The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Herding breeds!

Thank you!

Generic pink pigs!
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Pigs are actually quite amazing animals. They have the intelligence of a 3 year old child! Pigs can detect magentic North and South, they are incredibly social with their own zpecies and animals of other species. They can be housebroken and can learn tricks; including things like painting and playing instruments! Piglets learn the sound of their mother's voice and mother's sing to their babies while nursing. And they are much more hygeinic than their reputation... they keep their toileting area separate from their eating and sleeping quarters. They have even been known to decorate their living areas with bundles of plants/flowers if given the opportunity/materials to do so!

Lovely pigs! The Safari ones with the piglets are my favorite

I like very much the Safari Ltd with piglets and the last Schleich, your farm still miss the CollectA who look fine too.

Thank you all! @Kiki, the CollectA's never really appealed to me for some reason, but they may wander into the swine grange eventually. My domestics additions have dropped off a bit lately, but I hope to change that soon.

Brown Swiss and Braunvieh cattle!
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The brown Swiss breed was developed in the US from European Swiss stock. Some dairy historians consider these animals from the Swiss Alps to be the oldest breed of dairy cow. Today there are about 7 million of them, and traditionally they have been used as dairy and beef cattle but also have been used for draft/oxen work! They are very large animals, growing from 1,300 to 1,500 lbs and can range in color from a silver brown to nearly black. They have an ideal fat to milk ratio making them a preferred breed for producing cheese.They have the longest gestation of any breed at 292 days. They have dark circles around their eyes that helps prevent pink eye disease.

Mountains, Milk, Cheese... What else ?

The more I look at your collection the more I feel the pernicious urge to buy a few plastic cows and horses.
This topic is dangerous.

Sorry Christophe! Temptation is a hard thing to resist... and I can't find it in myself to discourage you from it.

Thank you both.

Thanks Andreas. :)

Ankole Watusi, Camargue, Carabao, Ongole cattle!
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This breed hails from Ongole Taluka in India and was the first Indian breed to be internationally recognized. This one of the largest breeds, at least in height. They have been used in breed crosses all over the world and too many to name here, but the one I am familiar with is the Santa Gertrudis developed in Texas. The Ongole is traditionally used for both milk and meat but also draft work like the Swiss breeds in my previous post. These animals are most known for their tropical habitat tolerance (humidity and heat) as well as disease resistance. They are resistant to many cattle eye cancers, as well as insect borne disease from ticks and flies. These traits are partly what make them so popular, besides their very unique look.

Very nice!

Watusi, Camargue, Carabao, Ongole It could be names for the three musketeers

Thank you everyone!

Domestic goats (no particular breed)!
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Goats are thought to be the first livestock animal we domesticated 9,000 years ago. Their milk is considered even richer than cow's milk as it is higher in fat, calcium, and phosphorous. Their horizontal pupils give them a wider field of vision than other animals which helps them spot predators. Kids are born with teeth! Goats are widely known to be "trashcans" and indiscriminate eaters; this isn't exactly true. Theu are actually quite picky eaters and prefer to eat items of high nutritional value, but they are also hardy and can make due on tree bark and thin grasses unlike other domestic livestock. Lastly, they have been found to be very social animals similar to dogs- in studies, goats prefer to interact with "happy" human portraits rather than "angry" looking ones, as well as the fact they will look to human help if presented with a puzzle they need assistance on completing.

Nice tribe, the ELC Billy goat is really incredible and I have a soft spot for the Safari Ltd and Schleich white ones

Great collection!

Those watusi are so cool! And excellent goats Really like the one in the center that looks like it came from a manger scene maybe?

Thank you everyone! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], that goat, a camel, and a dog I got in a lot off of ebay or some such, they are only marked Italy. But I think you are correct and they are part of some nativity that I only 3 elements of.

Fleckvieh cattle!
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This is a dual purpose breed as well, used for both dairy and beef (though in early years it was also a draft animal, this has largely dropped off today). The breed originates from central Europe (mostly Austria and Bavaria) during the 19th century. It was developed by crossbreeding local animals with imported Simmental cattle from Switzerland. Today there are about 41 million animals worldwide. Characteristically, this breed is large boned, fast growing, and still has tough claws and tendons that explain its usefulness as a draft animal. Modern cattle are often a red brown with white markings, but can vary in color, while their ancestors were much more primitive looking (dark red and brown, similar to auroch).