New Additions to the Brown family. Carly and Tommy are twin Jacob Sheep born May 31, 2011.
The Jacob sheep is a rare breed of small, piebald (black and white spotted), polycerate (multi-horned) sheep. Jacobs may have as many as six horns, although four horns is most common. Jacobs are usually raised for their wool, meat, and hides. They are kept as pets and ornamental animals, and have been used as guard animals to protect farm property from theft or vandalism and to defend other livestock against predators.
Among the many accounts of ancient breeds of piebald sheep is the story of Jacob from the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. According to the Book of Genesis (Genesis 30:31–43), in what may be the earliest recorded attempt at selective breeding, Jacob took every speckled and spotted sheep from his father-in-law's (Laban's) flock and bred them. The Jacob is indeed named for the Biblical figure of Jacob. The resulting breed may have accompanied the westward expansion of human civilization through Northern Africa, Sicily, Spain and eventually England.