Jacob sheep
The Jacob is a British breed of domestic sheep. It combines two characteristics unusual in sheep: it is piebald—dark-coloured with areas of white wool—and it is often polycerate or multi-horned. It most commonly has four horns. The origin of the breed is not known; broken-coloured polycerate sheep were present in England by the middle of the seventeenth century, and were widespread a century later. A breed society was formed in 1969, and a flock book was published from 1972.
Ram at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire | |
Conservation status |
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Other names | Spanish Sheep |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Standard | Jacob Sheep Society |
Traits | |
Weight |
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Wool colour | piebald – black or grey with white patches |
Face colour | badger-faced – black cheeks and muzzle, white blaze |
Horn status | horned in both sexes; may have two or four horns |
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The Jacob was kept for centuries as a "park sheep", to ornament the large estates of landowners. In modern times it is reared mainly for wool, meat and skins.
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