booklet

Adventures
WITH RARE BREEDS
Inside:
Rare Breeds
Facts and Fun
We are the rarest
of the rare!
Leicester Longwool Sheep
Two hundred years ago, Leicester
Longwool sheep were a common
sight in many parts of the country.
At that time, wool was very
valuable for all sorts of uses and
with long wool that practically
touched the ground, the breed
was very popular. In those days
too, people ate a lot of mutton,
and Leicester Longwools also
provided a hearty and tasty meal.
The Leicester Longwool is in
Category 3 – Vulnerable – on the
RBST Watchlist
Northern Dairy
Shorthorn Cattle
Northern Dairy Shorthorn cattle originally
came from the areas around Durham
and Westmorland. They were bred to do
well living outside all year round on hilly
upland farms and were kept to provide
farmers with both beef and milk.
The Northern Dairy Shorthorn is in
Category 1 – Critical – on the RBST
Watchlist
2
Large Black Pigs
The Large Black is one of our oldest breeds
of pig – and as its name suggests, it is very
big indeed! At the beginning of the 20th
century, it was very popular, winning lots
of prizes at shows. Many were bought by
pig breeders all over the world because
they were strong enough to live in very hot
countries and because of their dark skin,
they didn’t get sunburn.
The Large Black is in Category 3 –
Vulnerable - on the RBST Watchlist
Suffolk Horse
Known as the Suffolk Punch, there were
many thousands of these horses in East
Anglia before the First World War. They
are very strong and they were used by
farmers to work on the land and to pull
large, heavy carts on the roads.
The Suffolk is in Category 1 – Critical – on
the RBST Watchlist
Bagot Goats
Bagot Goats have been in Britain for
around 700 years – but they weren’t used
for milk or meat! They were often found in
the grounds of stately homes, where they
made attractive decorations because they
are so striking to look at.
Bagot goats are in Category 2 –
Endangered – on the RBST Watchlist
3
Brussbar Chickens
Brussbar chickens were first bred in the 1940s
as a bird that could produce a lot of eggs and
make good meat for the table. Unfortunately
they did not become popular with chicken
farmers and are now one of the rarest chickens
that still survive.
Quiz
1
What is special about the Leicester Longwool’s wool
............................................................................................................
2
Where did Northern Dairy Shorthorn cattle used to live?
............................................................................................................
3
Why don’t Large Black pigs get sunburn?
............................................................................................................
4
What did farmers use Suffolk horses for?
............................................................................................................
5
Where would you have been able to see Bagot goats?
............................................................................................................
6
When were Brussbar chickens first bred?
............................................................................................................
4
Can you guess which
county I came from?
Most of our rare breeds can trace their history back to the part of the country where they
were first used in farming or for working. They were adapted to the countryside and the
weather where they lived and it wasn’t for many years that they would be found in other parts
of the country. See if you can guess which counties in Britain these breeds first came from:
Tamworth pig
a)Shropshire
b)Staffordshire
c)Warwickshire
❏
❏
❏
Whiteface Dartmoor sheep
a)Devon
❏
b)Cornwall
❏
c)Somerset
❏
Traditional Hereford cattle
a)Gloucestershire❏
b)Wiltshire
❏
c)Herefordshire ❏
Exmoor pony
a)Dorset
b)Devon
c)Cornwall
❏
❏
❏
Orpington chickens
a)Suffolk
❏
b)Surrey
❏
c)Kent
❏
5
Did you know?
Did you know that I eat seaweed
instead of grass?
North Ronaldsay sheep
My original home is the island of North Ronaldsay which is
in the Orkneys, the North coast of Scotland. I live on the
seashore there and I eat the seaweed.
Did you know there is a shrine to
my breed in Japan?
Middle White pig
Because my meat is so tasty, it is popular all over the
world and it is said that the Emperor of Japan will eat no
other meat. There is even a shrine in honour of my breed
in Japan.
Did you know that cows can have
horns too?
Gloucester cattle
Some people think only bulls (male cattle) have horns, but
the females can have them too. In fact, there are quite
a few rare breeds of cattle whose cows and bulls have
horns. There are also breeds where neither the male or
female has horns – these are called ‘polled’ cattle.
Did you know that I was once a
sports car?
Hackney Horse
Before the motor car, when everyone depended on
horse-drawn transport, my breed was very popular with
well-off young men to pull their carriages. Because I have
a very flashy high-stepping action and can move quite
quickly, they would show off with me as if I were a modern
sports car.
Did you know that I lay blue eggs?
Cream Legbar hen
Instead of brown eggs, I lay ones with pretty light blue or
even green shells. But don’t worry – the white is still white
and the yolk still yellow – and my eggs taste delicious!
6
Design your own
rare breed cow
Starting at number 1, join the dots to complete the picture. Then colour it in to make your
own rare breed cow. Choose a colour from one of the breeds mentioned in this booklet –
or make one up of your own!
7
What do you call a …
A
Baby:
E
Female:
Male:
R
L
Baby:
O
Female:
R
Male:
Baby:
F
E
Female:
Male:
T
Baby:
H
N
Female:
R
Male:
L
Baby:
O
Female:
Male:
B
D
Baby:
Female:
N
Y
Male:
8
It’s all about conservation
+
=
Peacock butterf ly
Exmoor ponies
Conservation means looking after and while we look after our rare breed farm animals,
they can help us look after our countryside.
