The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Frenchies!

Nice to see you back Taylor. Thank you both Andreas and Taylor!

Beautiful herd, I love these impressive animals as much as teh Ankole cattle

I have a soft spot for the Schleich 13721, the CollectA 88925 and the two Mojo 387222

Thank you. :)

Farm geese and ducks!
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Domesticated geese can lay over 500 eggs in a year; compared to one or two clutches (something like 5-12 eggs) in wild species. Most domestic geese live 10-15 years, but have been known to reach 40! They serve a variety of purposes beyond just food and for down feathers; they can great for property management *pest control, fertilizer, and they keep plants nipped down), gaurd animals (given their fierce nature), and companion animals (for humans and other species both). Depending on who you ask, there are roughly 11-15 recognized domestic goose breeds (look them up, some of their appearances might surprise you!)

Beautiful gooses

Great flock!!!

You have many beautiful waterfowls, my favorite is the first on the left on the second floor.

Thank you everyone! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I love both of the Mojo geese too!

Next are the Jersey cattle!
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This breed, originally known as Alderney cattle, come from the small island of Jersey off the coasts of England and France approximately during the 1740s. They made land in the US in the 1850s. This small breed (usually topping around 1,000lbs) can range in color of tans and browns, but can also appear gray or even black. They are most well known for their milk that is rich in butterfat; most often used in foods like cheeses, butter, and ice cream. Their milk has much higher amounts of various minerals/nutrients in it, but specifically it has 18% more protein in it, and 20%more calcium , amd 25% more butterfat than other breeds.

Jersey cow Last summer, I spent an afternoon with a dairy farmer in southern Brittany. His herd was made up of Primholsteins and a small Jersey, and she was the leader of the herd.

I'm torn between CollectA and Schleich.

Thank you everyone! @Kiki, jerseys can be very spunky! So that doesn't surprise me one bit.

Scottish Highland Cattle!
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This is a very ancient and long lived breed; these cattle can live beyond 20 years old and the earliest record is in archaeology from the 6th century, while the earliest written record is from the 12th. They are also the oldest registered breed of cattle; first herd was registered in 1884. They can range in color from black (considered the traditional color, to brown, red (the modern standard), and blonde! Their characteristic shaggy coat is an unusal double coat for cattle breeds. The outer coat is oily and weather resistant, while the inner coat is fluffy.

Really nice domestic collection. Love the highland cattle, I didn't know they were traditionally black, I would be cool to see some in that color.

Boer goats are cool looking, and I know like you said they are generally considered good tempered, but the first boer I ever worked with personally was a huge weather who rammed the barn door so hard he took it off the tracks. You couldn't work in with him, he was considered a dangerous animal. The second and only other was a young boer in a petting zoo. She ultimately had to be removed because she wouldn't stop trampling children. But apparently, according to many other livestock keepers, they are not normally like either of these, haha.

Great cattle herds!

Thank you everyone! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], there are ALWAYS exception to the rule. To be honest, I feel for petting zoo animals. They put up with far worse humans than we do animals.

Mixed sheep 1.
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These guys were developed by Robert Bakewell amd gis students the Culley brothers circa 1767 and their name comes from being developed near the Scottish border. Border Leicester sheep are the largest indigenous breed to the British Isles. Historically they are called the "great improver" because they have been used in crosses to improve herder's stock. Over the course of a year, they can produce 8-12 lbs of wool that after scouring (cleaning treatment) 70% of the product. Generally they are considered docile animals, heavy milking mothers, and great foragers who can get by on less feed provided to them by a farmer/rancher.

Black angus cattle!
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Originating from Scotland, they were developed in the mid 1800s. The first herd eas brought to Kansas in 1873.This is a shorter lived breed, if kept in a herd they can reach about 10-15 years, but calf productivity is usually only around 3 years. The American Angus Association is the largest database for 20+ million cattle records, including genetic data. Their signature black coat is related to a reduced risk of "cancer eye" as well as snow/sun burned udders. The breed does bring with it four potential recessive defects: arthrogryposis multiplex- referred to as “curly calf” and affects lower mobility of joints; neuropathic hydrocephalus- known as “water head,” which can cause a malformed skull; contractual arachnodactyly- which is known as “fawn calf syndrome” and affects hip mobility; and dwarfism.

Beautiful collection of Angus

Lovely collection of sheep as well!

Thank you! Yesterday was a US holiday, so I took the day off. But now we get back to it!

Red angus and Geurnsey cattle!
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This breed hails from the English channel islands and is related to the Jersey breed. Their distinctive fawn and white colors help the breed with heat tolerance. This medium sized breed is famous for a few key traits. First, they are known to be efficient producers; they consume 20-30% less feed per pound of milk produced than other breeds. This breed's milk is also unique in that it is golden in color; this is a product of having more beta carotene present (as well as butterfat and protein) than many other breeds. The breed is on the decline in many places, being replaced by animals that focus on quantity of milk rather than quality of the nutrients present.

Sometimes I feel like I've already commented, but I haven't.

Scottish Highlands! The Papo and new Schleich are fine but I still love the old Schleich family
Border Leicester sheep always remind me of lost llamas in England. I really like the Mojo ram and the Safari ltd Blackface look.
I didn't know the Angus breed had so many problems, sad story.
The old Safari Ltd Guernesey bull and calf are really funny and the new cow is awesome.

The old Safari Geurnsey bull and calf are especially odd because they are stamped as Jerseys.