We have a flock of 40 registered St. Croix ewes. By the end of 2024, we intend to have 45. Our foundation ewes represent genetics that originate from several farms, including White Dog Farm in Pennsylvania, Stauber Farm in North Carolina, Green Pastures Farm in Indiana, and Summit Farms in Washington. A few of our ewes’ genealogy is heavily influenced by the historic River Bend Ranch. Our two White Dog Farm ewes are in a rescue breeding program due to their rarity.
We expect our St. Croix ewes to possess the following traits:
- Birthing without complications or human intervention
- Bonding with and caring for their lambs
- Supplying ample milk for their lambs
- Producing twins each year except their first lambing
- Maintaining parasite resistance – fecal egg counts (FECs) of 50 eggs per gram (EPG) or less
- Exhibiting a docile temperament
We select our replacement ewes at 120 days of age based on their performance. We measure their growth and parasite resistance, evaluate their conformation, and trace their genealogy. Even though rams are the most influential, the ewes are the true heart and soul of the flock. Many of our ewes are quite friendly, and enjoy a good back rub. Friendly ewes are much easier to handle than flighty ones, so although temperament is not a standard determinant of worth, it is something we value here.
