Caring about our future

Castlemilk Moorit Sheep

Castlemilk Moorit Sheep at Quin Bosca

Castlemilk Shetland, Moorit Shetland

by Dr John

My wife, Hilary, and I bought our first three ewe lambs from Devon at the end of the summer, 2004.  They are registered with the Castlemilk Moorit Sheep Society, but because of the rarity of this primitive breed of sheep, the chances of purchasing a registered ram from anyhwere in the South West seemed extremely remote.  You can imagine how fortunate we considered ourselves to be when, in 2005, we located another four ewes with a magnificent ram, called Samuel.  This had given the original girls time to mature before establishing our rare-breed flock.

The history of this sheep began early in the twentieth century on the Castlemilk Estate in Dumfriesshire.  The breeding programme used

Manx Loghtan,

Moorit Shetland and

wild Mouflon sheep.

Sir John Bughanan-Jardine developed then to beautify his parkland estate and to provide fine, kemp-free, moorit-coloured wool.  As a bonus, the  meat is very lean with a fine-grained texture and a gamey flavour.  Upon his death in 1970, a foundation flock of six ewes and one ram was saved.  These few formed the basis for all of today's registered sheep.

The Castlemilk Moorit is one of the larger of the 'primitive' breeds.  A mature ram may reach 120lb (55kg) and the wews 85lb (40kg).  All the sheep are horned, with the rams having heavy, even spirals of impressive stature.  The wool is darker at the base so that newborn lambs and shorn sheep stand out from the paler, 'bleached' unshorn sheep.  With naturally short tails, the lambs do not require docking, and the sheep are generally extremely resistant fly-strike and foot rot. 

They do like shelter from rain and will, I would bet, beat most other breed to get under cover from even a shower.  The newly-lambed ewes and the senior rams can appear to be aggressive but, on the whole, they are an intelligent and agile sheep with graceful, well-balanced movements.  These sheep can be better controlled by a food bucket rather than by a dog.

The Mouflon-pattern markings are consistent in all the sheep and this gives a very uniform flock appearance.  On the background light brown or moorit colour are white areas under the belly and lower jaw.  White is characteristically around the eyes, knees, inside lower legs, and tails, with distinctive rump patches.  Shorn sheep have an almost tiny deer-like appearance at first glance and it was this appearance that led to our plans to own a flock of these long-lived and productive little sheep at Quin Bosca.

Rare Breed Livestock

One Man's Dream - Quin Bosca - The Beginning

by Dr John

'Can we have geese?' - 'No, you can't!'

'I'd really like geese' - 'You can have a divorce!'

Perhaps pragmatism and reason should be the motto for Bosca?  I think not!

The holding is a pleasure at the moment, with calves, kids and lambs all doing well, ducklings have hatched, mud has dried and leaves are appearing on the trees we have planted.

Bosca has been a holding for just three years and the first year was dreadful.  Goats died of enterotoxaemia, a couple of cows had pneumonia and kids were born with deformities requiring euthanasia at birth.  At first, our thirteen acres had no fencing, no trees, no shelter and no barn.  Unpacking after the move has still not been completed in favour of building, fencing, planting and extending the livestock, around which the holding is being formed.

A 60ft by 30ft barn has been erected and houses the Massey Ferguson 135 tractor, tools, feed, hay and straw.  The remaining half has been given to the Golden Guernsey dairy goats, a sick bay and pig farrowing pens.  A pigeon loft will be constructed inside during 2004.  Almost all of the paddock fencing is in place, giving four separate fields and eight small enclosures for Kune Kune pigs and Shetland ponies.  Native and other trees are being planted for shelter belts, hedging and wildlife, particularly birds and moths.  Wild flowers, elder and buddleia are included for butterflies. 

An L-shaped earth mound has been created in the centre of one field for shelter  and also another mound on the seaward side of the holding which will be planted up as a Cornish hedge. 

There is a natural pond for which we intend to create a puddled-clay base.  Small mammals are being encouraged - with the exception of an exponentially exploding rabbit population.  Establishment of a wildlife sanctuary is a high priority for the farm's future.

Rare breed livestock has been favoured, with a fetish for those with long hair and horns.  We have a deliberate policy of grooming and regular handling in order to tame and integrate the various species.   The largest animals are Highland cattle.  Tom, the black bull, is drop-dead gorgeous and has produced two bull calves this year from a red and a black cow.  The cows have pleasant dispositions but need a good deal of input if their bloodlines are to be improved.  Hopefully, Tom will breed a better quality into the fold.

Golden Guernsey goats have increased from an initial four to ten, and two of the older ladies still have to kid.  Kids will have to be sold now to make ends meet.  Six pygmy goats, two Shetland ponies, and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig are out and out pets, but the New Zealand Kune Kune pigs will have to earn their keep one way or another.  

To this end, fourteen pigs out of eighteen have now been sold. 

Finally, six Jacob sheep plus two orphan lambs, which are being hand-reared, complete the learning curve.

Large fowl chickens are mixed with Pekin bantams, and the Call ducks have cross-bred with the East Indie ducks, but all are a delight as they free-range in the fields, garden and barn.

So what does Bosca produce?  Poo - lots and lots of poo.  Poo has become a way of life, it seems.  Composting, gifting bags to collectors, and generally fertilising the, as yet, unproductive half-acre allotment hardly keeps pace with production. 

Chickens are occasionally killed and the goats produce copious milk from which we make cheese and yoghourt.   Up to thirty eggs from the sixty hens each spring day are sold to friends and colleagues at work.

Six dogs and five cats complete the household.  The Good Life cannot last for much more than fifteen to twenty years now, but we have been privileged so far, and the pleasure will be in the prospect of watching our dream gradually evolve in that time.