The Border Cheviot, also known as the South Country Cheviot, is a breed of domesticated

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

from the UK. It is native to the Cheviot Hills between

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Recognized as early as 1372, the breed is reported to have developed from sheep that swam ashore from shipwrecked Spanish ships that fled northward after the defeat of the Armada. This breed is prized for its wool but bred primarily for meat.

Characteristics

The Cheviot is a distinctive white-faced sheep, with a wool-free face and legs, pricked ears, black muzzle and black feet. It is a very alert and active sheep. Cheviot wool has a distinctive helical crimp, which gives it that highly desirable resilience. The fleece should be dense and firm with no kemp or coloured hair. The rams can have horns. The live weight of a mature Border Cheviot ram is in the range of 70–85 kg and a mature ewe 55–70kg. Ewes have a lambing percentage of about 150%

References

External links

cheviotsheep.org
(U.K.)
American Cheviot Sheep Society
Sheep breeds originating in England Sheep breeds originating in Scotland Sheep breeds {{sheep-stub