Why choose Jacob Sheep?
I happen to think Jacob Sheep are the Best, at least for Oklahoma’s variable climate. I originally chose them for their listed ability to provide fleece, meat and milk. Their fabulous horns, Heritage breed status, small size and sweet dispositions just add to their value and enjoyment. The support, friendship and guidance offered by the Jacob Sheep Breeders Association, JSBA, is an added benefit.
What about fencing?
Fencing is one of the biggest issues when adding sheep to your farm. I use 4 x 4 goat fence around my farm with much success. Cattle panels will keep adults in and dogs out, but lambs slip through and forget how they ended up away from mom. The goat fence must have secure corner and gate posts with intermediate support to stay taut and useful. My biggest problem with it is that small lambs with growing horns will stick their heads through and pull off horns when coming back, in addition to occasionally needing help back. I also know several people who have success with electric mesh fencing.
Can I pasture other animals with the sheep?
I do know of one breeder who pastures their adult ewes with docile cattle and guard llamas. I wouldn’t recommend running four horned rams with other stock. Their horns both break and could be effective weapons. Mine share some fence with our cattle and donkeys, but our large animal fencing is insufficient for the sheep so they don’t share pasture.
What are some benefits of Jacobs Sheep?
Their small size makes them easier to handle. The horns occasionally double as handles. Their smaller size also works well if selling cull stock at auction because they are at the ideal weight in the higher market in November and December. The fact they are a Heritage breed suggests they are hardier than many improved breeds, which is indeed the case. Jacob’s meat is agreed to be quite palatable, even when a several years old mutton.
Do you shear?
We have a well-travelled shearer in our area. The small fee he charges per head is entirely worth the speed and lack of hassle. We usually do annual immunizations of CDT and trim hooves while Marty shears. He often has finished a ewe and is waiting for the hoof trimmer to finish before passing the sheep to him.
Can you milk them?
Yes, I have milked one of my ewes. She didn’t much appreciate my help and my set up was less than ideal, so we ended the experiment in less than a week. But her milk was some of the richest we’ve ever enjoyed.
Are the sheep registered?
JSBA has standards of registration which I endeavor to breed towards. These standards were established for the conservation of breed traits and for the safety of animals and people. Genetics are somewhat unpredictable, and the association has some room for discrepancy in their decisions. The biggest issue is the placement and growth pattern of rams’ horns. They also look for eye patches and nose spot and percentage of color. My sheep listed with farm prefixes are registered. Lambs need to wait until determination can be made whether they meet the standards for registration.
What do sheep eat?
Sheep are ruminants, so eat grass and hay. I supplement with dry All-Stock pellets, initially this acts as a training method so they come and follow when I need them. Their need for protein requires a high protein hay through winter, like alfalfa or clover. We found an all-stock protein tub this year and placed it in the ewe pen. They apparently benefited from it, as every ewe over two years old had twins, whether they have better horns or not is yet to be seen. (When adding any ‘processed’ feed to sheep’s diet, the ingredient label must be read. Too much copper is toxic to sheep.) Since researching my family’s nutrition, I am becoming convinced that probiotics are a good thing. So, small amounts of probiotics have been added to their feed through this lambing season.
What is the difference between ‘Lilac’ and ‘Black and White’?
All Jacob Sheep are spotted, with the coloring falling between 20% and 80%, preferably more in the 40-60% range. Lilacs are slightly lighter than the Black and White sheep. Some young Lilacs are quite dark but can be identified by a marked lightness around their eyes. Only a small percentage of Jacobs are Lilac.
One can just make out the lighter color around Teruah’s eyes which shows he’s a lilac.
Are twins common?
Twins are fairly common. Nutrition plays a big role here. Really healthy ewes with plenty of the right food are more likely to have twins. Half my first ewes, their first year, had twins. In 2020 four of eighteen ewes had singles and one triplets, the other thirteen had twins. I prayerfully and diligently worked on their nutrition.
How much time is required?
The time my daily chores, which is basically feed and water and observing their behavior, require is dependent on the number of pens I’m running. With the chickens added in, my morning routine takes up to an hour, the evening is closer to a half hour.
There are ‘seasonal’ responsibilities. Shearing requires some preparation and event day hours. Separating weaning lambs from mother’s, and moving sheep around pens takes time. If worming becomes necessary, that will add to the labor. And some time monitoring the pasture is useful.
What does ‘monitoring the pasture’ mean?
Good grass and hay producing plants are the best feed for sheep. Certain weeds are undesirable because they take up valuable grazing area, may be poisonous, and gather nasty seeds in the wool. On days that I choose to make time for weeding, I prioritize and generally go after only one weed per session.
Poisonous weeds receive top priority. My research indicated that Milkweed is toxic to sheep. Another article expounded on it as a human cuisine. Apparently, almost all Milkweed is toxic to livestock, with perhaps one exception. We don’t have much, I take it from the sheep pens but leave it for the butterflies in the cattle pasture. Fortunately, livestock will need to be quite hungry before eating it.
Noxious weeds receive much of my time. The many varieties of thistle have legislation in most states. These have deep tap roots. It is best if one can dig these before flowering and if not before going to seed. If some have already dried, go ahead and collect the flower pods you see and dig up that root. Ragweed can, however, be left as the sheep will eat it.
Next on my list are Burrs. Buffalo Burr’s thorny plants make a particularly sharp burr. They fortunately have shallow roots and can be pulled by gloved hand. Cockle Burrs are much taller and create a Velcro type burr.