About Us
Painted Rock Farm was established in 1998 and began actively breeding Jacob sheep in the fall of 2000. We started our flock with one proven flock sire, two proven ewes and three ewe lambs. Today, our flock hovers around 100 sheep with one-third of those being lambs from the current year. Our core flock took several years to build due to limited genetics in our area. We decided that we would build a flock with a wide range of bloodlines so that people who became interested in this wonderful breed of sheep didn't have to travel across the country to locate unrelated animals like we did. We closed our flock early on so that we could participate in the Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Program (WV0120). Since the program underwent some significant changes in 2012, we opted out of active participation to preserve our coveted lines. We still adhere to many program procedures when considering new flock members and only add sheep from known, reputable breeders whose lines will be of genetic benefit to the breed.
While our first focus has always been on genetic diversity, we strive for producing sheep that consistently meet or exceed the breed standard. We like strong horns and have both two and four horned (and others) Jacobs within our flock and, while symmetry is certainly desired, we have many ewes with less than perfect horns that consistently give us excellent quality off-spring. We expect multiple births and good mothering ability in our female Jacobs along with strong breeding instincts and gentle temperaments in our rams. A solid body conformation and top quality wool are other traits we want to see in the flock.
Painted Rock Farm does not practice improvement breeding efforts by concentrating one 1-2 specific traits in our farm goals. You will be hard pressed to find 'cookie cutter' sheep here because they all really look so very different! We select sheep with varied color patterns from the minimum 15% dark to the full maximum of 85% dark colored wool. We like full muzzle patches as well as muzzle pigment, clean legs and spotted legs, black and white plus lilac and white. The range of traits provided by the breed standard allows for a good deal of variation and we like that!
Conservation breeding practices are centered around making sure the heritage sheep is genetically sound first and foremost. We do not intentionally inbreed or line breed our sheep. Over time, line/in breeding may cause its own host of issues so we avoid it altogether. One conservation practice we choose is to utilize a large and varied gene pool of rams each season. Typically, we separate our ewe groups each fall into 4-5 breeding groups and select an unrelated, compatible ram for each group. The resulting lambs have enabled us in providing unrelated starter flocks of most any size to our customers. We also work closely with established shepherds who want to odd 1-2 Jacobs to their own flock by comparing their existing pedigrees to ours, running inbreeding coefficients and making recommendations of potential candidates.
We make ourselves available after the sale as much (or as little) as the customer prefers. We are here to answer questions, provide encouragement and support as well as help with building/fencing recommendations for the new flocks. Mentoring folks along this journey has simply become part of what we 'do' at Painted Rock Farm. And, if we can help you begin your Jacob journey, please let us know!
While our first focus has always been on genetic diversity, we strive for producing sheep that consistently meet or exceed the breed standard. We like strong horns and have both two and four horned (and others) Jacobs within our flock and, while symmetry is certainly desired, we have many ewes with less than perfect horns that consistently give us excellent quality off-spring. We expect multiple births and good mothering ability in our female Jacobs along with strong breeding instincts and gentle temperaments in our rams. A solid body conformation and top quality wool are other traits we want to see in the flock.
Painted Rock Farm does not practice improvement breeding efforts by concentrating one 1-2 specific traits in our farm goals. You will be hard pressed to find 'cookie cutter' sheep here because they all really look so very different! We select sheep with varied color patterns from the minimum 15% dark to the full maximum of 85% dark colored wool. We like full muzzle patches as well as muzzle pigment, clean legs and spotted legs, black and white plus lilac and white. The range of traits provided by the breed standard allows for a good deal of variation and we like that!
Conservation breeding practices are centered around making sure the heritage sheep is genetically sound first and foremost. We do not intentionally inbreed or line breed our sheep. Over time, line/in breeding may cause its own host of issues so we avoid it altogether. One conservation practice we choose is to utilize a large and varied gene pool of rams each season. Typically, we separate our ewe groups each fall into 4-5 breeding groups and select an unrelated, compatible ram for each group. The resulting lambs have enabled us in providing unrelated starter flocks of most any size to our customers. We also work closely with established shepherds who want to odd 1-2 Jacobs to their own flock by comparing their existing pedigrees to ours, running inbreeding coefficients and making recommendations of potential candidates.
We make ourselves available after the sale as much (or as little) as the customer prefers. We are here to answer questions, provide encouragement and support as well as help with building/fencing recommendations for the new flocks. Mentoring folks along this journey has simply become part of what we 'do' at Painted Rock Farm. And, if we can help you begin your Jacob journey, please let us know!
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