Black Cheviots?

[NZDan]

The issue was exposed a hundred years ago but it’s never been tackled and so is a lingering problem, F&M drastically reduced the numbers and it would seem the incidence has increased. You would think a gene that caused females not to breed would naturally sort itself out but it would seem it’s a lot more complicated than that

Recessive gene and only double copies are barren maybe?

 

[Old Tip]

Recessive gene and only double copies are barren maybe?

Exactly

 

[egbert]

Back to the OP....

A neighbour kept a black cheviot ewe, and I think she bred black lambs....although it has disappeared from the flock now.
I recall the ewes whole lifes worth of wool was piled up at the back of the shed....he 'wasn't gonna let those b4stards at the woolboard have it for nothing, then sell it to spinners for a fortune!'
My obs would be that the Lairg draft ewe sale used to see maybe1 black ewe in 10,000....is that still the case?

I saw a very smart black cheviot tup on a farm in the upper Coquet (spelling?) valley in Northumberland once.
Never had one here, but I've currently got one pure black cheviot ewe, whose got a black ewe lamb trotting along behind her.

I have got -or at least my boy has- a little bunch of black SBF.
They run with the main hill flock except for tupping - if there's a black tup to be had.
The black'uns turn up in other flocks sporadically, and several chums know to keep my boy a black tup lamb if they come across it at gathering.
It could be observed that the local trend is for blackies with very black legs/heads....so maybe it's more likely?
Anyway, his ewes live well, and it's a bit of fun.
And the original (white) flock was once described, in a lawsuit, as being 'they're the Devils sheep yer honour', so it's only appropriate we keep some black'uns

 

[NZDan]

Exactly

Do you have any links to research done on it? Gene name? etc?