Jacobs scare me with those horns!
You have to pay attention if you are bending over to do something so that a
top horn doesn't hit you in the face if the sheep moves it's head. You just
have to keep you face out of the way. The ewes are not "dangerous"
otherwise. The rams are another story. Some may become aggressive as they
get older. But I would never trust a ram of any breed with or without horns.
(This will probably start a discussion about how many people have rams who
are perfect gentlemen.)
They are beautiful sheep though. Are they
reasonably docile?
My ewes come running for grain. Again, it depends on how the flock is
handled.
I've read that the two colors can have different
characteristics and may not blend well--is that true?
There can be a tendency for the dark wool to be a bit coarser, but most
people who raise a spinners' flock of Jacobs have sheep where that
characteristic is kept to a minimum. Jacobs have a very broad range of
acceptable wool as far as microns go. Most spinners select sheep that are at
the medium-finer end of the spectrum. Also, being a "primitive" or
unimproved breed, Jacobs may tend to be coarser near the rear end,
particularly the "britch". Britch wool is coarse and I always sort that out
of my fleeces and keep it for other uses (rugs, cat baskets, etc). If you
mix britch wool in with the rest you are mixing the coarser fibers in with
all your soft wool. The black and white can be blended with no problem (you
get gray) or spun randomly (the space-dyed look). I sort the colors and have
the wool processed in various ways (1 ply each black and white, or a "tweed"
yarn, or solids). When I weave I can use any of the yarns together with no
problem. You can see woven items from my flock on my website.
Okay, one more question! Will different breeds of ewes get along as a
flock?
Most people tend to have one breed flocks, from what I see.
In my experience they will all get along. Some may be bossier than others,
but maybe that's individual personalities. Many people have just one breed
because if you want to keep your breeds distinct you'd need rams from all
the different breeds you have.
If any of you in CA want to see Jacobs and the products, this Saturday is a
good time. We're having an event, Meet the Sheep, at my place. The weather
isn't being very cooperative this year, but so far we're still planning on
it. You can see details on my website.
Robin Lynde
Meridian Jacobs
Vacaville,CA
www.meridianjacobs.com
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