South devon cattle

[egbert]

Looking at it from the 'outside 'of the Sussex World I though that would be a good combination to have , the temperament of Sussex, the growth if lim , the milk of Sussex, ect ect , complement each other well , as opposes to the extremes of each breed !

I've no connections with sussex beasts, but really don't like what's happened to several native breeds I am involved with.
AA and the black Galloways come to mind.
Why take something with such specific traits- esp Galloways- and change the breed into something completely different?
If there's breeds already providing different traits, go to it.
I now completely get what Joe Henson was doing, 50 years ago.

The SD's are a good case in point, They were a dual purpose breed, but that world -in the Uk has ended, so they moved away from milk.

 

[balerman]

24 month old steer of mine almost ready to go.Good to see so much interest in a traditional breed on here.652 kilos last week

 

[serf]

I've no connections with sussex beasts, but really don't like what's happened to several native breeds I am involved with.
AA and the black Galloways come to mind.
Why take something with such specific traits- esp Galloways- and change the breed into something completely different?
If there's breeds already providing different traits, go to it.
I now completely get what Joe Henson was doing, 50 years ago.

The SD's are a good case in point, They were a dual purpose breed, but that world -in the Uk has ended, so they moved away from milk.

Yes see what you mean about keeping the traits of the breed as they are unique to the breed , suppose I got crossed wires a bit in that i think using the two , lim / Sussex to cross to create breeding stock which to me seems an ideal combo the (little I know of Sussex )

 

[Jaffa Cakes]

I've no connections with sussex beasts, but really don't like what's happened to several native breeds I am involved with.
AA and the black Galloways come to mind.
Why take something with such specific traits- esp Galloways- and change the breed into something completely different?
If there's breeds already providing different traits, go to it.
I now completely get what Joe Henson was doing, 50 years ago.

The SD's are a good case in point, They were a dual purpose breed, but that world -in the Uk has ended, so they moved away from milk.

Is there a possibility that dual purpose will be something we need again in the future?

 

[Fendt65]

Is that where all the conical teats come from ?

Did madonna originally come from south Devon ?

 

[Oliveau]

Sussex - as they used to be- would have far more in common with Rubies.
It's true that some SD breeders tried dabbling with them furrin genes 30 years ago and more, but it didn't do them any good, and other than using em as a terminal sire, there isn't much of that now.
There'd still be masses of bloodlines where it was never tried - both pedigree and commercial purebred.

The double muscling is being actively hunted out thru genetic testing.

Ironically, I believe the Sussex's are sneaking lim in.....which baffles me. If you want lims...go buy lims.

Back along it was alleged that a certain well known breeder in Cornwall had a Lim bull tucked away.

I remuer going on a farm walk to a breeder in Cornwall who was really pursuing the double muscle route. The drawback that I could see was that his cattle were losing overall size - not good.

 

[Roy_H]

Looking at it from the 'outside 'of the Sussex World I though that would be a good combination to have , the temperament of Sussex, the growth if lim , the milk of Sussex, ect ect , complement each other well , as opposes to the extremes of each breed !

A farmer I knew thought he would cross The Sussex with The Salers hoping to get animals that had longer legs than The Sussex but shorter legs than The Salers if you know what I mean, sort of get an animal that was a "Halfway House" between the two. The result? Some came out with long legs and some came out with short legs. Gregor Mendel would have been proud

 

[serf]

A farmer I knew thought he would cross The Sussex with The Salers hoping to get animals that had longer legs than The Sussex but shorter legs than The Salers if you know what I mean, sort of get an animal that was a "Halfway House" between the two. The result? Some came out with long legs and some came out with short legs. Gregor Mendel would have been proud

Them with two legs short and two legs long are designed for grazing the hills ....



I'll get me coat ....

 

[Roy_H]

Soon after we sold up the new tenants (Who unlike us) had never even dabbled with suckler cows bought some South Devon X heifers in and put them in calf to Limousin. I seem to remember they were using 2 bulls but whatever, for one thing they got the heifers "A bit over fit" at calving time and it was a total FUBAB. They lost many a calf (and many a cow I think too).

 

[ImLost]

Them with two legs short and two legs long are designed for grazing the hills ....



I'll get me coat ....

What if they are opposite corners?

 

[C.J]

Back along it was alleged that a certain well known breeder in Cornwall had a Lim bull tucked away.

I remuer going on a farm walk to a breeder in Cornwall who was really pursuing the double muscle route. The drawback that I could see was that his cattle were losing overall size - not good.

There are 2 Myostatin genes associated with double muscling in South Devon cattle - The most common is nt821 however there are a few with F94L which is also found in Limousin cattle.

I guess the allegation could be proved - did the breeder have the initials W.W ?

 

[egbert]

Back along it was alleged that a certain well known breeder in Cornwall had a Lim bull tucked away.

I remuer going on a farm walk to a breeder in Cornwall who was really pursuing the double muscle route. The drawback that I could see was that his cattle were losing overall size - not good.

