Black North Country Cheviots:.
Angie grew up in Northumberland in the shadow of the Cheviot Hills. The seasons weather forecast was decided by the view of Cheviot itself. Once there was snow on Cheviot then winter was coming, and once it was no longer visible then summer must be on its way!
We always thinks of that region in Northumberland as home, Georgie spent all her school holidays up there with her grandparents who still live there, and now she heads back up there regularly to do lambing and vet work experience. It is these incredibly strong ties and deep seated roots that influenced our choice of sheep to breed and farm. ‘A bit of my homeland is always around me now’ says Angie.
Of course Cheviot sheep are historically white in colour but as with a few other white sheep breeds, Ryelands included, there is a recessive gene that pops up now and again resulting in black offspring from white parents. For the Cheviots this is quite a rare occurrence.
It is this colour combination and this wonderful native breed that we have embraced. We love the Black Cheviots and it has been our mission to own a black pure bred flock of North Country Cheviots. This was made possible when we were put in touch with a successful sheep breeder from Wales and we bought her entire flock of Black Cheviots. We have also been lucky to find a pure bred Black North Country Cheviot ram from a very reputable breeder and so the ram will be making the move south in September with the hope of expanding our flock in the spring of 2018.
We also have a flock of White North Country Cheviots which we sourced from Sam Rogers from the Granite Steppes flock. These sheep were first bred by Sam’s Grandfather and were sourced orginally from up north, so they are real North Country Cheviots.
Black North Country Cheviots Breeding Programme:
The Black Cheviots are initially being bred pure to expand our flock, although a few may be for sale. These striking animals are being produced ultimately for smallholders and coloured sheep enthusiasts, and also for their wool and some for meat. Individuals are also for sale to already established white flocks as it is deemed ‘lucky’ to have a black sheep in a white flock. And when looking for your sheep in the snow the black one will show you where! These are a stunning looking sheep, granted they are not as unflappable as the Coloured Ryelands but they are very lovely and trainable!
White North Country Cheviots Breeding Programme
The white North Country Cheviots are bred solely with our biggest Coloured Ryeland rams. We have sought expert advice on the Cheviots and Ryelands breed cross, and the experts say it will be an excellent combination. So we are breeding to produce good, solid large framed Coloured Ryeland rams for this purpose. This will take time through selective breeding but is a really exciting development for these breeds and future sustainability.
It is the combination of the North Country Cheviots crossed with the Coloured Ryeland as a terminal sire which will produce the best quality meat. Native, succulent, and raised on as near to organic pasture as it gets, producing the best quality products from our homeland origins.
Reared like Royalty & Cared For Like Family
