Kerry Hill Ram query

monseiur

Hi all,
I'm new here but have been lurking in the background for years, I find the threads very interesting and informative.
Just a quick query : I have a herd of Scotch ewes (a.k.a blackhead horneys)
and am considering using a stock Kerry Hill ram this season. Is it a good cross ? How does it compare to say Wicklow Cheviot ram....or should I stick with Lanark/Perth type ram ? Land is marginal, all rough grazing.

Thanks.

AntrimGlens

don't know an awful lot about the kerry hill as a ewe or what lambs crossed would be like. I'd imagine you'd have a better carcassed lamb than a straight BF but would you not conisder using a Texel. Lots of guys round here using a texel on their scotch ewes, they have to be big perth types and not lanarks to give the size to the lamb and getting good lambing percentages of 1.95 from hill ground. They retain the ewe lambs from these as a nucleus flock and cross these to a suffolk and would have good growthy well fleshed and good carcased lambs. these men would all be mountain land and get the hardiness from the scotch ewe where she can be less selective about grazing marginal land than your straight continental type ewe