[Jacob-list] fleece

[gordon johnston]

The primitive characteristics I suggested came from observation of our Northern Short-tailed group sheep - Soays, Hebs, and Shetlands. I agree that Jacobs are not double coated, in the US or GB - but here the breed standard is for shorter staple than in the US. Tricia help me here please - is it more like about 4 inches? Certainly for showing there's a lot of trimming goes on, to keep the staple short enough, as well as to give a neat and well-shaped appearance to the animal. (We are rebels and don't trim or brush at all). Recently I have bred for fleece quality and spinnability, so my young animals tend to have crimpy fleece, but this is obviously the result of my personal preference, and shows how quickly a trait can be modified. The lustrous type of open fleece seems to be frowned on here in Britain, or at least in Scotland, as it is less weatherproof, and because it tends to cot in the rain and increasing warmth we usually get in the weeks running up towards shearing time.
It may be that Jacobs, or at least black-on-white spotted sheep, are the result of some of the very earliest selection attempts by humans. Selection for white fleece from the predominantly browny tones (cammo) of wild sheep, does seem to have started way back, and I suppose could only have been successful in protected flocks where the disadvantage of sticking out like a sore thumb was outweighed by the protection given by the shepherd who wanted a high-value fleece. So could it be that our favourite breed reacquired some Primitive/Feral characteristics when they were adopted as park sheep, and had to learn how to fend for themselves?  I just thought of this - what do you all think? Gordon disagrees - he says even well shepherded flocks in countries like Spain were still subject to predation by wolves and bears until quite recently, maybe still are, so the presence of a shepherd is no reason to lose some of those primitive characteristics (like the ability to jump over a wolf's head!). An interesting question though, and relevant in America where the big predators are still out there!  In Britain we only have foxes, dogs and the occasional escaped panther.
Juliet
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