Meet the newest additions:
Ariat, Delilah, Memphis Belle
Purchased from Leida Jones
Ariat, Delilah, Memphis Belle
Purchased from Leida Jones
Florida Cracker Sheep
*Our pure bred crackers are in the process of being registered and were purchased from Leida Jones.
The Florida Cracker is one of the oldest breeds of sheep in North America. It is believed that these sheep developed from sheep that the Spanish first brought to the southeastern United States in the 1500's. These sheep developed largely through natural selection under humid semitropical range conditions in Florida. Prior to the end of open range in 1949, they were allowed to free range in the pastures, palmettos, and piney-woods. Twice a year they were rounded up for shearing and to mark lambs. In the middle of the last century, the emphasis on high input agriculture caused the sheep industry to turn to breeds of sheep, which were larger in size and produced more wool and meat. This caused the numbers of Florida Cracker sheep to decline dramatically endangering its very existence. Now, with renewed interest in low-input sustainable agriculture, interest in Florida Cracker sheep is increasing once again.
The Florida Cracker sheep is a dual purpose breed for meat and wool. The temperament is very docile and friendly. It is a medium sized sheep. Males weigh 125-200 lbs. Females weigh 100-125 lbs. Florida Cracker sheep are naturally polled, but males may have scurs. Some males may even have horns from an old Spanish line. The ewes normally have singles at their first lambing, and large percentages have twins from then on.
Wool covers the back, rear and sides of these sheep but less on the face and usually none on the belly or legs. Eye color is normally a dark brown; however they may also lighter eyes ranging from orange to blue. Being a Landrace breed, there is a lot of variation within the breed. The length of the tail varies and may be docked or left natural. Usually, areas with less wool are protected by a coat of coarse hair. The wool tends to be colored white, reddish brown or tan.
The Florida Cracker is one of the oldest breeds of sheep in North America. It is believed that these sheep developed from sheep that the Spanish first brought to the southeastern United States in the 1500's. These sheep developed largely through natural selection under humid semitropical range conditions in Florida. Prior to the end of open range in 1949, they were allowed to free range in the pastures, palmettos, and piney-woods. Twice a year they were rounded up for shearing and to mark lambs. In the middle of the last century, the emphasis on high input agriculture caused the sheep industry to turn to breeds of sheep, which were larger in size and produced more wool and meat. This caused the numbers of Florida Cracker sheep to decline dramatically endangering its very existence. Now, with renewed interest in low-input sustainable agriculture, interest in Florida Cracker sheep is increasing once again.
The Florida Cracker sheep is a dual purpose breed for meat and wool. The temperament is very docile and friendly. It is a medium sized sheep. Males weigh 125-200 lbs. Females weigh 100-125 lbs. Florida Cracker sheep are naturally polled, but males may have scurs. Some males may even have horns from an old Spanish line. The ewes normally have singles at their first lambing, and large percentages have twins from then on.
Wool covers the back, rear and sides of these sheep but less on the face and usually none on the belly or legs. Eye color is normally a dark brown; however they may also lighter eyes ranging from orange to blue. Being a Landrace breed, there is a lot of variation within the breed. The length of the tail varies and may be docked or left natural. Usually, areas with less wool are protected by a coat of coarse hair. The wool tends to be colored white, reddish brown or tan.
Information provided by the Livestock Conservancy and Ralph Wright