Frequently Asked Questions

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Offering a select number of purebred St. Croix Lambs and Ewes for Homesteading and breeding stock.  We are expanding.

Big Springs Farm in Mid-South Tennessee maintains and manages a beautiful flock of pure bred registered St. Croix Hair Sheep ewes and rams for breeding quality and diversity. We also sell young, registered stock to individuals who want to start or build their own flocks. Paying close attention to improve the quality of our flock and maintain the breed standards and strengths. 

Why St. Croix Hair Sheep?

We chose St. Croix Hair Sheep over larger breeds for several reasons. First, and most importantly, they have the highest resistance to parasites of all the sheep studied by several university and agricultural researchers. In fact, Dr. Scott Bowdridge of West Virginia University calls them “the model” of parasite resistance. 

Second, Ease of care and support. They resist hoof rot, so hoof care is as simple as periodic trimming. Because St. Croix sheep do not grow wool, shearing them is unnecessary. Instead, they grow thick undercoats during the winter and shed them in the summer. This means less work for us! These sheep have no horns, are quite docile, and are smaller than other meat breeds. Because of this, they are easy to handle.

Third, the ewes are excellent mothers!  They almost always have twins, (sometime Triplets) which means we get more lambs faster. They produce lots of milk for their lambs.

Finally, they are delicious! A taste test study conducted in 2004 at Utah State University ranked purebred St. Croix in first place over several crosses. We have to agree.  

 Although St. Croix sheep are still a rare breed in the United States,  they have become increasingly popular. This is likely because their  parasite resistance, prolificacy, and thriftiness align with the  movements associated with regenerative agriculture, rotational grazing,  reduced reliance on antibiotics, anthelmintics, and other medications,  and other sustainable practices.