St. Croix Sheep

The St. Croix sheep (Saint 'Croy') is a breed of domestic sheep which is also known as White Virgin Islander, White Virgin Island and Virgin Island White.

It is native to the U.S Virgin Islands and named for the island of Saint Croix. They are called as 'Virgin Island White' because they were imported into North America and were selected for their white coloration.

But they come in shades of black, brown and white on the Island of St. Croix.

The St. Croix sheep breed is believed to have descended from the African sheep that were brought to the Caribbean on slave ships during the beginning of the 1600s. And from a breed of hair sheep which does not grow wool.

The St. Croix sheep proliferated as subsistence livestock, and they were also valued for the manure critical to sugar cane production. However, these animals are very hardy tropical breed which are known for their parasite resistance. And today the breed is raised mainly for meat production.

Some breeders have crossbred the St. Croix with other sheep breeds for imparting these important traits into their bloodlines. This breed is also the foundation breed for Royal white and Katahdin sheep breeds. Read some more information about this breed below.

St. Croix Sheep Characteristics

St. Croix sheep is a medium sized animal with completely white coloration. Although some animals can also be black, brown, solid tan or white with brown or black spots.

st. croix sheep, about st. croix sheep, st. croix sheep appearance, st. croix sheep breed, st. croix sheep breed info, st. croix sheep breed facts, st. croix sheep care, caring st. croix sheep, st. croix sheep color, st. croix sheep characteristics, st. croix sheep ewes, st. croix sheep facts, st. croix sheep for meat, st. croix sheep farms, st. croix sheep history, st. croix sheep horns, st. croix sheep info, st. croix sheep images, st. croix sheep lambs, st. croix sheep meat, st. croix sheep origin, st. croix sheep photos, st. croix sheep pictures, st. croix sheep rarity, st. croix sheep rearing, raising st. croix sheep, st. croix sheep size, st. croix sheep temperament, st. croix sheep tame, st. croix sheep uses, st. croix sheep varieties, st. croix sheep weight

Both rams and ewes are usually polled, that means they have no horns. The rams have a large throat ruff. Average birth weight of the St. Croix sheep is around 2.7 to 3.1 kg. Average live body weight of the mature rams is around 90 kg. And the mature ewes on average weight around 68 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.

Uses

St. Croix sheep is a meat sheep breed. It is raised mainly for meat production.

Special Notes

The St. Croix sheep are a very hardy breed of domestic sheep. They can live and adapt themselves in a wide variety of climates. They are able to survive in both hot and cold climates.

They can survive in cold temperatures, and are well adapted to the hot humid climate of the tropics. They grow a thick wool coat during the cold winter temperatures, and their hair coat lets them to tolerate the heat. Their coat sheds water.

The St. Croix sheep are known as 'Parasitic Pasture Vacuums' for their ability to clear a pasture of parasites reducing the need to worm sheep.

They also show resistance to hoof rot. And they are also fly strike resistant due to their shedding ability. The ewes are good milkers and produce ample quantities of milk which is high in butterfat.

The ewes are being milked for cheese production, in some regions of the United States. These animals are calm in terms of temperament and they are very easy to handle.

They should be very active without showing signs of being wild or flighty. They are both good browsers and grazers. They are not selective eaters and they have been used for weed control due to their preference for weeds. However, review full breed profile of this breed in the chart below.

Breed Name	St. Croix
Other Name	Also known as White Virgin Islander, White Virgin Island and Virgin Island White
Breed Purpose	Meat
Special Notes	Very hardy and strong animals, ewes are good mothers, able to adapt themselves in a wide variety of climates, able to survive in both hot and cold climates, parasite resistant, show resistance to hoof rot, fly strike resistant, ewes are good milkers and produce ample milk for their lambs, relatively calm temperament, easy to handle, active
Breed Size	Medium
Weight	Mature rams weight around 90 kg, and average live body weight of the mature ewes is around 68 kg.
Horns	No
Climate Tolerance	All climates
Color	White
Rarity	Common
Country/Place of Origin	United States

Comments

Murray Grey Cattle

The Murray Grey cattle are a breed of beef cattle from Australia. It was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales. The breed was developed in 1905 from an initial chance mating of a black Aberdeen Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow during the Federation drought. From these matings the resulting thirteen dun-grey calves were kept as curiosities. And then Peter and Ena Sutherland bred them on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales. Murray Grey cattle grew faster and were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. These are the reasons this animals become very popular after their development. And local farmers became interested soon in these animals and began breeding them. The first large scale commercial farms were established in the 1940s. Today the breed is available in many countries. Both live Murray Grey cattle and embryos have been exported to many countries such as Canada, South America, New Ze...

