North country cheviot

Hope I'm not just repeating things - not had time to read all the other replies yet.
15/20 years ago we ran half Scotch (blackface) mules and half cheviot mules. The Scotch were definitely hardier. The cheviot crosses needed more help in every respect - at lambing & more feed. We moved over to all Scotch mule.
HOWEVER we're now struggling to buy good Scotch Mules. The ones we can buy up here are smaller than they used to be, with much worse feet & don't lamb themselves as often.

I'd say that rather than looking at a breed as a whole , you need to look around at where/who you get them from. A GOOD mule would be unbeatable for your job but there's a lot of rubbish about.

(and please, if anyone wants to sell me regular small numbers of the old type, do get in touch!:(
Same story here with the Cheviot Mule. To be honest, I don't really remember much about them, and I always remember everything about stock bred on this farm , so they were a bit nondescript. What I do remember though is how thin skinned they were, and so were their lambs. Not what you want on a cold , wet lambing day.

Hang on, here's @CharcoalWally snr in for his tea. .... .

What were the Cheviot Mules like Dad?








"Mmm, big soft things, not up to much. Not as many lambs as the Scotch Mule. ..."

And with that, back to his coffee. ...:)

I concur.
 

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
Same story here with the Cheviot Mule. To be honest, I don't really remember much about them, and I always remember everything about stock bred on this farm , so they were a bit nondescript. What I do remember though is how thin skinned they were, and so were their lambs. Not what you want on a cold , wet lambing day.

Hang on, here's @CharcoalWally snr in for his tea. .... .

What were the Cheviot Mules like Dad?








"Mmm, big soft things, not up to much. Not as many lambs as the Scotch Mule. ..."

And with that, back to his coffee. ...:)

I concur.



:rolleyes::rolleyes::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::scratchhead:
 

shearerlad

Member
Livestock Farmer
6 year old ewe from George McLeod, 185 Migdale with 2 ewe lambs by a North Loch Naver tup


15EC7B75-C110-4E4E-A36D-109F651F4A06.jpeg
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
OK, cat amongst pigeons...
both blackies and chevs right on at the mo, all outdoors.

The most notable difference is that on the whole, the blackie ewes are much more attentive mothers.
When I'm processing lambs - generally ring and mark new'uns each day- blackie ewes are usually right there, right up to the lamb often.
chevs? Half of em are constantly on the point of bolting.

Lambing probs ?
a few more with the chevs, although some of that is down to using somewhat bigger chev tups lately, and the chevs had a bit of hard feed..

One bunch of blackies have seen the odd lambing -the other flock none at all.
The problems are mostly daughters of a tup which wasn't allowed to stay long enough to visit flock no.2
(from a fella who thinks big is better)

wouldn't be without either, but thats what I'm seeing.
 

Old Tip

Member
Location
Cumbria
OK, cat amongst pigeons...
both blackies and chevs right on at the mo, all outdoors.

The most notable difference is that on the whole, the blackie ewes are much more attentive mothers.
When I'm processing lambs - generally ring and mark new'uns each day- blackie ewes are usually right there, right up to the lamb often.
chevs? Half of em are constantly on the point of bolting.

Lambing probs ?
a few more with the chevs, although some of that is down to using somewhat bigger chev tups lately, and the chevs had a bit of hard feed..

One bunch of blackies have seen the odd lambing -the other flock none at all.
The problems are mostly daughters of a tup which wasn't allowed to stay long enough to visit flock no.2
(from a fella who thinks big is better)

wouldn't be without either, but thats what I'm seeing.
I would say the absolute opposite, having had both, lets say there are no blakies left here and have'nt been for twenty years or more. Mind the first cheviots i had were nuts and i learned a lot over the tears, firstly dont buy a tip with a head and neck like a charly bull, least intervention the better so only keep gimmers of good mothers and dont over do the feed, a snif of grass and the lambs are like bullocks, better hungering them than over feeding.
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
OK, cat amongst pigeons...
both blackies and chevs right on at the mo, all outdoors.

The most notable difference is that on the whole, the blackie ewes are much more attentive mothers.
When I'm processing lambs - generally ring and mark new'uns each day- blackie ewes are usually right there, right up to the lamb often.
chevs? Half of em are constantly on the point of bolting.

Lambing probs ?
a few more with the chevs, although some of that is down to using somewhat bigger chev tups lately, and the chevs had a bit of hard feed..

One bunch of blackies have seen the odd lambing -the other flock none at all.
The problems are mostly daughters of a tup which wasn't allowed to stay long enough to visit flock no.2
(from a fella who thinks big is better)

wouldn't be without either, but thats what I'm seeing.
I would say the absolute opposite, having had both, lets say there are no blakies left here and have'nt been for twenty years or more. Mind the first cheviots i had were nuts and i learned a lot over the tears, firstly dont buy a tip with a head and neck like a charly bull, least intervention the better so only keep gimmers of good mothers and dont over do the feed, a snif of grass and the lambs are like bullocks, better hungering them than over feeding.



I've limited experience with Cheviots... but I will say you're both right.

A good Blackie is a good ewe... but so is a good Cheviot. And like all breeds you get bad in both!

They are very different, and do things in their own way.

Cheviot lamb is much more saleable, regardless of which tup you use.
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
I would say the absolute opposite, having had both, lets say there are no blakies left here and have'nt been for twenty years or more. Mind the first cheviots i had were nuts and i learned a lot over the tears, firstly dont buy a tip with a head and neck like a charly bull, least intervention the better so only keep gimmers of good mothers and dont over do the feed, a snif of grass and the lambs are like bullocks, better hungering them than over feeding.

I'd say there's more variation amongst blackies.
Like you say, don't overfeed the cheviots, and you won't be far wrong - and stay clear of both ridiculously heavy boned park sheep, and those spring-along-on-all-four-feet-at-once southies! (don't see as many of either now, although that might be cos i don't get out much)
I find the worst mothers generally exclude themselves from the gene pool!
(are you marking offspring of such gits at birth?)

As for blackies.... oh buts there's so many I wouldn't give house room.
The fashions in blackie tups - likewise with swales- leave me cold.
I seldom stray more than 10 miles for a tup, often don't go anywhere at all for one....and they are usually the best!

sorry you've had bad experience.
I was talking to a pal while up at at the RHS a couple of years ago, (no names no pack drill, but he was in SW Scotland)
and he was out to ends trying to make them work....all sorts of issues.
I quizzed him how he was managing them, and I wouldn't have said he was doing much wrong - interfering a bit too much for me maybe.
Eventually I concluded (nearly tongue in cheek) that what he actually needed was to use a few tups off my flock.
 

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