Small pedigree flock

[CymruValleys]

Looking to start a small pedigree flock of sheep just to do some showing and possibly sell a few tups. I work full time so need something pretty simple. Had texel's in the past but didnt work for me. Really like the South country cheviot, just wondering what peoples thoughts are on them? I know their mostly big flocks on the hills but just wondering if it would work with a small flock of them

 

[yoki]

Looking to start a small pedigree flock of sheep just to do some showing and possibly sell a few tups. I work full time so need something pretty simple. Had texel's in the past but didnt work for me. Really like the South country cheviot, just wondering what peoples thoughts are on them? I know their mostly big flocks on the hills but just wondering if it would work with a small flock of them

I would say temperament should be a big factor in choosing a breed for what you want to do.

We've had a couple of Texel tups and always found them very pleasant and nice to work with but no experience of any Cheviots.

 

[CymruValleys]

I would say temperament should be a big factor in choosing a breed for what you want to do.

We've had a couple of Texel tups and always found them very pleasant and nice to work with but no experience of any Cheviots.

Had no problem temperament wise with the texel, just taking up more work at lambing time etc and more problems, with working full time found it more difficult

 

[yellowbelly]

I don't know if this will be any help but, in my experience, the North Country Cheviots fly past you, in the race, at about chest height, whereas the smaller 'Southies' tend to be flying about head height.

If you fancy Cheviots, I'd go for the bigger park type.
I judged at Masham Sheep Fair, a few years ago, and there was a grand team of NCC's there that won the interbreed, IIRC.

 

[muleman]

You could get some Leicesters for easyness

 

[CymruValleys]

I don't know if this will be any help but, in my experience, the North Country Cheviots fly past you, in the race, at about chest height, whereas the smaller 'Southies' tend to be flying about head height.

If you fancy Cheviots, I'd go for the bigger park type.
I judged at Masham Sheep Fair, a few years ago, and there was a grand team of NCC's there that won the interbreed, IIRC.

I do like the North type but prefer the character of the Southie and heard the park would take more feeding

 

[yoki]

I don't know if this will be any help but, in my experience, the North Country Cheviots fly past you, in the race, at about chest height, whereas the smaller 'Southies' tend to be flying about head height.

Sound like Lleyns!

 

[yellowbelly]

I do like the North type but prefer the character of the Southie and heard the park would take more feeding

They're bigger, so yes, I guess they'll eat more.

 

[Longlowdog]

If you want to show you are going to be feeding anyway. Grass fed April born won't cut it.
Just remember when it comes to selling tups...the lamb may be the most beautiful lamb ever bred by the 35k tup out of the 10k ewe but if you ain't in the clique it's still going to sell to a commercial buyer for 400 of your finest beer tokens.

 

[CymruValleys]

If you want to show you are going to be feeding anyway. Grass fed April born won't cut it.
Just remember when it comes to selling tups...the lamb may be the most beautiful lamb ever bred by the 35k tup out of the 10k ewe but if you ain't in the clique it's still going to sell to a commercial buyer for 400 of your finest beer tokens.

Be feeding for shows but a smaller hill breed wont need as much as a continental to compete, plus most hill breeds you compete against would be born around April time. Yeh agree ive been there and done that with texel's and learnt my lesson the hard way, although ive sold tups at decent money from home

 

[M-J-G]

Sound like Lleyns!

Interesting that you've found lleyns to be wild when handling.
I find them lively in the field but good to work with in the pens.

 

[yoki]

Interesting that you've found lleyns to be wild when handling.
I find them lively in the field but good to work with in the pens.

"Wild" is maybe OTT a bit but definitely flighty.

I don't actually own any but I keep the son-in-laws hoggets from housing, usually mid/late January, until tupping in late September, and despite a very calm environment and them getting well used to me, pretty much anything at all sets them off to the degree that I have to divide them in to smaller groups in smaller pens to limit the damaged they'll do to themselves or each other.

I also have to keep them separate from my own sheep or even any non-Lleyn cross-breds he might have or they'd just trample them when they go off on one.

I also work with them a fair bit generally as shearing/scanning etc we do all in one big batch so the flying past at head/shoulder height had a definite familiarity about it.

To be honest, if all sheep were like Lleyns I wouldn't have sheep.

 

[cheviot53]

Southies are no different to other sheep in that if they are handled quietly and often then they will become calm and pass this on to their lambs , BUT as you said they are a hill breed so do well on rougher grass and can run to fat very quickly on good ground and because they are a square shape they can get onto their backs very easily . They lamb easily if pure and can be crossed BUT you must be very very careful with feeding ( grass included ) when in lamb

 

[Man_in_black]

Judging by OP name, are you not tempted Welsh mountain?

 

[CymruValleys]

Judging by OP name, are you not tempted Welsh mountain?

Not really, just like the character of the South country cheviot, plus the Welsh will find a way to escape from anywhere

 

[Man_in_black]

Not really, just like the character of the South country cheviot, plus the Welsh will find a way to escape from anywhere

I'm definitely going to regret saying this, but we've got 60 Welsh last summer, not an escapee yet.....

Oh FFS why did I just say that??

Been very happy with them after initial adjustments, scanned at 148% and lambed they lleyn lambs well. Nice honest little ewes.

 

[hendrebc]

Just the worthless opinion of an Internet trioll and I don't mean any offence by it but it will likely sound quite mean. The cheviot has no business on a smallholding especially to breed rams they are meant to be a hardy hill or at least upland breed. They won't stay hardy on a small flock being fed.
If I was in your position I'd choose something smallholders already have like one of the coloured welsh mountain or south down or ryleland something. Neither of those are going to be hard to look after either would be easy to handle and would be easier to find more like minded small holders to make friends and compare notes with than cheviots which would mostly be kept by bigger upland and hill farmers, or I would have thought anyway.
If you want cheviots though it's your money you do you it's your money and you're the one who has to look at them every day not me

 

[AftonShepherd]

Are there many South Country Cheviots at shows in Wales? If not, you'll be in "any other breed" against possibly more commercial breeds which can be disadvantageous depending on the breed.

 

[CymruValleys]

Just the worthless opinion of an Internet trioll and I don't mean any offence by it but it will likely sound quite mean. The cheviot has no business on a smallholding especially to breed rams they are meant to be a hardy hill or at least upland breed. They won't stay hardy on a small flock being fed.
If I was in your position I'd choose something smallholders already have like one of the coloured welsh mountain or south down or ryleland something. Neither of those are going to be hard to look after either would be easy to handle and would be easier to find more like minded small holders to make friends and compare notes with than cheviots which would mostly be kept by bigger upland and hill farmers, or I would have thought anyway.
If you want cheviots though it's your money you do you it's your money and you're the one who has to look at them every day not me

No offence taken, this is why i posted to see people's thoughts, and this is what i was thinking also, i know people maybe would'nt buy tups off me cos im not on a hill although im about 900ft up. With the tups though i would'nt be pushing them with feed to sell but i understand they'd maybe want them reared on a hill like where their originally from

 

[CymruValleys]

Are there many South Country Cheviots at shows in Wales? If not, you'll be in "any other breed" against possibly more commercial breeds which can be disadvantageous depending on the breed.

No id be in any other native hill breed, same at Royal Welsh but they'd be one of the better breeds in that from what ive seen