Florida Cracker

This breed is listed as Critical on the Conservation Priority List. Each order of four ounces or more includes a passport sticker for the Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em Initiative.

When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the new world some 500 years ago, they brought sheep from their home country with them to provide for their needs. When they left, the sheep were left behind to fend for themselves. Over time, they adapted to conditions in their new habitat and through natural selection – without human intervention – they became the hearty, well-adapted breed of sheep that we now refer to as Florida Cracker. The Hog Island and Gulf Coast Native breeds have similar beginnings and may well have originated in similar ways.

The Florida Cracker available to handspinners is typically white in color, 3 to 4 inches in length, and varies from soft to medium in hand.  It usually has a fairly fine but loose crimp though we find that crimp style can be inconsistent within a fleece and vary greatly between fleeces.  As the name implies, this breed was domesticated and is still raised in the humid Southeastern U.S.; we tend to find the humidity often causes yolk stain and that is no different with this breed. Likewise, we often see sand as well as dirt in Florida Cracker fleeces as they are raised on sandy soil. Vegetable matter varies depending on the flock and its location; this breed is not typically coated.