North Country lambs are strong at birth and have the ability to get-up, nurse and run just minutes after birth. The ewes have strong protective instinct toward their lambs, have plenty of milk and take extremely good care of their lambs. The North Country is an intelligent, tough, resourceful sheep that produces both a superior lamb crop and a fleece that delights handspinners. It has outstanding crossbreeding ability and can be used as either the sire or the dam breed. The resulting lambs from cross-breeding to meat breeds have superior carcasses. At 90 to 120 days a first class North Country lamb will yield a carcass of around 45 pounds with a high proportion of lean meat of excellent quality. The cross on wool breeds develops a superior type of light shrinking, staple length, all-white wool of Medium grade. A mature ewe will weigh 180 pounds and a mature ram 300 pounds. North Country Cheviot rams impart vigor and muscling to their lambs. They are aggressive, active breeders and an ideal crossing breed.

North Country Cheviot sheep are pleasing to the eye. They are a large chalk-white, alert deep-bodied sheep, symmetrical in outline, belly and flanks well covered with wool. The rams are distinctly masculine and the ewes, strong, but feminine. The head is covered with short, glossy-white hair as are the legs. The nose is moderately long Roman to slightly Roman. Legs are medium long in proportion to size, good bone, strong pasterns and the hoofs are black.

An average fleece should weigh 8 to 10 pounds and in the grade range of 1/4 to 3/8 blood. It is of fairly fine quality, grading from 50’s up to 56’s Bradford count. The wool is pure white, lofty and strong, with very good staple length. It is not hard, but has a spongy feeling when grasped. The wool is largely used in the Scottish tweed trade and is a favorite of handspinners.