All in the head...

jamesy

Member
Location
Orkney
No, but they were from Aberdeen, so must be better. I was once told that the reason for sheep doing better there was that they had longer days than us, so spent longer grazing....?

That flock dispersed a few years later, selling out at big money and allegedly spreading CLA far and wide.?
Was said flock Suffolk’s?
 

Agrivator

Member
2,3,4,5 + 6

I forgot to add: A beasts’ expression can also tell you a lot about its state of mind. Content, inquisitive, agitated, flighty, expectant as in hearing the snacker approaching, a look of disappointment when it drives straight past, feeling off colour, protective, wary and a number of other expressions just like humans.

So I am puzzled as to why a number of you don't seem to think that a beast's head is of any significance.
 

Sharpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
I forgot to add: A beasts’ expression can also tell you a lot about its state of mind. Content, inquisitive, agitated, flighty, expectant as in hearing the snacker approaching, feeling off colour, protective, wary and a number of other expressions just like humans.

So I am puzzled as to why a number of you don't seem to think that a beast's head is of any significance.
You don't get paid for it when its hung up!
 

bitwrx

Member
View attachment 888319
Newsflash - man trolls an entire forum...
What a lot of horse sh1t. Would anyone in their right minds have a show winner as a commercial stock bull? No, and why would you even have any of its progeny? The emperor has no clothes.
I'm just reading a book on animal breeding, and had literally just finished the chapter on correlation before seeing this thread. Here's what A.L. Hagedoorn Ph.D. has to say on the matter.

IMG_20200621_210921.jpg
 

beardface

Member
Location
East Yorkshire
There must be some distance in traditional breeding measurements. Otherwise we wouldn't have the breeds we have today. Bakewell didn't have the science we have today and the dishley Leicester improved most breeds around the world. His judgement would of been by eye and possibly through assessing carcasses, grading wool and making lambing notes. The extensive herds of cattle in America and Australia would of been originally bred by eye. I think the trouble today is that some 'pedigree' breeders who breed by eye have lost the idea of what there supposed to be breeding.
 

gwi1890

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North wales
I
saw this on a friends time line , and they wonder why texels have lambing issues , surely better forget the valuless head and have a far more functional sheepView attachment 888533


View attachment 888533
Its a shame they are driving farmers away from buying texel tups, everyone of my fellow texel breeding friends bar few have a picture of a head only on their profile picture, people think that all texel rams result in sleepless nights, I use my own tups and I only pulled 3 lambs from 270 welsh x lleyn 60kg ewes goes to show what the breed can do if you get ridd of that ugly big head
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
There must be some distance in traditional breeding measurements. Otherwise we wouldn't have the breeds we have today. Bakewell didn't have the science we have today and the dishley Leicester improved most breeds around the world. His judgement would of been by eye and possibly through assessing carcasses, grading wool and making lambing notes. The extensive herds of cattle in America and Australia would of been originally bred by eye. I think the trouble today is that some 'pedigree' breeders who breed by eye have lost the idea of what there supposed to be breeding.
Bakewell killed and butchered a lot of sheep , and it was probably the fact he didnt follow traditional rules of pedigree breeding that made his sheep and cattle (longhorn) what they were , What i find fascinating was the line breeding he carried out , just how did that come about ? was very frowned upon in the 1700s , The hybrid vigour of the outcross is what made most difference but that would have taken years to get right .
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
I

Its a shame they are driving farmers away from buying texel tups, everyone of my fellow texel breeding friends bar few have a picture of a head only on their profile picture, people think that all texel rams result in sleepless nights, I use my own tups and I only pulled 3 lambs from 270 welsh x lleyn 60kg ewes goes to show what the breed can do if you get ridd of that ugly big head
Robin slades dutch texels were like that back in the 80s - 90s , when he was in devon , cracking sheep won nearly all the carcase competitions across the country they were a halfway house between modern texels and beltex never see those types about these days, seems to be either one or the other .
 

pgk

Member
Robin slades dutch texels were like that back in the 80s - 90s , when he was in devon , cracking sheep won nearly all the carcase competitions across the country they were a halfway house between modern texels and beltex never see those types about these days, seems to be either one or the other .
Believe Robin is still selling them based in Herefordshire.
 

beardface

Member
Location
East Yorkshire
Bakewell killed and butchered a lot of sheep , and it was probably the fact he didnt follow traditional rules of pedigree breeding that made his sheep and cattle (longhorn) what they were , What i find fascinating was the line breeding he carried out , just how did that come about ? was very frowned upon in the 1700s , The hybrid vigour of the outcross is what made most difference but that would have taken years to get right .

Line breeding was interesting I agree. I'm sure he used multiplier units as he leased rams. Probably helped to stop to many issues Regards inbreeding. All done through eye and simple recording though. We shouldn't knock those who breed good stock through traditional means. Rember EBV and genomics are an additional tool not the only tool.
 

gwi1890

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North wales
Robin slades dutch texels were like that back in the 80s - 90s , when he was in devon , cracking sheep won nearly all the carcase competitions across the country they were a halfway house between modern texels and beltex never see those types about these days, seems to be either one or the other .


wouldn't call mine cracking but they do the job , grass only but they get a lot of it lol

IMG_2132.JPG
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Phrenology has been totally discredited in the professional medical world. The shape of an animals head has absolutely no correlation towards behavioural characteristics. It has been done to death.

There is also no proof of any link towards size or shape of head in correlation to the animals body.

It's quite embarrassing as an industry so many cling onto utterly pointless 'traits'... maybe that says something about their mental characteristics
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Phrenology has been totally discredited in the professional medical world. The shape of an animals head has absolutely no correlation towards behavioural characteristics. It has been done to death.

There is also no proof of any link towards size or shape of head in correlation to the animals body.

It's quite embarrassing as an industry so many cling onto utterly pointless 'traits'... maybe that says something about their mental characteristics

ok i admit it i had to google that one , lol , maybe the shape of the head has been discredited , but we all know long ears are a definite breed improver , it must be true the man at the market said so .
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Sep Brewis would agree that a sheep's expression tells you a lot about its state of mind and health.



View attachment 889249


You keep going on about facial expression... that is not phrenology, and has nothing to do with the article in the OP which says you can tell how good (physical shape and structural) the body will be just by the head.

You're talking about the general appearance of a healthy animal and telltale signs of illness... a healthy head can be attached to a healthy, but poor, body and vice versa
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
You keep going on about facial expression... that is not phrenology, and has nothing to do with the article in the OP which says you can tell how good (physical shape and structural) the body will be just by the head.

You're talking about the general appearance of a healthy animal and telltale signs of illness... a healthy head can be attached to a healthy, but poor, body and vice versa
What about swirlology? Is that a thing in sheep.

Do they have swirls? :ROFLMAO:
 

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