Sorting Cattle

Sorting cattle is important if you have a large number of animals. For better management you will need to separate the animals into different groups depending on their age, size, gender or condition score. If some cattle of your herd need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness, then separation may also need to be done. Sorting is also needed for separating the calves that need to be weaned from their mothers. And separating the bulls is also necessary after they have done their duty with breeding cows. Sorting Cattle Sorting cattle is not actually a difficult task. It can be done easily if you understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behavior. However, here we are describing more about the ways of sorting cattle. Sorting From a Squeeze Chute In this system you can move your cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. In this system you can check and process animals f...

Andalusian Black Cattle Farming

Andalusian Black cattle farming is not too popular, even in it's native area. It is a relatively rare breed which is valued for meat production. But today, the breed is listed as 'endangered', and total number of the breed is very less. The Andalusian Black cattle is a taurine cattle breed, and it was originated in west Andalusia, Spain. It is also known by some other names such as Negra de las Campiñas, Negra Campiñesa and Spanish: Negra Andaluza. The Andalusian Black cattle is actually a beef cattle breed which is raised primarily for meat production purpose. The breed is found in two main areas of west Andalusia (from Cordova to the foothills of the Sierra Morena), and in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva. Today, total population of the Andalusian Black cattle breed is very less. And there were about 800 purebred cattle in the year of 2007. Total number of this breed decreased mainly for crossbreeding with other local cattle breeds. Other reason...

Belted Galloway Cattle Farming

Belted Galloway cattle farming is popular, especially in it's native area. It is a beef cattle breed and raised mainly for meat production purpose. The breed is also known by some other names such as Beltie, Oreo Cow and Panda Cow. The Belted Galloway cattle breed was originated from Galloway in the west side of Southern Scotland. It is a heritage breed, and is well adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and wildswept moorlands of the region. Exact origins of the breed are unclear. But it is often surmised that the white belt of the breed may be a result of cross breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. And the breed is named so mainly because of the belt. An association for the breed named the Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921 in Scotland. And the name of the association was changed to Belted Galloway Society in the year of 1951. The association keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Re...

Cleaning A Cow

Cleaning a cow in the proper way can keep the animal look and feel fresh. Cleaning also help to prevent external parasites. You may also need to clean your cow to show it off at your local county fair or other occasions. And you need to clean your cows more often especially if you have dairy cows. You can integrate a spraying system for cleaning a cow once a day or so. Along with cleaning the body, you should also provide a footbath for better health of the cow's hooves. However, here we are describing more about the process of cleaning a cow. Sprinkler System Add Sprinkler in a Pre-milking Wash Pen You can construct a pre-milking wash pen with sprinklers for cleaning multiple cows. In this system, install sprinklers all along the pen you hold the cows in before milking. Using concrete for the floor will be good. It will help to keep the floor dry quickly and you will not have a constantly muddy area. You should spray sprinklers both up and down to wash the cows th...

Agerolese Cattle Farming

Agerolese cattle farming is not common, even in it's native area. It is a dairy cattle breed which is raised mainly for milk production purpose in it's native area. It is a pretty rare breed and not available outside it's native area. The Agerolese cattle is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy. It was developed from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari. The Agerolese cattle is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. And the conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as 'endangered-maintained' in 200...

Ankole-Watusi Cattle Farming

Ankole-Watusi cattle farming is pretty popular, especially in it's native area. It is a multi-purpose breed of domestic cattle which is raised and valued for show, draught, meat and milk production purpose. The Ankole-Watusi cattle is a landrace breed, a type of Sanga cattle and originally native to East Africa. It is also known as Ankole Longhorn, and also sometimes known simply as Ankole or Watusi. Ankole-Watusi cattle is actually an ancient breed, and ancient rock paintings and depictions of these animals have been observed in the Sahara region and in the Egyptian arts and pyramid walls. The Sanga breed has spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and some other parts of Eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of the indigenous African cattle populations. It has most of the usual Zebu characteristics such as the pendulous dewlap and sheath, hump of variable size and the upturned horns. The Ankole-Watusi cattle have played a very important role in the lives of various ...

Search This Blog