CLICK
Click came to J & K Farley Farms last year, and is the favorite pet of Jonathan Patrick. He is a very friendly rabbit who enjoys visiting with children. If he comes close to you, feel how soft his fur is. Click won't grow any larger and should be with us for many years to come.
History: It is said that the Dutch Rabbit originated in Holland around 1850. In Holland, it is called the Hollander Rabbit. It found its way to England in 1864 where it has risen in continued popularity and been exported to points around the world. The Dutch is one of the oldest breeds of domestic rabbit known, owing its existence, as do all domestic rabbits, to the much earlier domestication of the European wild rabbit, or (true rabbit). Considered a fancy rabbit due to their distinctive Dutch markings, the Dutch Rabbit, has from its introduction, benefited from the careful attention of breeders over the years who have continue improving the breed and expanding the available varieties while maintaining and perfecting the distinctive markings.
Special attention has been paid to
perfecting the general body type of the Dutch breed to the standard of
perfection we know today. Due to the high expectations demanded for perfection
in type and markings, the Dutch is one of the greatest challenges for
the prospective and experienced breeder alike.
The Dutch rabbit is always white with the addition of another base color.
They are one of the most popular rabbits kept as pets today. The average
adult Dutch Rabbit will weigh between 4 to 5 ½ pounds and on average
will live 5 to 8 years. The longest life span that has been reported is
15 years with 10 years not all that uncommon.
BRIMSTONE
Brimstone came to J&K Farley Farms this summer; he is a very friendly miniature horse who enjoys being scratched behind the ears. Brimstone should be with us for many years to come.
History: The first true Miniature Horses originated in Europe. As early as the sixteen hundreds, these tiny equines were being bred as pets for the European nobility. Paintings and articles were featuring the Miniature Horse by 1765. Lady Estella Hope and her sisters carried on the original English lines into the mid-nineteen hundreds. Many of the smallest Miniatures in the United States are from the Hope line. Not all early Miniatures were pampered pets of kings and queens. Some were used to work in the English Midlands and Northern European coal mines. English and Dutch mine horses were brought to this country in the 19th century and were used in some Appalachian coal mines as late as 1950.
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The ideal Miniature Horse of today, according to the American Miniature Horse Association's Standard of Perfection, must be small (standing at or less than 34 inches tall as measured from the last hairs of the mane,) must be sound, well-balanced, and possess the correct conformation characteristics required of most breeds. The general impression should be one of symmetry, strength, agility and alertness, with refinement and femininity in the mare and boldness and masculinity in the stallion-in other words, must be the smallest possible perfect horse. The Miniature comes in all possible horse colors. Because of their gentle, affectionate nature and small size, a Miniature Horse is also an excellent companion.
ARCHDUKE
Archduke is a young bull. He is ½ Angus and ½ Hereford. This mix will help him grow quickly and remain very friendly and easy to handle. He is only a few months old and will grow much, much larger. We expect him to grow to over 1,000 lbs! Archduke just came to J&K Farley Farms this summer.
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Hereford + |
Angus |
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Bull: an adult male
Cow: a mature female, or any cattle regardless of sex or age
Heifer: a female cow that has not had a calf
Steer: an adult castrated male
Ox: a steer that is used as a draft animal
Angus
Aberdeen-Angus is the original name of the breed as developed in Scotland and the term is still in use as such in the United Kingdom. Angus cattle are solid black cattle. They are good natured in comparison to several breeds but are more aggressive than the breeds such as the Hereford. They are used widely in crossbreeding to improve marbling and milking ability. Angus females calve easily (i.e., give birth without as much stress), partly because of the small size of a typical Angus calf, and have good calf rearing ability at a cost of overall performance. They are also used as a genetic dehorner as the polled gene is passed on as a dominant trait. As of the latter part of 2003 and early 2004, the American fast food industry has assisted in a public relations campaign to promote the supposedly superior quality of beef produced from Angus cattle ("Angus beef"). This promotion for Angus beef took hold in the consumer public, despite complaints that beef suppliers were merely presenting the same quality beef with a fancy name and a higher price.
Hereford
The Hereford breed was founded some
two and one-half centuries ago as a product of necessity. Thrifty and
enterprising farmers near Hereford in the County of Herefordshire, England,
were determined to produce beef for the expanding food market created
by Britain's industrial revolution. To succeed in Herefordshire, these
early-day cattlemen realized they must have cattle which could efficiently
convert their native grass to beef and do it at a profit.
There was no breed in existence at the time to fill that need, so the
farmers of Herefordshire founded the beef breed that logically became
known as Herefords. These early Hereford breeders molded their cattle
with the idea in mind of a high yield of beef and efficiency of production,
and so firmly fixed these characteristics that they remain today as outstanding
characteristics of the breed.
Herefords in the 1700's and early 1800's in England were much larger than
today. Many mature Herefords of those days weighed 3,000 pounds or more.
Cotmore, a winning show bull and noteworthy sire, weighed 3,900 pounds
when shown in 1839. Gradually, the type and conformation changed to less
extreme size and weight to get more smoothness, quality and efficiency.
DAISY AND BUTTERCUP
Daisy and Buttercup arrived at J&K Farley Farms this summer. They are Boer goats. They will get about twice this size.
The Boer goat is a new breed of meat goat in the United States. The Boer is a content, non jumping, intelligent and easily managed animal which provides a totally new dimension to goat management. Breeders know that the Boer has the potential to do for the meat goat industry what the European cattle has done for the beef industry. The tremendous amount of weight they can gain (over one half pound a day is common), conformation, hardiness, disease resistance and foraging tenacity are all profitable characteristics.
Boer goats are often used to naturally
get rid of brush, rose, greenbrier, brambles and thorn tree. They are
also used to eat weeds that are left behind by cattle. This allows fresh
grass to grow without the competition from the weeds.
The standard rule is that you can have ten goats in an area that can support
only one cow. Multiple births are common and a 200% kid crop is achievable
in managed herds. This means that if you start with a herd of 100 goats,
you can have 300 goats in one year!
Boer goats come to us from South Africa. The earliest recorded goats in
Africa were brought to western Uganda by the Black Nations as early as
AD 1200. Boer goats were developed in Southern Africa by breeding these
'indigenous' stock to European imports. The point, of course, was to have
a hardy, very adaptable, meat animal that could survive the varied conditions
of the African landscape while still maintaining a high birth rate, high
survival rate, and a marketable meat carcass.
The first Boer embryos to reach the North American Continent were implanted into recipient does at Olds College in Canada. The first Boer goats were allowed into the United States and Canada in April 1993.
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