Card Grading
Overview
The Castlemilk Moorit is judged against a breed description as detailed on the previous page. This is a 'description' not a 'standard' so it allows for variation with the breed.
The card grading process allows for the awarding of:
A red card = commended; for sheep that are good breeding animals and clearly fit within the breed description on all point
A blue card = acceptable; for sheep that generally conform to the breed description but have minor flaws such as some kemp in the fleece or mis-matched horns. It may still be appropriate to breed from these sheep but mating should actively seek to correct the flaws.
Ungraded (may be called white card) = unacceptable; for sheep that do not meet the breed description eg no mouflon markings or have serious flaws eg teeth so badly aligned it affects the sheep's ability to thrive. We would not recommend breeding from these sheep and ideally they should not be registered or sold as registered Castlemilks.
The process
As the card graders are being asked to make a judgement against a breed description we strongly recommend that two people work together, one to inspect the sheep, the other to record but also to assist and provide a second opinion if a flaw is suspected.
The areas that cause the most discussion are normally:
HORNS - in ewes these should be uniform and wide spreading, angled sideways and slightly backwards.
It is not unusual to see horms that are more 'backwards' than 'sideways' and a judgement needs to be made as to whether they remain within breed description or are a 'minor flaw'. Horns that point upwards like a Manx Loughtan and horns that are so far backwards they are growing into the neck are definitely not to breed description.
- in rams these should be heavy, spiralled and avoiding the cheeks.
It is not unusual to see rams with horns very close to the cheeks and this is not desirable but may be acceptable as long as there is no risk of them touching as they grow.
FLEECE - this is judged on feel, colour, kemp and hair.
All castlemilks should show the distinctive graduation in colour from base to tip, this may be difficult to judge on a recently shorn sheep so ideally card grading should be carried out when there is reasonable fleece growth present. It is not unusual to see some hair on the necks of mature rams, if this is seen in shearling rams a judgement needs to be made if this may become excessive. Fleece quality and crimp can vary quite a lot with some sheep having a very tightly crimped fleece (looking almost curly as lambs) and others longer, softer fleece. Before card grading new sheep it is a good idea if the person responsible has had the opportunity to see a number of different red card sheep to form a view on the acceptable range.
COLOUR - especially face colour is an area of wide variation. All Castlemilks must have clear mouflon markings however the central forehead and nose base colour can very from vary dark brown to a mid brown not dissimilar to a summer fleece colour. This range is acceptable as long as the markings remain clear. Different breeders have different preferences however this should not lead to graders penalising those from the other colour extreme. It should be remembered that Castlemilks do 'fade' in colour with age and the mouflon markings may become less clear on an older sheep but should still be visible on close inspection. An all brown face of any hue with no mouflon marking is not within breed description at any age.
Although not specifically mentioned on the breed description white marks on adult sheep are not within breed description. It is not unusual for a lamb to be born with a small white spot or a pale tuft of hair on the head. This should disappear as the wool lightens through their first summer and should not be visible at all once the sheep is sheared. If a white patch persists it is outside breed description.
Have a go yourself!
The Society appoints qualified people to card grade all entries to the shows we run but if you have a Castlemilk flock and don't show why not have a go yourself at assessing them via the card grading system. You can download this PDF sheet, below, with the details and space to record your findings.
card grading sheet.PDF