered this after the marriage. His uncle said that He could marry Rachel in a week if he agreed to work another seven years and keep Leah as his wife. So Jacob hated Leah and loved Rachel and the sisters competed for his affection. Leah kept having children, including a daughter named Dinah, but Rachel was barren. Then Rachel gave Jacob her maid as a wife and Leah did the same. These four women became the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Leah. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah. Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah.
Her children became the monarchy and the priesthood (Judah and Levi). - Rachel. Joseph and Benjamin.
- Bilhah ("Rachel's Maid"). Dan and Naphtali.
- Zilpah ("Leah's Maid"). Gad and Asher.
Sheep with Spots
Sheep with spots have been described in many cultures throughout history, appearing in works of art from the Far East, Middle East, and Mediterranean regions. Pictorial evidence traces movements of this breed through North Africa, Sicily, Spain, and on to England.
Importation
Jacob Sheep were originally imported into the United States for game parks and zoos in the mid 1900's.The genetic pool has been greatly enhanced by additional importations from Britain during imports of the past 30 years.
Marketing
Jacob sheep are highly marketable as breeding stock, farm gate sales of freezer lamb, tanned pelts, handspinners' fleeces, horns for walking sticks and buttons. All of these maketable items can bring the breeder financial return. The largest reward is the pleasure of seeing this magnificiant breed inhabit ones pastures.
Creationists
As creationists, we believe that all sheep have obtained their genetic make-up from the original sheep that were placed on the Ark (Genesis chapter 7: 2, 3.) Genesis makes it clear that two of each unclean animal and seven of each clean animal boarded Noah’s Ark. Notably, these were probably young animals to accommodate the space given.
Selective Breeding
As breeders, we have refined certain traits by breeding and culling them and creating our own standards. This is known as selective breeding. These standards are what we see outlined as desirable traits for our current day Jacob Sheep.
Jacob Sheep
Jacob Sheep found in the United States are a small to medium build. A Jacob ewe averages 80 to 120 lbs., while a Jacob ram weighs approximately 120 to 180 lbs.
Un-like most of the larger breeeds of sheep, you can easily graze six Jacob Sheep per acre.
Jacob Fleece
The colored portions of a Jacob's fleece are usually black, but they can also be brownish or a lighter color called lilac.
A Jacobs’s fleece is a medium grade with an open springy handle. The Bradford count is 44-45, demi- luster. The fleece staple is 3-7 inches in length and weighs 3-6 lbs.
Unlike most other medium wool breeds, quality of the fleece has been a major selection factor in the recent history of the Jacob breed. As a result, it is much sought after by fiber artisans, who enjoy its characteristics and color combinations – black, white, or a blend of the two.
Jacob fleece has held wide spread popularity among small flock holders as well as handpsinners and weavers.
There is nothing quite as easy and pleasant as spinning from Jacob roving.
Polycerate Gene
Fibre Folds Esteban
We first saw these spotted wonders in 2002 while visiting The Manning’s Hand Spinners Seminar. I was taken with the various spotted patterns and primitive horns. Not one looked alike. Carrying a polycerate gene they can have two, four or six horns. Both sexes are horned, and the rams can have horns of impressive size and shape. Jacob sheep are wonderful mothers and commonly birth without assistance. Their primitive structure makes it very easy for them to spring through the air. Shepherds often refer to them as flying sheep. They are truly a joy to raise, and a sight to behold
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Care of Our Sheep
*Please be advised by your veterinarian*
VACCINATIONS
All our sheep are vaccinated with Covexin 8. They receive a initial dose of 5 ml. subcutaneously at ten weeks of age and then 2 ml. subcutaneously six weeks later.* A yearly booster of 2 ml should be given to secure your animal against a variety of diseases to include over-eating and tetanus. Vaccinations should be scheduled so that your pregnant ewes receive their 2ml. booster, two to six weeks prior to lambing. This will pass the immunity onto the lamb until they are 10 weeks old and can receive their first 5ml dose.
We have currently started vaccinating our sheep with Rabies vaccine.The protocol for vaccinating sheep against Rabies is to vaccinate yearly.
WORMING
Our Sheep are wormed with Ivermectin cattle injectable. (1cc. per 50 pounds body weight).This is drawn up and given orally.
It is recommended that worming be done in the spring and the fall and after lambing. Additional worming is advisable when a worm load is detected. We do rotate our wormers as the ewes can become immune to wormers.
Levasole injectable, is our choice for pregnant ewes. (2 ml per 100 pound body weight.)
It is also advisable to worm your ewes after lambing with Safeguard Paste wormer for cattle. (A double oral dose is recommended for sheep) A good time to do this is while they are in the jug area. Clean your jug area daily and thoroughly after each ewe and lamb have vacated. All lambs should be wormed at three months of age.
