The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Frenchies!

Great selection again.The 2 little AAA calves on the right are meant to be Jerseys.I have on and I think its marked as Jersey.

Thank you! I thought those calves were Jerseys, but I think the Wiki just has them as generic. I will have to check their stamp and see if mine also say Jersey on them. I don't remember...

Last of the pigs! Various breeds:
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Mangalitza (one of many spellings) pigs hail from Hungary. Developed from crossing wild boar with domestic Romanian Salonta, Hungarian Bakony, and and the Serbian Sumadija pigs. They are most well known for their thick, woolly coat of hair; earning them the name "sheep-pigs". There has only ever been one other breed so hairy; the now extinct Lincolnshire curly coat pig. In the modernd day, only 3 of the 6 varieties still exist; the red, blonde, and "swallow bellied"; while the three extinct went... well... extinct; black, "wolf", and "baris". They have much smaller litters than other breeds, usually only 4-8 piglets. This old breed has dropped out of popularity as an agriculture animal, farmers now prefer much meatier modern breeds. But in recent years, they make be making a comeback due to "healthier" manosaturated fats in the meat (including more minerals/vitamin content and a purer fatty content).

Nice pigs! I have the Schleich family and those were always my favorite farm figures to play with

Great selection of pig breeds!!

Thank you!

Llamas! (penultimate post for livestock):
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Llamas come in 52 natural colors, including black, white, gray, beige, red, and brown. They were domesticated about 4,000 years ago, but their wool has been used for about 6,000 years! Just like alpacas, it is a preferred clothing fiber since it is lanolin free. Llamas in captivity often deposit manure (some call it "llama beans") in a communal toilet area and is odor free; this not only helps with pests like flies, but also reduces the risk of parasite transference. I was unable to find if wild llamas do any similar behavior in the wild. Lastly, they can carry up to 25-30% of their body weight if they are used as a pack animal.

Lovely llamas! I really like the baby Mojo

The Llama on the right at the bottom,do you know the maker?

The one on the end? Funrise. :)

Thank you everyone!

Thanks Paige-I thought it was Funrise but needed to be sure!

And the final livestock group; assorted chicken and turkey breeds!
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Domestic turkeys can get to be 3 times the size of wild specimens (a combination of breeding for larger muscle groups and feed). It takes approx. 84 lbs of feed (usually corn and soybean meal) to raise a 30 lbs tom. Before modern transportation methods, farmers would put leather "shoes" on their feathered livestock before walking them to the market to be sold. Turkeys were first domesticated by native Americans in the region of what is now Mexico and southeastern states 2,000 years ago! This is a farm animal that has been domesticated from wild stock on 2 occassions. Depending on who you ask, there are around a dozen modern breeds of turkeys around the world. While they all are very clearly turkeys (unlike other modified poultry breeds that have been heavily altered- looking at you pigeons...) There are some very striking breeds (like the ones I repainted above).

Congratulations Paige , I really like your repaints, especially the chicks.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

And the final livestock group; assorted chicken and turkey breeds!
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Domestic turkeys can get to be 3 times the size of wild specimens (a combination of breeding for larger muscle groups and feed). It takes approx. 84 lbs of feed (usually corn and soybean meal) to raise a 30 lbs tom. Before modern transportation methods, farmers would put leather "shoes" on their feathered livestock before walking them to the market to be sold. Turkeys were first domesticated by native Americans in the region of what is now Mexico and southeastern states 2,000 years ago! This is a farm animal that has been domesticated from wild stock on 2 occassions. Depending on who you ask, there are around a dozen modern breeds of turkeys around the world. While they all are very clearly turkeys (unlike other modified poultry breeds that have been heavily altered- looking at you pigeons...) There are some very striking breeds (like the ones I repainted above).

The gray pig with the white face on the far right of the photo is such a nice looking model. All of them are really good, that one just stands out to me. I also love your llamas, the Funrise llama looks a little derpy next to all his distinguished cousins, what a cutie.

My seaside holiday has put me a little behind schedule here

Merino, Scottish black-faced, and Shropshire sheep! I have a soft spot for the Papo Merinos. The ELC Scottish black-faced are nice too but I prefer the weird Bullyland one. The Shropshire is really nice.


Simmental! I never heard about the Russian subbreeds The Mojo sculpted by Anna have my heart It really let me think of a Simmental shape.

Chickens! What a colourful picture

Mixed cattle! Salers, Ayrshire, Montbeliarde, Galloway, and Limousin! Love them all

Another set of mixed cattle! Black baldy, Maine Anjou, Allgau and Blonde d'Aquitaine. never heard about the Black baldy ! The Blonde d'Aquitaine is particularly well done.

