The National Association, which was organized in 1962, and reorganized in
1976, now has 150 active senior members and 40 active junior members. Its
membership represents 34 states and 6 provinces of Canada. Regional associations
have been formed in the West and Midwest to help promote the breed. The North
Country Cheviots are shown at many major state fairs and purebred sales and
shows, such as, Indiana, West Virginia, Oregon, Western Washington, Michigan
and many others.
Best Kept Secret In The Sheep Industry !!
If you want a hardy sheep that can thrive whether the conditions are adverse
or ideal, then the North Country is for you! North Country Cheviot are a "hill
breed".This designation encompasses much more than the fact that they
evolved on the rugged Scotch highlands. Of necessity, hill sheep thrive untended
by man, searching for browse on wild unimproved herbage. They usually lamb
alone and the newborn lambs are able to survive by their near miraculous ability
to get up, nurse and run just minutes after birth. They are intelligent, self-reliant,
resourceful and among healthiest and most long lived breeds. Truly, they are
the product of two hundred years of selection by survival of the fittest !
Origin
The northern latitude of Scotland has a long and trying winter, and the summer
is often short and cool. It is under these very difficult conditions that
the North Country was developed.
In Scotland there are two main types of farms where the North Country's are kept. One is the upland farm and one is the hill farm. It is difficult to precisely define the difference between the two kinds of farms, but in general terms, a hill farm is one that contains little or no arable land and an upland farm at some ground were forgeable crops are grown. Under hill farm conditions, the flocks are usually bred pure and the stocking rate could be as low as one sheep per eight to ten acres. The grazing consists mainly of heathers and various types of hardy grasses. Under these conditions, ewes, should produce up to 100% lamb crops and shear four to five pounds of wool.
On the upland farm the stocking rate may run one ewe per one to two acres of grazing land. The flocks may be purebred or the breeder may be engaged in cross breeding the ewes with Border Leicester rams to produce the famous Scotch half bred ewe. This is often done by purchasing four to six year old ewes from hill farms and moving them to upland farms where the less severe conditions allows them to produce several more lamb crops. Under these conditions the ewes often produce lamb crops that are 150% and some farms produce 200% lamb crops.
At three or four months of age a first class North Country lamb could yield a carcass of around 45 pounds. Live weight of an adult ewe on good ground is 180 pounds, and a mature ram would weigh 300 around pounds.