Cyndectin can be given orally as a alternate wormer. Administer 1ml. for every 25 lbs. body weight with a dosing syringe. We worm our ewes and lambs and keep them in a dry lot or separate pasture for 72 hours, so If you are using pasture rotation, keep that pasture closed off for 30 days, before returning your flock to graze.
SHEARING
Prior to lambing our sheep are shorn. We keep them in the heavily strawed barn after shearing. Shearing them prior to lambing aids in the prevention of Ketosis. Ketosis arises when a ewe does not receive an adequate amount of carbohydrates. A pregnant ewe has more body heat from the lamb. This causes them to slow down in their natural pattern of eating. When they are shorn in the cold weather they increase their pattern of feeding at a higher ratio. This enables them not to go into Ketosis. You should not increase their regular feed; the ewe will naturally eat at her regular feeding time.
Shearing is a wonderful time to de-lice your animal. If you are raising sheep for fiber, this is an ideal time to cover them. We use Matilda Covers. You can change to the next size as the fleece fills out the growth of the animal. Matilda Covers are also easy to mend with your sewing machine. They are listed on
Our Favorites Places & Events page.
FEEDING
We feed a timothy & orchard grass mix hay in the winter months along with a 18% show lamb.
We have found fewer problems when feeding hay and grain in feeders.
It is very important to give them loose mineral. Loose mineral does not wear down their teeth.
We prefer to top dress their feed with loose mineral and yeast every other night. You can either feed it free choice or top dress. Please make certain that your mineral is designed for sheep. They receive more mineral in their feed intake with the loose mineral.
We also add baking soda and vitamin E to their drinking water.We alternate between the two using vitamin E one night and baking soda thefollowing night,
When the grass is plentiful in the summer months we do not grain our sheep. We do give then a stemmy grass hay to keep
their rumen healthy. We still offer loose mineral and plenty of fresh water. We also have barn fans, so that our
animals are not stressed from the summer heat.
A sheep's normal body temperature is 102 to 103°F.
Ewes will cycle approximately every 17 days from August through April.
Gestation for Sheep = 144 -152 Days
LAMBING
When our ewes have lambed, we have a special area called (A JUG) that they are able to bond with their lambs with out distraction of the other sheep. After the ewe has lambed, we give the ewe a large wooden spoon- full of molasses in a bucket full of warm water to boost their energy level. They are usually separated from the rest of the herd for three days. We also give them grain and free choice alfalfa hay at this time.*When we first find the newborn lamb, we immediately spray their umbilical cord with iodine. The iodine helps to aid against bacteria that will travel up the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord is a natural pathway for bacteria to travel. An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. The mother will clean them off and if they are still wet, we will towel dry them the rest of the way. We use Woolovers to cover the lambs for three days during the cold Pennsylvania winter months. Hypothermia is the primary cause for loosing a lamb.
Feeding Schedule for Orphan Lambs
For the first 24 hours, give the lamb colostrum every 2 hours if possible. In the next 24 to 48 hours, gradually mix the colostrum with lamb milk replacer. By day four, the lamb should be consuming lamb milk replacer scheduled as recommended below.
Feeding for lambs over 24 hours old:
Day 2 thru 3: every 3 hours
Day 4 thru 7: every 4 hours
Day 8 thru 21: every 6 hours
Day 21 thru 35: every 8 hours
Day 25 till weaning: every 12 hours.
Do not overfeed. A baby lamb will not be able to digest a large volume properly and this will cause scouring.
Stomach Tubing
Sheep producers can have a major impact on lamb survival by using a stomach tube and a
large syringe. When a lamb is born weak or under stress and just doesn't nurse well immediately, do the following:
Milk the ewe into a wide mouth container (or use another colostrum source if she doesn't have enough.
Place a stomach tube or esophageal feeder into the lamb’s stomach via the mouth. An animal should receive at least 10% of its body weight in colostrum in the first 24 hours of life. For example, a 10-pound lamb should receive at least one pound (16 ounces) of colostrum during its first day. Frequent small meals of two or three ounces are better
than one or two huge meals. Administer 2–3 ounces of the colostrum.
(Click on lamb 
for pictures of lamb being stomach tubed)
Place a Woolover on the lamb and adjust heat lamp to proper hight in the pen and leave them alone until next feeding.
If all goes well, the lamb should only need to be stomach tubed once. If this is the case you can return it to it's dam to nurse free choice or bottle fed if needed. If the lamb does not respond within the next few hours, it should be examined by a veterinarian.
