NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOTS
** NEW BREED RECORD PRICE **
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Attonburn Grand Slam, sold to Bill and Fanny Elliot, Hethpool, at Lairg 2010, for £12,000.
Grand Slam was sired by Armadale Highland Promise, and his dam, a daughter of Attonburn Almighty, was shown twice at the Highland Show, taking Breed Champion on both occassions.
The Attonburn North Country Cheviot flock was formed in 1991, following a visit to Lairg in 1990 and seeing for ourselves the quality and hardiness that was on offer.
The decision was made to change one hill of South Country Cheviots to a hill of Lairg type Northies.
Our first purchases were ewe lambs from Inverbrora and Savalbeg.
At the ewe and ram sale that year we purchased 40 ewes ex Heathmount and a ram from East Clyne that had been bought as a lamb at the Forest Farm dispersal.
The following year we purchased ewes and ewe lambs from Ribigill and this was the formation of the Percy Law hirsel.
Tup lambs were kept out of the original Heathmount ewes and used as both lambs and shearlings and in 1994 we sold our first two sheep at Lairg to average £390 which we were delighted about.
Once the Percy Law hirsel was completely Lairg type we decided to change the Blakedean hirsel from Blackfaces to Northies - this was one of our better decisions.
To stock Blakedean we bought ewe lambs off Ousdale, Achentoul and Armadale, as well as buying gimmers off Badanloch. We also bought ewes to stock some low ground we had, tupped these with home bred tups and kept the ewe lambs to stock the hill with.
The transition to North Country Cheviots was completed by changing the Shoulder Hill hirsel from South Country Cheviots to Northies. The flock is now closed apart from ram purchases.
Two rams we purchased that have bred particularly well are Kintradwell Cipaldi (£2,000 shared with Mowhaugh Farm) and Achentoul Go Getter (£2,200 shared with Woodside Farm).
The best beeding ram we have had to date was Kintradwell Crackerjack who was kindly loaned to us in foot and mouth year. In 2004 we sold five sons from Crackerjack to average £2,200.
We participate in the Scottish Sheep Strategy and are also a member of a breeding group with four others in an attempt to improve our sheep as much as possible.
In 2004 we won both the male and female championships at the Highland Show. The male champion, a son of Kintradwell Crackerjack, went on to be Overall Champion and was sold at Lairg for £3,000 to Mrs Mabel Bannerman Skelpick.
At Lairg 2004 we purchased, in conjunction with Woodside, The Crofter from Strathcanaird for £8,000, a new record price for a hill North Country Cheviot.
At Lairg 2005 we purchased North Loch Naver The Monarch, the new breed record price holder at £9,000, to add to our expanding stud of top quality rams.
Notable sales include Attonburn Benefactor for £6,000 to Balnakiel, Attonburn Zeus (£4,800) and Attonburn Almighty (£3,800) to Messers. Fox, Elsdonburn.
Attonburn Grand Slam, sold to Bill and Fanny Elliot, Hethpool, at Lairg 2010, for £12,000.
Grand Slam was sired by Armadale Highland Promise, and his dam, a daughter of Attonburn Almighty, was shown twice at the Highland Show, taking Breed Champion on both occassions.
The Attonburn North Country Cheviot flock was formed in 1991, following a visit to Lairg in 1990 and seeing for ourselves the quality and hardiness that was on offer.
The decision was made to change one hill of South Country Cheviots to a hill of Lairg type Northies.
Our first purchases were ewe lambs from Inverbrora and Savalbeg.
At the ewe and ram sale that year we purchased 40 ewes ex Heathmount and a ram from East Clyne that had been bought as a lamb at the Forest Farm dispersal.
The following year we purchased ewes and ewe lambs from Ribigill and this was the formation of the Percy Law hirsel.
Tup lambs were kept out of the original Heathmount ewes and used as both lambs and shearlings and in 1994 we sold our first two sheep at Lairg to average £390 which we were delighted about.
Once the Percy Law hirsel was completely Lairg type we decided to change the Blakedean hirsel from Blackfaces to Northies - this was one of our better decisions.
To stock Blakedean we bought ewe lambs off Ousdale, Achentoul and Armadale, as well as buying gimmers off Badanloch. We also bought ewes to stock some low ground we had, tupped these with home bred tups and kept the ewe lambs to stock the hill with.
The transition to North Country Cheviots was completed by changing the Shoulder Hill hirsel from South Country Cheviots to Northies. The flock is now closed apart from ram purchases.
Two rams we purchased that have bred particularly well are Kintradwell Cipaldi (£2,000 shared with Mowhaugh Farm) and Achentoul Go Getter (£2,200 shared with Woodside Farm).
The best beeding ram we have had to date was Kintradwell Crackerjack who was kindly loaned to us in foot and mouth year. In 2004 we sold five sons from Crackerjack to average £2,200.
We participate in the Scottish Sheep Strategy and are also a member of a breeding group with four others in an attempt to improve our sheep as much as possible.
In 2004 we won both the male and female championships at the Highland Show. The male champion, a son of Kintradwell Crackerjack, went on to be Overall Champion and was sold at Lairg for £3,000 to Mrs Mabel Bannerman Skelpick.
At Lairg 2004 we purchased, in conjunction with Woodside, The Crofter from Strathcanaird for £8,000, a new record price for a hill North Country Cheviot.
At Lairg 2005 we purchased North Loch Naver The Monarch, the new breed record price holder at £9,000, to add to our expanding stud of top quality rams.
Notable sales include Attonburn Benefactor for £6,000 to Balnakiel, Attonburn Zeus (£4,800) and Attonburn Almighty (£3,800) to Messers. Fox, Elsdonburn.