Why Choose Jacob Sheep? Woolly sheep began to be developed around 6000 BCE. The black-and-white spotted wool is highly prized for handspinning, or roving. Jacobs were well suited as "park" sheep, because they were picturesque yet required minimal care. Easy lambing An ancient breed of sheep, still raised today, is the Jacob sheep, which has the distinction of having multi-colored fleece. The Discovery of Tay-Sachs Disease in Sheep. Both males and females are horned, sporting two, four and occasionally six horns. Tay-Sachs disease has been discovered in a rare breed of sheep known as Jacob sheep. High lambing percentages are to be expected, particularly to ewes lambing later in the season. 190% born alive is a realistic lambing percentage. At first, this race had the name of Spanish sheep, although it had no relation with Spain. Jacob and Laban’s deal. Sheep are among the first animals to have been domesticated by humans. Apparently, God had come to Jacob in a dream and told him what to do, and then God directed the birth of the sheep and goats to produce whatever Laban had forced Jacob to take out of the flocks. They were then imported to Africa and Europe via trading. The Jacob sheep is indeed a unique breed in America. Jacob sheep are an ideal breed for both large and small flock masters and possess many features and benefits. Slight of build, with the narrow, lean carcass typical of some of the ancient British breeds, they are immediately noticeable due to their black and white fleeces and prominent horns. Jacob had already made a deal with his uncle, Laban, to work seven years to marry his daughter Rachel. This breed is called “Jacob sheep” because some trace its origin to the story of Jacob’s selective breeding of sheep in Genesis 30. The History of Jacob Sheep Spotted sheep were documented in England in the late 16th century. The Jacob Sheep Breeders Association (JSBA) took over the work began by the American Minor Breeds Conservancy , now known as the The Livestock Conservancy. Prolific. Jacob. They were widespread by the mid-1700s. The history of the domestic sheep goes back to between 11000 and 9000 BCE, and the domestication of the wild mouflon in ancient Mesopotamia. History: Historians suggest that the origin of the Jacob sheep breed is from the Nordic countries. To illustrate this point, let us examine the case of Jacob and his sheep in Genesis 30:25–31:12, where God even superintended a case of artificial selection. They were popular throughout England as an unusual, ornamental breed, dotting the lands of many wealthy, rural estates. Subsequently, this breed was export to Great Britain. 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