Clinical Signs of Mastitis
1. Red hot swollen udder
2. Ewe not eating
3 .Hungry lamb (A lamb looking hunched up can be a sign of starvation)
4. Watery milk indicates "toxic" mastitis
5. Treat aggressively and observe antibiotic withdrawal times.
Pipestone Veterinary Supply 2007 Catalog
Docking & Castrating
DOCKING tails has become quite a controversial topic in the Jacob Sheep community. Some feel it takes away from the primitive breed. Jacob Sheep have an extra vertebra in their tail so they are able to pick it up quite easily while defecating. It is truly a personal decision. If you decide to dock your lamb’s tail it is advisable to remove it at three days of age. A good preventative measure is to give a 1cc dose of long acting penicillin CASTRATING comes with a variety of options. We band our sheep when the testicles have completely dropped. Make sure that both testicles are below the band before releasing. We also give penicillin as prevention from infections during castration a 1cc dose of long acting penicillin SQ. Repeat dosage in seven days. SQ. Repeat in seven days.
HOOF CARE
We check our sheep’s hooves in the Spring and in the Fall. During the rainy season you will find that their hooves grow at a quicker rate and may need to be trimmed an additional time.
Please keep in mind that these sheep originated in the Holy Lands and their climate & terrain was much different.
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Handy Conversion Chart
1 Gallon = 128 oz.
1 Gallon = 3.78 litters
1 Gallon = 4 quarts
1 Quart = 2 pints
1 Quart = 32 oz.
1 Pint = 2 cups
1 Pint = 16 oz
1 L. = 1000 ml.
1 Cup = 240 ml.
1 oz = 30 ml.
1 TBSP. =15 ml.
1 tsp. = 5 ml.
1cc = 1 ml.
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Commonly Used Needle Sizes
Cats 3/4 inch x 22 guage
Dogs 3/4 inch x 22 guage
Horses 1 1/2 inches x 20 guage
Beef Cattle 1 inch x 16 guage
Goats 1 inch x 18 guage
Sheep 1 inch x 18 guage
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FIVE OF THE MOST COMMON KILLERS OF LAMBS
1.Stillborn=Dystocia
Stillborn lamb=Full term lamb with non-inflated lungs
Dystocia= Difficult birth
Local edema-Fractured ribs-Large lamb or small pelvis-Emphyematous fetus-Need to differentiate from abortion-Proper gestational rations-Overfeeding-Underfeeding-Genetics-Observation-Learning when & how to help-Ewe lambs.
2.Starvation-Hypothermia
Number 1 cause of neonatal death-Combination of low blood sugar and loss of body heat-Loss of heart & kidney fat-Body looses ability to self regulate-Lactational failure by ewe- Environmental factors.
Mild Hypothermia Any Age 99-102 F
Remove from ewe & dry 2. Supplement warm dry heat (100-103 F maximum temp.) 3. Tube feed 50-100 ml. of colostrum or milk/ Nursemate 4. Return to ewe when rectal temperature is normal (Usually 1-3 hours) 5. Assure future nutrition and warmth 6. Baby lamb strength.
Severe Hypothermia Temperature below 99
Under 6-8 hours old same is mild hypothermia, plus:(a) inject 40 ml. of 20% dextrose solution into the body cavity 1 inch beside and 1 inch behind navel using a 20 gauge 5/8 inch needle. Dr. J.D. Bobb, DVM
3.Pneumonia
Frequently Pasteurella haemolytica-Increased respiratory rate-"Thumping-Rattling"-Septicemia-spread throughout the body-Primarily environmental-Death and chronic performance losses-Overcrowding<15 sq. ft. per ewe-Proper ventilation-Prolonged lambing-Commingled lambing facility-Temperature variation-Preventative antibiotic day 1 & 3-Create dry draft free comfort zone.
4.Scours
Typically E-Coli a few group B Rotovirus-Blaoted stomach-Froth from mouth-Watery diarrhea-Colostrum-Treatment to onset of diarrhea-Warm humid environment-Prolonged lambing season-Unshorn ewes-In a outbreak treat every lamb at birth-Replace fluid loss with electrolytes.
Sulmit Drinking Water Solution12.5% sodium sulfamethazine. Excellent for treating scours, pneumonia, foot rot infections and mastitis. Dose (cattle,calves, and sheep) in drinking water - first add four tablespoons (2 fl. oz.) to each gallon. Second, third and fourth days reduce the amount to one-half
5.Trauma
Induced by shepherds or other sheep - small lambing "jugs"- wild ewes -dystocia failure to "jug" - grouped ewes with new born lambs- docking and castrating.
The above medical information was taken from:Pipestone Veterinary Supply Catalog
We are here to aid you with resources and any help that we can offer. Our desire is to insure you with a positive start in raising your Jacob Sheep. Please feel free to contact us at any time. We love to hear from others who have found the same pleasure; in shepherding these spotted wonders.
His Blessings,
The Bresin Family
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Rise 'N' Shine Farm
risenshinefarm@comcast.net
717. 259.7771