Milking Shorthorn Cattle

One of the oldest recognized breeds in the world, Shorthorn cattle originated in Northeastern England in the Valley of the Tees River. Much of the early improvement work took place in the counties of Northumberland, Durham and York.

The first importation of Shorthorns to the United States was in 1783, when "Milk Breed" Shorthorns came to Virginia. These early importations, often referred to as "Durhams", became favorites of the pioneer, furnishing meat, milk and power.

Shorthorns, the most numerous in the British Isles, America and Australia, are either red, red and white, white or roan, the last named color being a very close mixture of red and white, and found in no other breed of cattle.

An unknown number of both types, the milk breed and the beef breed, were brought from England in 1783 by a Mr. Gough of Maryland and his partner, a Mr. Miller of Virginia. Importations continued during the early 1800s, and the breed moved into New York, Kentucky, Ohio and deeper into the Midwest. The first herd west of the Mississippi River is reported to have been established by N. Cooper on his Ravenswood Farm in Missouri in 1839. Today, Milking Shorthorns are found in almost every area of the United States.

It should be gratifying to anyone interested in Milking Shorthorns to learn how much the breed contributed to the livelihood of our nation. Its hardiness, wide range of adaptation and efficiency of production provided milk, meat and transportation for our pioneers.

Suffolk Punch Horse

Today’s best-known breeds of draft horses are said to date back to the "Great War" horses of Medieval times. But while these great titans clashed in mortal combat, the quiet farmers of eastern England went about developing their own breed of heavy horse, the Suffolk Punch. This one breed is today the least known to Americans and yet has perhaps more qualities appealing to the American breeder than any of the better-known breeds of draft horses

The Suffolk farmer used his horses to till and harvest his own lands, so seldom did he have horses to sell. This not only kept the Suffolk relatively unknown but also pure, remaining unchanged and true to his original purpose, to be a strong and faithful worker for his master. Of all the draft breeds, the Suffolk is one of the oldest in existence with records dating back to 1880. Crisp’s horse of Ufford, the foundation stallion of the breed was foaled in 1768.

Foals are occasionally available. Contact rmoore@ferrum.edu

Ossabaw Island Hog

As the pigs adapted to Ossabaw Island, they became yet smaller, a process called "insular dwarfism." They also had to adapt to the food cycle on the island, which provides little to eat during the spring season. As an adjustment, the Ossabaw Island hogs developed a unique biochemical system of fat metabolism, enabling them to store a larger proportion of fat than any other hog. In conjunction with this, they have a form of low-grade, non-insulin dependent diabetes, making them excellent medical research animals. They have been studied for over a decade at the University of Georgia and other institutions.

It is currently not possible to import animals directly from Ossabaw Island due to quarantine restrictions. Small breeding groups of Ossabaw Island hogs, descendants of animals brought from the island during the 1970s, can be found on the mainland. Offspring of these animals are available from time to time from individual breeders.

The Ossabaw Island hog population is classified as "critical" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. The ALBC estimates there are fewer than 200 available in mainland breeding programs, although many more animals can still be found on the island itself.

Piglets are occasionally available. Contact rmoore@ferrum.edu

Tunis Sheep

The Tunis is one of the oldest breeds indigenous to the United States. It is a medium-sized, meat-type sheep characterized by creamy wool, copper-red- colored faces and legs, pendulous ears, and minor fat deposits over the dock area.

The American Tunis evolved from a number of importations of fat-tailed sheep from Africa and the Middle East in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These sheep were crossed with some established European breeds to improve the meat characteristics.

The earliest documented importation occurred in 1799. They came as a gift to the U.S. from the ruler of Tunisia, his highness the Bey of Tunis, and were entrusted to the care of Judge Richard Peters of Pennsylvania, who became an outspoken advocate of the breed. By the 1820s, Tunis were in much demand by butchers in eastern Pennsylvania. Descendants of Judge Peters' sheep, as well as additional importations of fat-tailed sheep became established in Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Thomas Jefferson imported "broad-tailed" sheep and kept them for many years. He preferred them over his Merinos for their mutton and wool-producing attributes. The breed was quite popular, and in 1892, Ezra Carmen in a chapter of "A Report of the Sheep Industry of the U.S." wrote, " But for the introduction of the fine-wooled Merino, these Tunisian sheep would probably have become disseminated throughout the U.S., and in some of them have become the prevailing flocks."

Although Tunis are currently listed as rare with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, there has been a steady increase in registrations for the past 10 years.

Lambs are occasionally available. Contact rmoore@ferrum.edu

Dominique Chickens

The Dominique breed developed from the fowl introduced during the early settlement of New England. These were of the type predominating in the south of England and from which the Sussex and Dorking descended. This stock was widely distributed in the Eastern half of the United States by mid 19th century. The breed was generally known as Dominiques except in the region of origin, where they were known as Plymouth Rock and occasionally as Pilgrim Fowls. The differentiation between Plymouth Rock and Dominique was not made until 1870, when the management of the New York state poultry show ruled that only rose- combed fowl of intermediate size could compete as Dominiques and that all medium and large single combed fowl of this color would be known as Plymouth Rocks. A small single-combed bird of this color was called a Dominique Leghorn.

Dominiques have many advantages besides their handsome appearance. They are hardy, do well on open range as well as in confinement, are generally calm by nature, and are easy to work with and show. They hatch well, are early feathering, mature young, and are of moderate size. The American Poultry Association's Standard of Excellence indicates that cocks run seven pounds; cockerels, six pounds; hens, five pounds; and pullets, four pounds. The females are good mothers, reasonably good layers of light to dark brown, and show less tendency toward broodiness than many other exhibition breeds. There are both large and bantam Dominiques. Dominiques are also good meat birds.