Instructions
Provide the Border Cheviot with at least 3 acres of grass, clover, forbs and other pasture plants. Keep a variety of plants growing or available throughout the year, as the Cheviot will need to eat an assorted and balanced diet of greens. Provide 4 gallons of fresh water to the animal daily.
Supplement pasture foods with stored or harvested feeds, such as hay, silage, green chop or corn byproducts. Give the animal a vitamin if the grass is not adequate, such as during the winter or if you live in a dry climate where the soil is not rich. Supplement a pregnant or nursing ewe's diet with grains. However, introduce grains gradually, since sheep have a tendency to overindulge in grains, which can cause digestive troubles.
Allow the animal at least seven hours of grazing per day. Ideally, allow it to graze from dawn until late afternoon, as sunset approaches. If you give the sheep a vitamin supplement, only do so after grazing, so as not to interfere with the its daily grazing patterns.
Carefully monitor the border cheviot, if pregnant. Although border cheviot tend to have healthy pregnancies and deliveries, there is a higher risk of disease during gestation, which typically lasts between 144 and 152 days. Contact a veterinarian immediately if the ewe loses appetite, appears fatigued or show other abnormal symptoms, such as bleeding or discharge.
Keep the cheviot in a fenced pasture. While the sheep is unlikely to veer far from the pasture, it is important to keep other predators, such as dogs and coyotes, out of the pasture. Erect a woven wire fence that is tall enough to keep these predators from jumping over the barrier and buried enough to prevent dogs from digging under it.
Shear the sheep once a year, ideally in the spring when the warm weather approaches. If you neglect shearing, the sheep will become very uncomfortable and wool will mat, making it harder to remove later. Skirt the sheep, as needed, throughout the year. Skirting is the removal of knots and tags around the belly and other areas that become matted easily.
How to Raise a Border Cheviot
Border Cheviot are a breed of mountain sheep. The breed is native to the Cheviot Hills that border between Scotland and England. Cheviot sheep are known for being hardy, self-sustaining sheep. They can withstand harsh winters and hot summers. Compared to other breeds, they are low-maintenance, making them a desirable breed of sheep to raise.