Author Topic: Halter/head collar for Shetland calves - recommendations please ! (Read 4321 times)

HappyHippy · « **on:** October 24, 2012, 04:25:34 pm »

The calves are coming on Friday

(as long as I get their 'quarters' finished tomorrow

)
Just can't tell you all how excited I am

But, since I wasn't expecting them til after Xmas I haven't got all my bits and would like to get a halter and get started with training asap - to help me avoid making costly mistakes I'm wondering if someone can point me to a good, comfortable, starter halter/harness. The calves are 6 months old and Shetlands.
Thanks in advance

Karen

downsized · « **Reply #1 on:** October 24, 2012, 05:26:40 pm »

I make my own to fit each animal, more comfortable for them and you have more control, the key is the measurement over the nose.

downsized · « **Reply #2 on:** October 24, 2012, 05:35:17 pm »

Just looked at the member map, see you aren't too far away. I'm going to be making a couple of halters for our own shetlanders so could easily make a couple of extra blanks and fit them for you if you want.

Factotum · « **Reply #3 on:** October 24, 2012, 06:28:02 pm »

Hi Karen

Who are you getting?

Shetland calves are lovely - at 6 months they won't have horns yet, just small buds coming through. If they're anything like ours, they'll be bouncing about chasing everything & nothing once they settle in.

Do post some pictures soon.

Sue

HappyHippy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:00:48 pm »

Quote from: downsized on October 24, 2012, 05:35:17 pm

Just looked at the member map, see you aren't too far away. I'm going to be making a couple of halters for our own shetlanders so could easily make a couple of extra blanks and fit them for you if you want.

That would be fantastic

Thanks so much

I'll pm you with my million questions

Quote from: Factotum on October 24, 2012, 06:28:02 pm

Who are you getting?

I'm not sure of their registered names, need to double check that but they're coming from Palacerigg in Cumbernauld - currently known as Jack and the heifer

I know, I know, it should automatically follow that I call her Jill. But I really don't like that name for a cow

I'm just too fussy

Factotum · « **Reply #5 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:17:26 pm »

All good beasties deserve a good name. We've started naming our alphabetically each year as seems to be a tradition on Shetland and we thought it would be nice to follow it here.

The names we've used thus far are:
Ailsa, Annabel and Adam (who was our first male calf & now inhabits various freezers in our village and beyond).
Bonnie, Bridie, Breena and Brodie (he is next on the list for the butcher)
Cara, Caisi, Caiti, Cora and Cerin - Cerin will be ready in 2014.

Enjoy your new animals

Sue

downsized · « **Reply #6 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:28:47 pm »

no worries look forward to seeing them.

Most pedigree societies work with a year letter for males and females follow on from their mothers

Sam's Texel tups were Thor and Trojan, he bought in Tam o' Shanter and Tyson.

females I have bred were snow white, snow bird, snow drift (+ 2nd and 3rd all snowbird's daughters) and snow flower

the other option with females is to suffix the family name with a number i.e. Blyth(herd) Goldenstream(family name) XXII(number of animals who have borne that name)

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2012, 12:46:08 am »

Great news Karen

Piccies as soon as, please!

I don't know if it's the same with Shetland cattle as it is with ponies but mostly people don't seem to call their pony what its registered name is.

And I wasn't about to call my house Jersey 'Scent'

As to Jack and... Jemima? Juliet? (Assuming our illustrious member is

with that

) Jezebel (assuming said illustrious member

with heifer named after her favourite ewe

) Jochasta Julie Julia Jude Judith Judy Josephine Jenny/Jennifer (Jenny's funny - Jack and Jenny are the male and female donkey) Ok I'll stop now.

Rosemary · « **Reply #8 on:** October 30, 2012, 09:47:43 pm »

There's no breed convention for the naming of Shetland cattle, although it looks like most folk start with "A" and follow from that.

We have Ryeland sheep and the RFBS DOES have a letter for each year and all tups must be named accordingly. Although ewes don't get an "official" name, we use the same letter for their pet names.

We've decided to use the same letter for the calves - so 2012 is an "S" year. The ewe lambs are Sweetpea, Smudge and Stella and the two calves are registered as Rosedean Sirocco (aka George) and Rosedean Santa Ana (aka Annie) (their mothers are Breeze and Blizzard, so we wanted to keep the "weather" theme

).

It's more bother than naming kids

downsized · « **Reply #9 on:** November 05, 2012, 05:10:10 pm »

woohoo located our halters, mostly cotton show halters but also an adequate number of everyday ones too

HappyHippy · « **Reply #10 on:** November 05, 2012, 05:41:21 pm »

Excellent

I'm still waiting (although slightly less than patiently, poor Bruce

) for my calves to arrive.
Hopefully towards the end of this week

Oh and I came to a decision on the heifer's name, she's gonna be 'Mabel' (unless she doesn't suit it when she arrives

)

downsized · « **Reply #11 on:** November 06, 2012, 10:31:49 am »

they'll arrive when they arrive. Glad I found the sack with the halters in it, thought I'd have to source soem decent rope. I'm looking forward to having cattle again.