Black Cheviots?

Far North Gollach

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Caithness
My dad had some black cheviot ewes many a year ago and they all were great mothers, usually threw twins and had good feet and udders as well. We found them to be the opposite of what The Motorway Shephard said but there you go..!!

He even had a black cheviot tup at one point and the ewes threw more black lambs than white tbh. One guy always bought ewe lambs off of him every year and liked them too.

I remember two well overweight American ladies (tourists) stopping at the roadside and admiring all the black lambs with the white ewes, curiosity got the better of them and they asked us how all the sheep had black lambs?? My old man gave a wry grin and said they all had a black dad..... Fairly killed that conversation to be honest :LOL:
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
They are common here, too. Black is a recessive gene, comes through every now and again.

Exactly the same as a 'normal' white Cheviot, but black.
Ewe lambs usually get pulled out/sold on their own - money for the kids...
Funnily enough my cheviot mules have thrown 5 black lambs this year, all eat notched now as my lads! 😂
 

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
Some of the Black Cheviots also carry Dominant Black as they were bred from Zwartbles or Jacob ewes.
This is part of the reason that they are ineligible for registration in the flock book at the present time although there are moves afoot to set up a separate flock book specifically for black Cheviot under the auspices of the society.
 
This is part of the reason that they are ineligible for registration in the flock book at the present time although there are moves afoot to set up a separate flock book specifically for black Cheviot under the auspices of the society.
What about Black lambs from already registered (white) parents? They'd be the logical ones to allow in to a registry.
 

JockCroft

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
JanDeGrootLand
Having worked with NCC since the later 60's, black lambs have gone through the cycle of popularity a few times. Was told by my father that a few shepherds would not let a black tup lamb survive. Thinking back to my early years dont remember black wedder lambs at sales. The odd black ewe lamb sold had novelty value and often sold at a very good price. For some reason I hated shearing black cheviots, something in the wool irritated our skin. Never lambed any black ones but most of the ones I was about were pets.
As an aside the modern Cheviot is smaller, more maternal but not as fleshy compared to 50 years ago.
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
This is part of the reason that they are ineligible for registration in the flock book at the present time although there are moves afoot to set up a separate flock book specifically for black Cheviot under the auspices of the society.
IME (with another breed) you need to be very careful how you go with that.

Before you know where you are, you'll have recessive black genes polluting the main population and black bu66ers turning up all over the place, where they are not welcome.

I have no problem at all with people wanting to breed black sheep (of any breed) but, IMHO, if they are going to be registered, they want to be completely separate in a separate society of their own. Otherwise there is a big danger of the 'tail wagging the dog' when people with a handful of sheep (which, let's face it, don't fit the breed description) want to start changing things within the main society.

Breed society politics can get very nasty and black sheep can be a very controversial subject.
 

Bob the beef

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scot Borders
I have several black Cheviot ewes, and in general find them to be very good mothers but wild as sin. Lamb themselves and just get on with it.

1 of them was weaned 4/5 times last year. Now matter where on the farm I put her lambs she was always back in beside them the next day. Eventually left her with them until the the ultimate weaning for the lambs🔫🔫
 

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
IME (with another breed) you need to be very careful how you go with that.

Before you know where you are, you'll have recessive black genes polluting the main population and black bu66ers turning up all over the place, where they are not welcome.

I have no problem at all with people wanting to breed black sheep (of any breed) but, IMHO, if they are going to be registered, they want to be completely separate in a separate society of their own. Otherwise there is a big danger of the 'tail wagging the dog' when people with a handful of sheep (which, let's face it, don't fit the breed description) want to start changing things within the main society.

Breed society politics can get very nasty and black sheep can be a very controversial subject.
I think you are absolutely bang on with that summary and it is very much a tread with care situation.
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
I think you are absolutely bang on with that summary and it is very much a tread with care situation.
If you, or anybody else for that matter, want to talk about it feel free to PM me.

Our job started (with what I'm sure were the best of intentions) in the 1980's and we've almost got it resolved now but there's been a lot of aggravation on the way.
 

ladycrofter

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
Some of the Black Cheviots also carry Dominant Black as they were bred from Zwartbles or Jacob ewes.
Some breed societies run a separate flock book and have very specific rules for black stock, IIRC I cannot register a white lamb from a black tup (Leicester Longwool).
We have a few black Cheviots, they're pretty much the same in all respects as the white ones. On the annoying side it's a pain it's shearing time when they come up on the deck of the trailer and leave black fluff everywhere 🙄
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
What about Black lambs from already registered (white) parents? They'd be the logical ones to allow in to a registry.
I was told, in New Zealand shearing sheds, the shearer would call out if a fleece was found with any black in it, the fleece thrown outside so as not to mix with the other wool and the ewe marked for culling. Bearing that in mind, and wool being worth not much at the moment, why would anyone want to encourage another type of sheep where the wool can't be dyed so is worth even less?
 

shearerlad

Member
Livestock Farmer
I was told, in New Zealand shearing sheds, the shearer would call out if a fleece was found with any black in it, the fleece thrown outside so as not to mix with the other wool and the ewe marked for culling. Bearing that in mind, and wool being worth not much at the moment, why would anyone want to encourage another type of sheep where the wool can't be dyed so is worth even less?
Yes that is correct to a certain extent
Any black must be called and the rousie picks it out, and it’s thrown in the bin or down the porthole. A fleece with any more than 3 or 4 black spots is discarded. Animals in stud flocks are definitely marked for culling, in commercial flocks it depends on the farmer.
As an aside, some rousies would have the black wool picked out before the shearer called, Johnny Kirkpatrick’s daughter was one of them.
 

Alias

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Lancashire
Yes they would but the hill register is on a flock basis not an individual female. The park Cheviot register operates on an individual basis.
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So this tup (Clitheroe 2018) was ok to be registered as it was a hill cheviot, but it it had been a park then it wouldn’t ?
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
Bearing that in mind, and wool being worth not much at the moment, why would anyone want to encourage another type of sheep where the wool can't be dyed so is worth even less?
Commercial people wouldn't. All the problems come from the arty, crafty folk who want to use it in it's natural state.
Black tups get put on white ewes, white tups get put on black ewes and before you know where you are you've got a load of recessive black genes in your main population that can stay hidden for generations only to rear their ugly heads sometime in the future and cause all sorts of trouble.:banghead:
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
Commercial people wouldn't. All the problems come from the arty, crafty folk who want to use it in it's natural state.
Black tups get put on white ewes, white tups get put on black ewes and before you know where you are you've got a load of recessive black genes in your main population that can stay hidden for generations only to rear their ugly heads sometime in the future and cause all sorts of trouble.:banghead:
we already have Torwen's, Torddu's for people who want Black sheep (as well as Black Welsh Mountain and Zwarbles)
 

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