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The “proper Devon”….
….another picture of Devon in the days of yore. This is Highfield Noble and his picture was published in 1918 in a publication called “Livestock of the Farm”. This is one of a half dozen pictures we’ll be posting of Traditional English Devon. We’re indebted to Juliet Cleave of Cornwall.
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What does the “proper” Devon look like…
….well, this is what a “good one” looked like 120 years ago. She’s Flower the 2nd, winner of the Gold Medal from the Royal Agricultural Society in 1889. Her breeder was Sir William Williams, Baronet, of Heanton, Barnstaple. There’s an on-going debate within the two Devon associations over breed “standards” but we think this female could well be the model. (click to enlarge) Thanks to Juliet Cleave of Cornwall, one of our English partners in Traditional Devon America, for the picture. She sent along a string of old pictures which we’ll be posting in coming days.
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Ready to shave….
…I could swear TDA 001 Churchill, Traditional Devon’s young English bull, seems more grown up. He’s still just 19-months. That’s what happens when you put him in a pasture with some “older women”, I guess. What a difference four weeks makes, but wipe that silly grin off your face! Photo by his care-giver: Lindsay Sagstuen.
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On the trail of the “Highwayman”….
….a bit more information on the 1960s British champion, Uggaton Highway 2nd. Our Cornwall lass, Juliet Cleave, came up with the picture and wondered who he was. Wooz added some detail from the old herd books (including the fact that he’s an ancestor of one of the bulls calves we now have on the ground here). In case you missed her comment yesterday, I’ve pulled up the latest information from Juliet: Have just spoken to William Brent (of the now dispersed Clampit Herd): his family bought Uggaton Highwayman 2nd as an 18 month bull at the Devon Society annual sale & worked him “as much as we could” within the…
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All growed up….
well not quite. Traditional Devon Churchill is still probably not quite halfway there. But you can see “the shape of things to come”. He’s out of our favorite English cow…Tilbrook Cashtiller…by Cutcombe Jaunty. Churchill is just 18 months old but we’ve put him with a few cows to introduce him to the facts of life. This will be the last photos of our English calves for awhile. Now back to regular programming.
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Meanwhile back at Thistle Hill….
….we have a half-brother to the two young bull calves down in Georgia. This one is by Millennium Falcon, too, but the dam was Goldings Snowdrop. He’s one of six traditional English Devon calves we’re raising here. The first generation we brought over is now approaching two years of age and we’re using one of those bulls on a small number of cows in our regular herd. A kind of “test run”. For more information on our joint project with Bill and Nancy Walker and John and Patricia Forelle you can check our website: www.traditionaldevon.com
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Thistle Hill Falcon….
….is four-and-a-half months old now. He’s one of the pure, traditional English Devon. Sire, of course, is Millennium Falcon…the dam Goldings Snowdrop. If you’re wondering where the rest of the herd is: about a quarter of a mile and two electric fences away. Yes, I do think he’s making a statement. It’s not the first time we’ve noticed that a really good animal prefers to be somewhat removed from the herd. The British class system is alive and well at Thistle Hill.
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Getting to know you….
….our first English bull, TDA Churchill, is introduced to that mysterious creature…a female. In this case, this heifer is a Devon-Senepol cross. This will take some getting used to. Churchill is still young…just 17 months…and so we’ve put him in a pasture with just three females. They were all born late in our normal calving season, too late to be bred with the other heifers in their class. So Churchill has his own little harem to begin his education. He’s an extremely gentle bull, even for a Devon. Moderate-sized but beautifully proportioned. Exactly what the three Devon breeders who make up Traditional Devon America hoped for when they began their…
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Red Bull in the sunset….
….our new, pure, traditional English Devon baby bull. He’s THF Falcon, son of Ashott Barton Falcon, grandson of Cutcombe Millennium. And his deep red coat makes him stand out even among our very ruby red herd. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. Right now he seems to be everything we hoped for. Broad in all directions and perfect lines. Sadly, we’re going to have to clip his horns but even the English do that now. His dam, Snowdrop, is from another outstanding traditional farm: Ivan Rowe’s Goldings herd at Lands End. As our regular readers will know, we’ve been importing the purist, most traditional Devon we have been able to find in…
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Breeding heifers…and more…
The other day some of us got into a discussion, via email, about breeding heifers. But as these things go, we wandered off topic quite a bit. When I signed off, I realized that there might be some thought-starters in our ramblings for readers of this blog and so I have reproduced it here with the permission of the participants. Taking part were myself, and our two partners in Traditional Devon, Bill Walker and John Forelle, as well as two people whose counsel we frequently seek out: Bill Roberts of 12 Stones Grasslands Beef and Dr. Sue Beal, a holistic vet in Pennsylvania. The give-and-take began when I posted a video…