Author Topic: Cattle breed ID (Read 2279 times)

Harebell · « **on:** January 19, 2015, 08:57:27 pm »

Hello, I posted some similar ID photos in the sheep section

and now I have a bull

that needs IDing!

I've been looking through some old photos of the family farm - we've been in south Wiltshire (near Salisbury) for a few generations. I came across this photo of a bull - I believe it was taken in 1930s/40s or early 1950s. Although it's a black and white photo, I get the impression that maybe the bull is red in colour? Could it be a Red Poll bull? I've no idea what cattle were popular back then in Wiltshire.

beagh-suffolks · « **Reply #1 on:** January 19, 2015, 11:28:54 pm »

he looks like a ruby red bull

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2015, 12:07:56 am »

I don't think it's a North Devon (now also known as Red Ruby or Red Devon) - I don't think they would have been polled back then, they'd still have been triple-purpose wouldn't they?, so would all have been horned. Breeding polled is a recent (and not always popular) innovation in this breed, I think.

It's very hard to ID stock going back that far - shapes and even colours have changed so much over those decades.

If you could get hold of some local newspapers from the time, and look at the livestock auction results, that will give you an idea of what breeds were in favour at the time.

langfauld easycare · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2015, 12:16:23 am »

my guess would be red poll

shep53 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2015, 07:16:30 pm »

RED POLL would be my guess, they originated in Norfolk and Suffolk so in the right area , dark solid red with a curly top knot , and one of the few non horned cattle at that time .

Harebell · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2015, 09:00:10 pm »

Having done a bit of research it seems that there were red poll in Wiltshire and near by Hampshire at that time.

For example, this photo of some red poll was taken in 1944 on a farm I'm familiar with which is less than 20 miles away from us. http://www.reading.ac.uk/adlib/images/FS/PH1/K28745.jpg

The Museum of English Rural Life has a great image library, some quick searches today bought up lots of interesting old photos from my local area...everyone should give it a go!
http://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/collections/merl-imagelibrary.aspx