I will throw my head on the block and say unless your on reall hard ground you can’t beat a Lairg type Cheviot, I’ve had blackies and Swales in the past and all have been replaced. Lots of folk say they need to have dry hills but we get a lot more rain than most and they do fine. I do pick the tips with good tight wool but with a bit of length and a good undercoat. You won’t get as many lambs as with a swale or as bonny a heads as a blackie but the Sheep and lambs will be worth more in a commercial market and the wool actually pays you a profit.Hi, new here, and apologies, if a little off topic, but how hardy are these cheviots, they look very good sheep, but a bit different to most hill breeds? If it's as hardy as the rest, surely this is the sheep to get?
I agree totally with what you are saying they are a hill breed that are full of commercial attributes,they will produce a very saleable lamb of the hardest grazing. I too have had Blackface and Swaledale ewes but found that the Cheviot would produce a store lamb worth a tenner more and when they came to draft they were worth at least double,my experience with lambing % was that it increased as we went to pure cheviot,that was on a farm with over a 100 inches of rainfall per annum. As @Old Tip said keep the skin tight and plenty length in them and they are great sheep.I will throw my head on the block and say unless your on reall hard ground you can’t beat a Lairg type Cheviot, I’ve had blackies and Swales in the past and all have been replaced. Lots of folk say they need to have dry hills but we get a lot more rain than most and they do fine. I do pick the tips with good tight wool but with a bit of length and a good undercoat. You won’t get as many lambs as with a swale or as bonny a heads as a blackie but the Sheep and lambs will be worth more in a commercial market and the wool actually pays you a profit.
The other good thing about the Cheviot is he has really strong genes, first cross on anything he leaves his stamp and at second cross they look like a pure bred. Our two horned friends when crossed with other breeds look like mungrels for a long time.
What do you say @Top Tip. and @west coast angus
Ground would be similar to Old Tips ,lambed outside,the lambs are very hardy when born. I am no longer on that farm but i still have all cheviot ewes. Some people will say you won’t get as many lambs as blackies but I don’t agree if you handle them right you will get just as many.That's a serious amount of rain, do you lamb all outside? Are the lambs as tough when cold and wet? Is the ground rushes type?
There must be some drawbacks to these sheep?
How did they grow?View attachment 598230 View attachment 598236 View attachment 598238
Pick of the tup lambs out of last year's shed tup. Taken the begining of August.
Plenty choice,it’s getting bigger every year.Who’s all going this year then? Catalogue is on line now! Looking forward to it, it’s my favourite sale of the year
Plenty choice,it’s getting bigger every year.