Sheeted Somerset Cattle project.

[topground]

When the Dutch nobility allowed their highly prized Belted Cattle to be released to the wider world in the 1700's they found their way to Somerset and were bred with local red cattle to produce the distinctive Sheeted Somerset Cattle breed. The last herd died out in the 1930's due to TB in Hampshire and the only record of what they looked like is a painting. First photo.
Somerset has no cattle breed to its name, unlike neighbours Devon and Gloucester so a couple of us on here have got together to use the same genetics to revive the breed.
Here are the first results of our breeding Dutch Belted ( Lakenvelder) Bulls with our crossbreed red cattle.
The second photo is a bull calf.
The last photo is Heifer calf out of a Limi X North Devon Heifer in close attendance.
We have more calves due this spring and negotiations are continuing with BCMS and DEFRA regarding the addition of a breed code to CTS.
In the meantime we will call our cattle Sheeted Somerset although they might appear as cross breed beef or whatever other variation might suit on the passport.
Our target is to have a Heifer and her calf on view at the North Somerset Show in two years time.
If you use AI on your red sucklers and would like to join in the project please PM me.
There are straws from 4 different Bulls available and there have been no issues with large calves causing difficult births so far.
Why are we doing this? Because we can! (And they are easier to find in the dark)
@Henarar @farmerclare

 

[Deereone]

Good on you,
that adds a bit of extra interest to the days work.

 

[Ysgythan]

There are some feral cattle in Llandyfan resulting from inbred Simmental x black Herefords roaming on a common. They have those colourings, some with a white head, some without and are quite stunted, but may help in your breeding program if you could negotiate a movement. Don't think they've been registered with BCMS for a few generations. I'll try and get photos if I can get close to them.

 

[gone up the hill]

Good on you for doing this

I really hope you can get BCMS to give you a separate code for them,

When you start selling them for breeding/ store cattle etc make sure you make it clear in the ring they are larger crossbred cattle as this will help their sale price.

 

[JP1]

View attachment 282758 View attachment 282760 View attachment 282762 When the Dutch nobility allowed their highly prized Belted Cattle to be released to the wider world in the 1700's they found their way to Somerset and were bred with local red cattle to produce the distinctive Sheeted Somerset Cattle breed. The last herd died out in the 1930's due to TB in Hampshire and the only record of what they looked like is a painting. First photo.
Somerset has no cattle breed to its name, unlike neighbours Devon and Gloucester so a couple of us on here have got together to use the same genetics to revive the breed.
Here are the first results of our breeding Dutch Belted ( Lakenvelder) Bulls with our crossbreed red cattle.
The second photo is a bull calf.
The last photo is Heifer calf out of a Limi X North Devon Heifer in close attendance.
We have more calves due this spring and negotiations are continuing with BCMS and DEFRA regarding the addition of a breed code to CTS.
In the meantime we will call our cattle Sheeted Somerset although they might appear as cross breed beef or whatever other variation might suit on the passport.
Our target is to have a Heifer and her calf on view at the North Somerset Show in two years time.
If you use AI on your red sucklers and would like to join in the project please PM me.
There are straws from 4 different Bulls available and there have been no issues with large calves causing difficult births so far.
Why are we doing this? Because we can! (And they are easier to find in the dark)
@Henarar @farmerclare

Very very interesting and well done

I always assumed that the finer boned Sheeted Somerset and Sheeted Welsh had an infusion / similar descendency from the Lakenvelder dairy / dual purpose cattle ?

 

[JP1]

Good on you for doing this

I really hope you can get BCMS to give you a separate code for them,

When you start selling them for breeding/ store cattle etc make sure you make it clear in the ring they are larger crossbred cattle as this will help their sale price.

You being racist?

 

[topground]

Good on you for doing this

I really hope you can get BCMS to give you a separate code for them,

When you start selling them for breeding/ store cattle etc make sure you make it clear in the ring they are larger crossbred cattle as this will help their sale price.

I thought we might approach GTH and Frome Market for sponsorship of the fledgling Sheeted Somerset Cattle Society!
(Greenslade Taylor Hunt operate Sedgemoor Market)

 

[Gulli]

Great stuff we only have the one all red suckler cow and don't AI but if you want a hand with anything else I would be more than happy to help.

 

[CharlotteJourno]

Hi there, my name's Charlotte I'm a journalist for Heart Radio in the West Country. Just seen this tweeted and Sheeted Somerset cattle sounds really interesting. Would I be able to talk to you about them on Monday?

My email is: [email protected] and work no is 07557157237

Cheers

 

[Henarar]

Fame at last @topground

 

[gone up the hill]

I thought we might approach GTH and Frome Market for sponsorship of the fledgling Sheeted Somerset Cattle Society!
(Greenslade Taylor Hunt operate Sedgemoor Market)

Go for it, it is just the sort of thing a company like GTH should be helping given that they run the largest livestock market in Somerset.

 

[gone up the hill]

You being racist?

 

[JP1]

It was a quip that you thought the crossbred Sheeted were bigger / better than a Beltie that they might have imagined ...

 

[gone up the hill]

It was a quip that you thought the crossbred Sheeted were bigger / better than a Beltie that they might have imagined ...

A crossbred will be bigger looking at the pics posted than a pure belted Galloway, I wouldn't buy a BG but I would try a cross bred just to see how they do.

 

[JP1]

A crossbred will be bigger looking at the pics posted than a pure belted Galloway, I wouldn't buy a BG but I would try a cross bred just to see how they do.

I realise that although Sheeteds (Welsh or Somerset) will be slighter frames, I'd have thought

 

[C.J]

This image is very familiar to me - my mother cut the photo from a magazine and framed it.

I wonder what the local red cattle were ? Devons on the West of Zummerset and Marlborough Red to the East ?

 

[topground]

I realise that although Sheeteds (Welsh or Somerset) will be slighter frames, I'd have thought

Mine will be out of cows that are 650 to 750Kg and for the avoidance of any doubt or confusion, there are no Belted Galloway genetics in the Sheeted Somerset breed! We will be looking longer term for the females to be within the same weight range and they will be milky through the Lakenvelder influence.

 

[gone up the hill]

Mine will be out of cows that are 650 to 750Kg and for the avoidance of any doubt or confusion, there are no Belted Galloway genetics in the Sheeted Somerset breed! We will be looking longer term for the females to be within the same weight range and they will be milky through the Lakenvelder influence.

So they should have length along the body and shape at the back end??

 

[septimus]

how long before someone is trying to breed them with a back end like a BB?

 

[Purli R]

how long before someone is trying to breed them with a back end like a BB?

I've been trying that for years!!!