Jacob Sheep Conservancy

Breed for Progeny

 

Step Two ·Breed for Progeny. Once the sheep has received approval by the Certification Committee, you are  ready to breed the sheep for the first time. If you already have lambs from this sheep, you may present them as prog­ eny by submitting the Certification Application for each of them. If you do not have past lambs from these sheep, the first year's lambs are submitted and certified. Then the sheep is bred to a different (and if possible unrelated) sheep the second time. Obviously, a ram can be registered after one breeding season with offspring from two ewes. A ewe takes two seasons to produce lambs from two different breedings. Submit certification applications and photos for all of the lambs produced as progeny test results for the parent sheep.

 

Breeders who want to progeny-test their sheep often start from different directions. Some have sheep that were never registered while some have sheep from the JSBA (Jacob Sheep Breeders Association) that have a long line of registered ancestors. It is easier if you are sure that ONE of the pair that you are breeding is a known animal: one that you are comfortable is a purebred Jacob sheep. If none of your sheep is known (having produced acceptable Jacob lambs before, having come from generations of JSBA registered sheep or are JSC registered stock), you may consider buying or borrowing a known ram. The importance of this is that if there are unacceptable traits in the lambs, it is easier for you to know which sheep may be crossbred. If you have a  group of sheep that are all unknown, you can lose a year having to repeat the breedings of both sheep.

 

 

Good luck with your breeding program! Please contact us if we can offer any advice or service. We're here to help.