It was done quite openly too.
I recall a cow at the pedigree sale - on the old Exeter site- which had a blonde cross heifer calf - that could be graded up apparently

The double muscle gene thats being rooted out (and i presume everyone is trying to be rid...(maybe some twits want it) is known to be connected to runty little progeny.
That's not the problem I experienced with a bull from a TOP herd (no names, he's a lovely man I'm desperately fond of).
I had a few very bad calvings after the bull - normal looking calves getting stuck halfway out, wedged inside by inflated backsides.
Worse, those heifers that didn't show it still carried it.
They grew into gorgeous cows, but for 3 springs on the trot, I'd come out in the morning to find a dead cow with a dead calf halfway out.

 

[Cowslip]

It was done quite openly too.
I recall a cow at the pedigree sale - on the old Exeter site- which had a blonde cross heifer calf - that could be graded up apparently

The double muscle gene thats being rooted out (and i presume everyone is trying to be rid...(maybe some twits want it) is known to be connected to runty little progeny.
That's not the problem I experienced with a bull from a TOP herd (no names, he's a lovely man I'm desperately fond of).
I had a few very bad calvings after the bull - normal looking calves getting stuck halfway out, wedged inside by inflated backsides.
Worse, those heifers that didn't show it still carried it.
They grew into gorgeous cows, but for 3 springs on the trot, I'd come out in the morning to find a dead cow with a dead calf halfway out.

I alternate between a myostatin 0 and a myostatin 1 bulls as you can see in the photos above some of the calves do have a bit of shape to them but they would then always go to a 0 carrying bull and vice versa. Any too extreme would go into my commercial herd and not enter the pedigree herd. Seeing less extreme animals now the last one is now 4 yes old and runs in the crossbreed herd and is crossed with the saler. Most of the time by the time these shapier calves get to a year old you can't really pick them out.

 

[serf]

What if they are opposite corners?

There specialy designed for grazing Ridge and Furrow fields

 

[egbert]

There are 2 Myostatin genes associated with double muscling in South Devon cattle - The most common is nt821 however there are a few with F94L which is also found in Limousin cattle.

I guess the allegation could be proved - did the breeder have the initials W.W ?

I'd be surprised, given speed of growth and ultimate size- rather than shape- was what I recall of his strong suits.

That said, I worked a bull of his breeding just around FMD.
He grew into a beautiful bull, and cows after him were outstanding.
Good size, very easy to live with, perfect udders. No bulgy asses to be seen.
Not the best calf in background, but his temperament could hardly be faulted, eh?
Called un Ross

 

[Oliveau]

There are 2 Myostatin genes associated with double muscling in South Devon cattle - The most common is nt821 however there are a few with F94L which is also found in Limousin cattle.

I guess the allegation could be proved - did the breeder have the initials W.W ?

You might think that - but I couldn’t possibly say! But yes, we both know who we are talking about.

From my guide to Cornish dialect: ‘Nawn didee’ = Did you know the person of whom we speak?

 

[tinsheet]

I'd be surprised, given speed of growth and ultimate size- rather than shape- was what I recall of his strong suits.

That said, I worked a bull of his breeding just around FMD.
He grew into a beautiful bull, and cows after him were outstanding.
Good size, very easy to live with, perfect udders. No bulgy asses to be seen.
Not the best calf in background, but his temperament could hardly be faulted, eh?
Called un Ross

View attachment 1027686

Lovely pic.

 

[som farmer]

It was done quite openly too.
I recall a cow at the pedigree sale - on the old Exeter site- which had a blonde cross heifer calf - that could be graded up apparently

The double muscle gene thats being rooted out (and i presume everyone is trying to be rid...(maybe some twits want it) is known to be connected to runty little progeny.
That's not the problem I experienced with a bull from a TOP herd (no names, he's a lovely man I'm desperately fond of).
I had a few very bad calvings after the bull - normal looking calves getting stuck halfway out, wedged inside by inflated backsides.
Worse, those heifers that didn't show it still carried it.
They grew into gorgeous cows, but for 3 springs on the trot, I'd come out in the morning to find a dead cow with a dead calf halfway out.

the BB was known for the need for caesarean births, in its 'pure' form, which thankfully has been bred out, the idea, of that double muscle, was to increase the yield of high quality meat. So the BB was bred backwards, till that problem was solved, then bred up again, to get the meat, without the problem, sounds stupid. But a lot of cattle breeds, including dairy, have been 'improved' by adding another breed. And l am really not sure if much has been gained, that couldn't have been done by selection, within the breed. Often think, the show ring, has not had the best of effects, on breeds.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

My Grandfather Lewis came here lady day 1922 so I guess that just makes the herd over 100 years old.His father John bred the first animal listed in the bull section of Volume 1 (1892) - Admiral - they were listed alphabetically as no herd prefixes back then.On my mothers side , her grandfather Thomas Irish founded the Edmeston herd in 1902 and his father Robert is also mentioned a few times in Vol 1.

You have to be careful who you're rube about on here because you never know who they're related to. I think your surname pops up in the history of Modbury more than any other.

 

[M-J-G]

There are 2 Myostatin genes associated with double muscling in South Devon cattle - The most common is nt821 however there are a few with F94L which is also found in Limousin cattle.

I guess the allegation could be proved - did the breeder have the initials W.W ?

F94L seems to be in a lot of native breeds these days, AA, Shorthorn, Luing, Lincoln Red, to name a few

Some breed societies have or are trying to make rules to say that animals with a double copy can't be registered or sold, but I'm told that doing so may not be legal.