ABOUT ST. CROIX SHEEP
Limited by our acreage, and drawn to the breed by their gentle nature and disease-resistance, Brooks Farm began raising St. Croix hair sheep in 2007. Waking to the peaceful sight of a flock grazing on a grassy hillside fit the charming aspect of farm life we were seeking. St. Croix hair sheep are mild-mannered, graceful animals, which require no shearing, and very minimal health maintenance. They are bred to resist almost all livestock parasites, including the deadly barber-pole worm that has notoriously decimated the sheep and goat population at large.
The St. Croix breed can easily be raised at the rate of 6 adult sheep on the land required for a single cow. They are typically raised for meat, which is marketable at top dollar for its widely-acclaimed fine texture and mild flavor. They are also highly valued for breeding because they are so easy and rewarding to raise! They are significantly less flighty and wild than Barbados Blackbelly Sheep, and benefit from regular human proximity and contact.
St. Croix rams are regal, magnificent creatures which sport a snowy mane at maturity. They are less aggressive than other breeds of sheep, but are protective and unyielding leaders of their flock. The ewes are excellent mothers. They bond quickly with their young, and care easily for twins and triplets. St. Croix lambs are the most charming of all! Those born of a season form little lamb gangs that rip and run through the pastures, leaping into the air for the sheer joy of being little and alive.
Here is an excellent article about falling in love with sheep farming. We have…maybe you will as well.
BREED HISTORY
The predecessors of the St. Croix hair sheep breed are believed to be West African, but were imported from the Virgin Islands in the 1960’s, and known as “Virgin Island White”, for use in the development of the Katahdin hair sheep breed. The St. Croix were first introduced to the US by the Utah State University in 1975, and because of their interesting and useful attributes, the St. Croix Hair Sheep registry was developed. For these same reasons they are increasing in number and popularity in the US.
They are a closed breed, allowing for no percentages of other bloodlines. Details of the breeding characteristics can be found on the St. Croix Hair Sheep International Association (SCHSIA) website at www.stcroixhairsheep.org/registration/breed-standard/.
All of the sheep on our farm are full-blooded St. Croix Hair Sheep. Every sheep is tagged at birth and carefully monitored for optimum growth and conformation to the most stringent breed standard, and is either already registered with the SCHSIA, or fully registerable upon purchase. (www.stcroixhairsheep.org/)