Generic sheep! I especially like the Safari 232429, Safari 161429 and the Schleich 13937 rams. But my favorite is the smaller one on the pic below. What brand please ? I can't find it on TAW.
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The last of the cattle, just the ones who don't fit into one distinct breed. What about this nice cow ? what brand ?
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Last of the pigs! Various breeds: Mangalitza is impressive of course. The one that breaks my heart is the Safari Berkshire pig, I didn't buy it before it was retired and I'm still chagrin over it.

And the final livestock group; assorted chicken and turkey breeds! It would be cool if ToyMany would make a rare poultry breeds set like they did for the rabbits

Christophe-the ram is AAA/ELC and the cow is AAA-it also comes as black/white version.

Thank you everyone!

And thanks Taylor for your reply to Christophe. :)

Update for TCC; the livestock page is live!
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Taos wrote:

Christophe-the ram is AAA/ELC and the cow is AAA-it also comes as black/white version.

Thank you Taylor Is it me or their pics are missing on TAW ?

If they aren't, I am sure that Taylor or I would be happy to oblige.

Alrighty, we are off to the races! The horse races of course.

Another category that I know is quite niche here. But I hope that I can present it in a way that you may learn a thing or two, or perhaps gain a little more appreciation for our equine partners. After all, we would not have gotten far without them.

Before I begin, just to explain a little of the rotation I am using; there are 3 categories horses can be sorted into to describe their general purpose or build. These are the draft/draught type; horses used for working. The lighter built "riding" type; animals used for general purpose use. And then the "pony" type; usually animals of a very small stature, large personality, and at least in modern day are often more of utility as a pet.

A horse is a horse unless of course... it is a leopard(?)!

First up is the Knabstrupper!
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This breed is most famous for its appearance; the spotted horses you see above. This coat color (I will delve into it more with other breeds) is actually rather uncommon (these horses can be common looking like bay or black or roan instead of spotted) but has become an iconic flashy look for the breed; it is called leopard spotted. Their name comes from the Knabstrup estate where it was developed in Denmark. The first "Knabstrupper" was a mare, Flaebe, purchased from a butcher in 1812 for her unique looking coat; a deep red coat, white mane and tail, with white flecking that turned into a blanket (white patch over the rear portion of the animal's back and haunches) with spots. Over time, this unique coloration gene (which some animals will change appearance with age) developed the breed (the same spotted complex gene exists in the appaloosa). The breed is athletic, excelling in dressage, eventing, show jumping, carriage work, harnessing, and performances such as in circuses. They have an easy temperament, a hardworking mentality, and are teachable to a variety of tasks. Since the 1900s their numbers have dwindled from previous popularity and today only 2,000 animals remain worldwide. Efforts to conserve the breed include outbreeding/crossbreeding with appaloosas (to preserve the coloration gene) or other European breeds like Trakehners.

The spots produce a wonderful effect in your photo. I didn't know about Knabstruppers, thanks for mentioning their history.

Looking forward to see your horses! The Funrise knabstrupper was always one of my favorite figures as a kid, and though he is not in this crowd, his family is lovely!

Thanks you three! Roger, you already made this category worthwhile to post.

Haflingers are next!
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They hail from the region where Northern Italy butts into Austria, originating in a little town called Hafling. These chestnut horses are of a distinctive golden color; a type of Chestnut that can be pale or dark, paired with a flaxen mane and tail. Coming from medieval stock in the Tyrolean Alps, they were developed from a single golden colored stallion born in 1874; Folie. They later grew to fame while in use during both WWI and WWII; they were small and compact, but still very strong and required less feed to maintain themselves. While being good tempered and intelligent, they are also known for being stubborn and benefit from a structured upbringing. These guys straddle the line between a "pony" and a "horse"; a pony is generally considered shorter than 14.2 hh/hands (each hand is 4 inches), and the average haflinger is around 14.4 hands. They are overall healthy, but with poor breeding can suffer from genetic disorders that can cause ataxia, amd even death.

First draft horses- Shires!
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These behemoths among horses stand at 18+ hh(hands high) and weigh in at 2,400 lbs. These horses are incredibly strong; a pair of Shires dead pulled (moving a weight from a dead stop) a load of 50 tonnes. These are some of the oldest horses around too; they originated in England and were primarily used as war horses. While in medieval times they would have been smaller than their modern day cousins, these would still have a been a terrifying sight in a full cavalry phalanx charging towards you! After their war days, they were adapted to agriculture and industry types of work. Afyer WWII their numbers did decline for a number of reasons, but now they are slowly making a come back. Shires are most often black or bay, but come in chestnut, sorrel, roan, grey, and others. To my knowledge as of this writing, this is the only breed with sex specifications in stud books (in the UK stallions can't be chestnut or sorrel, but mares can). They can have white markings on their feet, face, and underbelly, but excessive markings are usually considered "undesirable". The breed is also known for its long lustrous mane, tail, and feathers (the long hair down by their hooves); but this also can be a trait difficult for upkeep as grooming must be done regularly, especially to maintain hoof health.