Most people are completely unaware of what good engineers Castlemilk Moorit sheep can make.

Castlemilks are less labour intensive to keep than commercial breeds as they are hardy and self-sufficient, rarely go lame or get fly-struck however they do have different behaviours that mean dealing with them may require more planning than for a commercial flock.

Here are a few pointers:

•  Castlemilks are very good at recognising people they know and people they don’t! so when you first get your sheep it is worth keeping them in a smaller area until they get to recognise their new main shepherd/food provider. Once they have associated this person with food they will respond to them even in a large pasture.
• Castlemilks like 2 things – food and routine, they can be trained to come into even small catching areas, either a corner pen of sheep hurdles or the entrance to a race or yard, by regular feeding in that area BUT when you decide to catch them you must stick to the normal routine; the same person, at the same time with the same feed. It you normally feed at 5pm and decide to come at 11am to catch them they will notice the difference and the older more dominant ones may or may not decide to co-operate!
• Once they get to know you as the routine food provider they will follow you if you rattle nuts in a bucket, this is by far the easiest way to move a flock short distances. Make sure all the sheep to be moved have registered you are there with food and then walk in front of them to the new field, don’t worry if a few get ahead of you just rattle the nuts at any turns until they have all noticed where you are heading. Like all sheep they don’t like being asked to go into dark spaces or round tight corners they can’t see the way out of so just plan your route to avoid these.
• If you put Castlemilks under pressure they will likely scatter, not mob together like commercial sheep, chasing them round a field with an ATV to get them through a gateway may work for a commercial flock but will just distribute your Castlemilks to all 4 corners of the existing field, glaring at you!
• Young Castlemilks and ewes without lambs can normally be worked with a well-trained dog, ewes with young lambs and rams in larger groups may turn on the dog though, never use a young or weak dog as they will end up chasing the dog rather than being driven! With large flocks 2 dogs are better than one.
• Castlemilks do not need routine foot trimming, they are rarely lame and if they do go lame it is normally a cracked hoof capsule that breaks off in 24 – 48 hours and resolves itself. If a sheep looks lame monitor for longer than a day then plan to catch them.
• Castlemilks have really ‘tight’ fleeces so you cannot easily shear them until the natural rise in the wool comes which is typically mid-June. This really tight fleece also protects them against fly-strike, however young lambs may need protection against fly strike if they get dirty bottoms as their fleece is softer and more open.
• Castlemilks rarely jump obstacles and can be contained with ordinary stock fencing, but they will creep under a high hung gate or through a gap in a hedge. Once one finds the gap others will follow! And yes they will remember where the gap was for future reference so just putting them back in the field may result in them reappearing where you don’t want them fairly quickly.
• Castlemilks can become very friendly, happy to eat out of a scoop or your hand but rarely tame to the point of liking to be stroked or touched (though an occasional one will). They can also become feral if they have no human contact for long periods. In order to keep the flock easily managed they should be offered some token food every now and again.

Ultimately however you set up your own management approach I am sure your Castlemilks will impress you with their intelligence and entertain you daily!