They do this by doing what comes naturally – grazing. Sheep, cattle and ponies are used
by many Wildlife Trusts and other conservation organisations to help look after areas of
natural beauty. The animals keep vegetation in control by eating it and as they move
around they break up the ground which allows wildflower seeds to grow. Even their dung
provides a home for some particularly rare insects. This brings more wildflowers and the
butterflies and insects that feed on them.
Create your own colourful butterfly
9
Find 11 Differences
10
What meal do I make?
Draw a line to match the animal to the meal.
11
How to make a
woolly jumper
It takes a year for a sheep to grow a complete fleece of wool and to turn that fleece into a
woolly jumper takes time and needs special skills and machinery.
First, the fleece is removed from the sheep by shearing – this doesn’t hurt and makes the
sheep feel more comfortable in hot weather.
When it comes off the sheep, the fleece is coated with grease which has helped to keep
the sheep dry. It can also have mud, seeds and thorns in it. This means that the fleece
has to be scoured, which is the special name for washing, rinsing and drying it.
The clean wool is still very tangled, so it is carded on a special machine that separates the
wool into individual fibres.
Next the wool goes onto a spinning machine that twists and draws it out into a long
continuous thread. This can either be done in a woollen mill on a machine or by hand on
a spinning wheel.
Last the wool is wound into balls –
and really to be knitted into a
woolly jumper.
What do these pictures show:
Shearing
Fleece
.................................
.................................
.................................
.................................
Spinning
Balls of knitting wool
12
Help the hen find her chicks
Hattie the White Hen needs to find her chicks – help her choose which way to go.
13
Answers...
What do you call a … page 8
Quiz – page 4
Sheep: lamb
ewe
ram
1 It touches the ground
2 Durham and Westmorland
3 Because they have dark skin
Pig: 4 Work on the land
5 At stately homes
6 In the 1940s
piglet
sow
boar
Horse: foal
mare
stallion
Chicken:chick
hen
cockerel
Guess which county – page 5
Tamworth pig – Staffordshire
Whiteface Dartmoor sheep – Devon
Traditional Hereford cattle – Herefordshire
Exmoor pony – Devon
Cattle: calf
cow
bull
Goat: Orpington chickens – Kent
Find 11 differences – page 10
14
kid
nanny
billy
Farm Parks Map
Shetland
Approved Farm Parks
& City Farms
1
Bill Quay Community Farm
0191 441 9715
www.billquayfarm.org.uk
Orkney
2
Cholderton Charlies
Farm
01980 629438
www.choldertoncharliesfarm.
com
3
Church Farm Rare Breed
Centre
01366 382162
www.churchfarmstowbardolph.
co.uk
4
5
6
7
01451 850307
www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk
Croxteth Home Farm
07842 479382
Caledonian
Doonies Farm
9
01224 875879
www.dooniesfarmaberdeen.
co.uk
Kingston Maurward
Gardens and Animal Park
Borders
01305 215000
www.kmc.ac.uk/gardens_
animal_park
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Palacerigg Country Park
01236 720047
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
16
17
18
19
1
15
Odds Farm Park
01628 520188
www.oddsfarm.co.uk
Sperrins &
Lakeland
Cumbria
Northern
Ireland
Dales
Sandwell Park Farm
0121 553 0220
www.sandwellvalley.com
York
Centre
14
Lancashire
Shugborough Park Farm
01889 881388
www.shugborough.org.uk
5
Rare Breeds Centre
01233 861493
www.rarebreeds.org.uk
NW Wales
13
11
17
East of
England
Wiltshire
Wimpole Home Farm
Somerset
01223 206000
www.wimpole.org
Gorse Hill City Farm
Devon
7
East
Anglia
16
Severn & Wye
8
Chilterns
Walby Farm Park
3
East
Mids
Warks &
Northants
4
01228 573056
www.walbyfarmpark.co.uk
Heeley City Farm
Lincolnshire
Peak
District
10
Shropshire &
Mid Wales
Home Farm Temple
Newsam
0116 2537582
www.gorsehillcityfarm.org.uk
18
Cheshire
Staffs
Home Farm Tatton Park
01625 534431
www.tattonpark.org.uk
0113 336 7557
www.leeds.gov.uk/
museumsandgalleries/Pages/
templenewsamhouse/home-farm
15
6
Northern Scotland
Cotswold Farm Park
2
19
12
Dorset
Cornwall
0114 258 0482
www.heeleyfarm.org.uk
Spitalfields City Farm
020 7247 8762 or 07951 449136
www.spitalfieldscityfarm.org
RBST Head Office: Stoneleigh Park, Nr Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2LG. Tel: 024 7669 6551, [email protected]. www.rbst.org.uk
15
Securing the Future
of our rare and native breeds of farm livestock
has three tasks:
Monitor
We monitor the numbers of rare and native breeds. Each year RBST collects data
from breed societies and uses the number of animals registered in a year to calculate the effective
population, to produce the annual Watchlist.
We monitor threats to breeds. Other factors, such as inbreeding and geographical
concentration, can threaten our breeds. We monitor and act to try to reduce these threats.
Save
We save genetics in our National Gene Bank. We collect and store genetic materials
from animals, in the form of semen from males and, where practical, embryos from females. This is our
insurance policy. If a breed were to become extinct, we can use this store to reinstate a breed.
We save animals. In emergencies RBST will buy genetically important stock and place it in
approved breeding centres.
Promote
We promote the breeding and registration of rare and native breeds. Together
our staff, members and support groups provide a network of knowledge to support and encourage
breeders.
We promote the use of rare and native breeds for food, fibre, conservation grazing and
to represent our cultural heritage.
To find out more, visit
www.rbst.org.uk
RBST
RBSTrarebreeds
Registered Charity No 269442