With healthy lambs now on the ground, most sheep breeders are reflecting on weeks of long, cold days and sleepless nights.
But one Lancashire farmer is looking back on what he describes as an ‘easy time’ thanks to the native sheep breed he runs.
Jim Holden used to raise Beulah sheep on his hill farm at Holcombe, near Bury, which he crossed with a Texel ram to produce top-quality prime lambs.
But according to Jim, the Lancashire weather made lambing time a ‘nightmare’ as his flock struggled with the wind, rain, and cold of the exposed hillside, 800m above sea level.
Jim said: “We got very high prices for the lambs but lambing time was a nightmare due to the weather. We needed something hardier, something that would lamb outside and that would make life easier for us.”
To find a breed that would thrive on his hill farm, Jim looked to the traditional hardy hill sheep of northern England and Scotland.
After much consideration, he settled on the North Country Cheviot, a white-faced breed that hails from the north of Scotland and is known for its thriftiness and ability to withstand the worst of the British weather.
Jim said: “Northie lambs are born with good cover and can stand the weather that the North West is renowned for. Even in rough weather, they’re up and sucking straight away. The ewe is a great mother too, particularly if left alone to get on with the job. She’s attentive and produces plenty of milk so takes great care of her lambs.
“Together, this makes the breed much easier to manage. Northies suit an outdoor system and that is exactly what we needed.”
The North Country Cheviot consists of two distinct types, the Hill type and the Park type. The Hill type was developed for its thriftiness and health, meaning it thrives in the poorest upland and mountain conditions.
One of Jim Holden’s North Country Cheviot ewes with twin lambs
Although undoubtedly still a hill breed, the Park type is larger, heavier and more suited to grassy hills and uplands.
Both types make excellent crossing sires, producing sheep to meet most needs. Northie females can be crossed with almost any ram to produce versatile, commercial lambs that achieve above average prices at market.
Jim has a total of 600 ewes, 150 of which are pure bred North Country Cheviots, 200 are crossed bred North Country Cheviots, and the remained 250 are North Country Cheviots crossed with Aberfields. He sells Northie shearling rams, Aberfield cross gimmer lambs, and crosses his Cheviot ewes with a Texel to produce prime lamb.
NC Cheviot logo
He added that as well as easy lambing, North Country Cheviot ewes add body to a commercial lamb.
“Northies produce a cracking prime lamb that will consistently grade E or U and that gives an uplift at market,” he said. “Bringing them into my flock is one of the best decision I’ve made.”
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