Animals

Dec 30 2013

Dorking Chickens

The Dorking is thought to be one of the oldest British chicken breeds descended from original birds brought to Britain by the Romans.

They get their name from the market town of Dorking in Surrey which became one of the main areas of production in the nineteenth century when they were popular as a table bird.

The Dorking is a docile breed making good brooding hens. They like to range freely and lays white shelled eggs in moderate numbers.

Body of the Dorking is rectangular with very short, white five-toed legs. Standardised colours are Silver Grey, Dark, Red White and Cuckoo

A silver grey bantam version exists which is one quarter the size of the standard birds.

Dorkings take about two years to mature to an average adult male weight of 4.55-6.35kg (10-14lb) and female around 3.60-4.55kg (8-10lb).

There are currently over 100 members of the breed club and surveys are taken every three years in order to conserve this ancient breed.

Records suggest that Dorkings appeared in the first British poultry show in 1845.

It is thought that the Sussex breed of chicken is derived from the Dorking.

Visit the Poultry Club website to find out more about this endearing little chicken http://www.poultryclub.org/dorkingclub/

Image of Dorking Chicken from Wikimedia. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dorking_Henne.JPG

Feb 28 2011

Highland Cattle

Native to western Scotland, the Highland breed of cattle is one of Britain’s oldest, distinctive and best known breeds, with written records dating back to the 18th Century.

Highland cattle are a hardy breed, ideally suited to survival on poor mountain land with high rainfall, making the most of poor forage.

Many Highland cows continue to breed to ages in excess of eighteen years, sometimes giving birth to around 15 calves which are generally given birth to outdoors.

The hardy nature of this breed means that they can be reared naturally, thriving in the hills and uplands of our country, without the need for intensive farming practices.

The longevity and hardiness of the Highland breed, keeps their farming costs lower than many other breeds, making them an important contribution to the agricultural economy of the UK. They can be found in many areas of the British Isles and are in high demand in other areas of the world where grazing is poor and weather conditions cold and wet.

Highland Beef

Highland cattle produce lean, well-marbled, flesh that ensures tenderness and succulence with a very distinctive flavour. From a nutritional aspect, Highland Beef is healthy and nutritious with lower levels of fat and cholesterol and a higher protein and iron content than other beef.

More information

Highland Cattle Society – Find out more about the distinctive Highlander cattle.

Highland Cattle World – Read the stories of Highland cattle folds around the world.

Oct 28 2010

Countryfile Adam is Champion

BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson, who own and runs the Cotswold Farm Park was crowned Champion of the Year at the annual farmers Weekly Awards.

The Farmers Weekly Champion of the Year award is presented annually to an individual who has shown outstanding commitment to communicating farming to the public. Adam collected his award at this years’ ceremony, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Peter Kendall, the NFU president, praised Adam for his dedication and down-to-earth approach.

North Ronaldsay Sheep in their native Orkney Isles

Through the BBC Countryfile programme, Adam brought the trials and tribulations of farming life to the public eye. His constant battle with Bovine TB was made even more poignant when some of his rare breed cattle and one of his oxen had to be slaughtered.

Adam Henson runs a mixed arable and animal farm in the Cotswolds and the arm is famous for it’s rare breed conservation work.

Cotswold Farm Park is home to many rare animal breeds including, White Park cattle, oxen and North Ronaldsay Sheep. The farm is open to the public from March to October.

More information

Cotswold Farm Park

BBC Countryfile

Farmers Weekly interactive

Aug 10 2010

Rare Breeds Survival Trust

In 1973 The Rare Breeds Survival Trust was founded to save the UK’s native breeds and since then no breed has become extinct.

RBST is the UK’s only charity dedicated to conserving Britain’s native farm livestock.

Throughout the world, it is claimed that one breed of farm animal becomes extinct every month. RBST is working to make sure that this does not happen in the UK.

Between 1900 and 1973 the UK lost 26 native breeds of livestock, in addition to many varieties of poultry. Breeds with evocative names such as the Goonhilly ponies, Somerset Sheeted cattle, Lincolnshire Curly Coated pigs, and Limestone sheep, have all gone.

Rare Breeds Watch List

The Rare Breeds Trust Watchlist contains all native UK breeds of cattle, goats, horses, pigs, poultry and sheep. Conservation criteria determine into which category breeds are listed.

Rare Breeds at Risk Register

The EU places a responsibility on member countries to establish a list of holdings where animals are kept for the purposes related to the conservation of rare breeds, so that they may benefit from any special measures that may apply at the time of an FMD.

This applies to cattle, sheep, pigs and goats

Find out more about the Rare Breeds at Risk Register.

More information

Rare Breeds Survival Trust

Mar 26 2010

North Ronaldsay Sheep

The Orkney, North Ronaldsay sheep is small sheep belonging to the northern short-tailed group of breeds. Bones of similar animals have been found at Skara Brae dating from the Bronze Age and a recent genotype survey organised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, demonstrated that the breed is still virtually unchanged from the original type.

These fine boned animals are primitive, having evolved in a specialised seashore environment on their native island but they have adapted well to mainland management including conservation grazing.

Confined to the shoreline for the majority of the year to conserve the limited grazing on the island, these sheep feed mainly on seaweed.

The colour of the face and legs can vary and the fine wool can be any colour from white through to black. The head is small and the ewe’s face has a “dished” appearance. Rams develop a mane and beard of coarse hair.

The tail is short and thin. Both rams and ewes can have the distinctive horns which curl around and up, around their face. However, occasionally they curl around backwards, slowly puncturing the sheeps’ skull, so regular trimming is often done to avoid this.

The North Ronaldsay ewes which have a strong maternal instinct, lamb easily and frequently produce twins.

Maturing slowly and feeding off seaweed gives the meat a distinctive flavour, much prized by chefs.

North Ronaldsay Sheep Close up — Distinctive horns of the North Ronaldsay Sheep

According to the RBST, there are about 3700 sheep still on North Ronaldsay and about 807 over the rest of mainland Britain of which about 554 are adult breeding ewes plus 90 shearlings, putting them them on the endangered list.

The different coloured wools, for which they are mainly bred, are popular with hand spinners, felters, knitters and textile designers.

In more recent years colonies of the sheep have been established inland and on other islands to prevent the entire breed being wiped out through catastrophe (such as foot and mouth). A small number have also been exported as an exotic breed. It has been found that the sheep’s digestive system can readjust to a non-seaweed-based diet within two generations.

The images used on this site have been reproduced with the kind permission of Trevor Thompson, who’s travels took him to a working farm on the Islands of North Ronaldsay.

More information

North Ronaldsay Sheep fellowship

BBC Countryfile – Adam’s farm animals – Adam has a number of North Ronaldsay Sheep on his rare breeds farm.

RBST – Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Spirit of Orkney website – find out more about the enchanting Orkney islands