JSBA BREED STANDARD
The Jacob Breed Standard is divided into three categories:
- Desirable traits
- Acceptable but less desirable traits
- Unacceptable/disqualifying traits
| Desirable Traits | Acceptable but Less Desirable Traits | Unacceptable/Disqualifying Traits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEAD: |
- Slender and triangular head - Clear of wool forward of the horns - Large symmetrical eye patches incorporating the cheeks - Clear white blaze from poll to muzzle - Straight profile - Nasal septum and mouth should be dark pigmented in adults even though the muzzle patch may be absent |
- Having one one of the three facial markings - Slipped (below the eye) eye patch or patches - Pink noses - Slight tendency to Roman nose - Young lambs, up to a maximum of 6 months of age, showing baby wool forward of the horns |
- Absence of Facial Markings - Wool forward of the horns - Large, square non-Jacob looking head |
| EARS: |
- Small, erect and slightly above the horizontal - White, colored or spotted |
- Slightly larger but proportional by body | - Large pendulous ears and/or disproportionate to body |
| EYES: |
- Clear, bright eyes, no evidence of split upper eyelid deformity - Color: brown, blue, or marbled |
- Grade 2 or 3 split upper eyelid deformity causing no injury to the eye which would require surgical intervention |
- Grade 3 split upper eyelid deformity or more, causing discomfort or injury to the eye - Wide, broad bone structure between the eyes |
| HORNS: |
Color: black or black and white striped Rams: - Any number provided they are well differentiated (cleanly separated) and balanced - Flesh between horn bases - Two horned rams should have wide, well spaced horns with good clearance of checks, nose, and mouth at maturity - Lower horns should be well spaced from face, checks and neck Ewes: - Horns firm, fine featured with femininity, balanced, and well differentiated |
Rams: - Fused even horns - Slightly forward tipping horns which do not impair grazing - Insufficient spacing between upper and lower horns (must be differentiated and balance though flesh may not be present) Ewes: - Unbalanced horn set - Fused horns - Ewes with scurs in place of lower (secondary) horns |
- Polled sheep, or sheep with scurs only - Two-horned rams having small, weak, feminine looking horns - Multiple-horned rams having fewer than four strong horns, with scurs in upper or lower horn position (It is fully acceptable for rams with at least 4 or more strong balanced horns to have additional scurs or horn buds) - Two-horned ewes having small or weak horns - Multiple horned ewes having scurs in the primary/top horn position - Solid white horns - Forward pointing horns curling towards the eyes, or growing over the nose impairing the ability to graze naturally - Narrow or close horns on two horned rams that lack space between the growing horns and his neck or jaw, encumbering his well being - Undifferentiated and unbalanced set to four horned rams, i.e., fused in an irregular pattern on once or both sides - Small, feminine horns on rams - Lower (lateral) horns that grow into the face, check or neck |
| NECK: | - Medium length | ||
| TAIL: |
- The natural Jacob tail reaches almost to the hock - Is wooly, not hairy |
||
| LEGS: |
- Set square on all corners, standing firm, well-balanced - Fine boned and of medium length - Free of wool below the knees - Color: white with or without colored patches - Hooves are black or striped |
- Slightly cow hocked - One to three dark colored legs - White hooves |
- All dark colored - Wool present below the knees and hocks |
|
BODY Conformation: |
- Mature rams weigh between 120 and 180 lbs. - Mature ewes weigh between 80 and 120 lbs. - Long framed, smooth muscled with well-sprung ribs - Fine boned with straight back - The rump slopes toward the tail head - Rams have short scrotums holding testicles closer to the body than modern breeds - Ewes have small udders held closer to the body than modern breeds |
- All conformational and/or congenital defects leading to unsoundness for breeding - Large, heavy boned - Fat or short tailed - Rams over 180 lbs. - Ewes over 130 lbs. - Long, pendulous scrotal sacks on rams - Large, loosely attached udders on ewes - Excessively large teats on ewes |
|
| BODY COLOR and FLEECE: |
- The Jacob is a randomly spotted sheep, basically white with colored spots or patches - Preferably an approximate 60% white and 40% black or lilac spotting - Skin beneath white fleece is pink, skin beneath colored spots dark - Fleece is a medium grade with an open character and soft springy handle (Bradford count 44-56, demi-luster/26.40-36.19 microns) - Fleece staple length is 3-7 inches, fleece weight 3-6 lbs. with little grease and high yield |
- Random colored patches on front half of body only - Not less than 15% colored markings nor more than 85% color - Patches of color with some bleeding, mottling or freckling - Small amount of freckling in white wool - Small amount of kemp |
- Fleeces grading 60 Bradford count or higher (23.50 microns or finer) - Fleeces grading 40 Bradford count or lower (38.09 microns or coarser) - Double coating - More than 85% colored markings - Less than 15% colored markings - Short, brittle fleeces with heavy kemp - Fleeces on adult sheep which shed - Fleeces weighing 8 lbs. or more - Excessive quilted appearance to the fleece (where the dark fibers are shorter than the white or vice versa) occurring after the first shearing - Excessive freckling in the white wool of young animals |
